326

THE LIFE

O F

is a Chapel on the left for the King, and another on the right for the Queen;and behind the Chapels are two Courts, finely piazza’d, to give Light to theinward Rooms. There was to be a Terrass round it, as at Windsor, and theGround laid out for a Garden, very spacious, with a Park marked out, of eightMiles Circumference, and that Park to open into a Forest of twenty MilesCircumference, without either Hedge or Ditch. The King designed also aStreet from the Area to the East, in a direct Line, by an easy Descent, to thegreat Door of the Cathedral.

Queen Anne came once to see Winchester , where she staid seventeen Days,and designed to have finished it, as a Jointure-house to her Consort Prince Georgeof Denmark ; but an expensive War, and the Prince’s Death before her, pre-vented it. Whether his Majesty, or the Prince, when they please to make aCircuit through their Dominions, may not think it worth while to finish sonoble a Structure, Time will discover.

Bishop Morley, who had been an Exile with King Charles, and made Bishopof this See after the Restoration, seeing his Majesty designing to make Winchestera royal Residence, thought himself obliged to keep pace with the King; andtherefore pulled down a great Part of the old episcopal Palace, and, under theDirection of the same Architect, Sir Christopher Wren , began a new one; buthe dying about the Time with the King, his Palace stood still with the King’s.However, he had compleated one Wing in his Life-time, and left Money forfinishing the rest; but Bishop Mew, his Successor, feeing no Probability of aCourt at Winchester, never minded it. Sir Jonathan Tre/awny succeeding BishopMew, in Queen Anne's Time, called for the Money left by Bishop Morley, andfinished it. It is a very handsome Palace, d la moderne .

II. Plans ,. Elevations, and Sections, of the two royal Apartments at Hamp-ton~court , being a Part only of the Surveyor's Design for a new Palace there.

This Edifice was begun by the Commands' of King William and QueenMary , in the Year 1690, (to make room for which, the principal Part of theold Fabrick fronting the Houfe-park was taken down) and finished in 1694, justbefore the much lamented Death of that incomparable Princess.

Qua nihil majus meliustve RegnisFata donavere, bonique Divi,

Nec dabunt, quamvis redeant in AurumPcmpora priscum.

The Queen, upon observing the pleasant Situation of the Palace, proposed aproper Improvement with Building and Gardening, and pleased herself fromtime to time, in examining and surveying the Drawings, Contrivances, andwhole Progress of the Works , and to give thereon her own judgment, whichwas exquisite; for there were few Arts, or Sciences, in which her Majesty hadnot only an elegant Taste, but a Knowledge much superior to any of her Sex,in that, or (it may be) any former Age. This is not said as a Panegyrick, buta plain and well-known Truth, which the Surveyor had frequent Experience of,when, (by that Favour and Esteem the Queen was graciously pleased publicklyto strew him, upon a Discernment and Trial of his Worth) he had many Op-portunities of a free Conversation with her Majesty, not only on the Subject ofArchitecture , but other Branches of Mathematicks, and useful Learning. KingWilliam was pleased so far to approve of the Surveyor's Service in the Designs,Certified to the and Execution of this Fabrick, as occasionally to deliver his Opinion, (and onceth^Rufit Ho- particularly m the Hearing of some noble Persons of the first Quality in England)»oursli/rTho-That these two Apartments, for good Proportion, State , and Convenience, jointly,Pembroke ^ were not parallelled by any Palace in Europe ; and, at the fam« time, to excuse

bis