TI-I E LIFE OF

" Conveyance of IVat er ■, ee e and fff the Wall-plate , ox Lint al, and Places" of its Joints; ggg the Girders of the Semi-circle, each supported by a King-" piece or Cro r wn-po/i cut off at hhh, and screwed into the Binding-beam ii /;" which is somewhat different from the rest of the Binding-beams kkk, III ," mmtn, nnn, having several Prick-pojls let into it at oooco, beside the“ King-po/is that support this and the rest at ppppp, Scc. The Letters qqqq“ shew the Purlines between the Binding-beams, not let right against one an-“ other, because of Room to turn the Screws whereby they are fastened, and" rrrr two Dragon (perhaps rather Trigon) Beams or Braces lying under the" j hifls ss ss ss, &cc. The true Lengths and Distances whereof, and of all" other Pieces of Limber and Places whatever, are all shewn by the Scale,“ Fig. 2.— And so are the Lengths and Distances of the several Pieces of Tim-" ber set over this Flat-stoor, such as the principal Rafters tttt, the Crown-" posts or King-pieces uuuuu, the Prick-pofts www, Braces or Puncheons xxx ;“ by all which together, the Binding-beams, Girders, Joists, &c, are all held" up as it were by an Arch above, as in Fig. 3. which is all the Band of“ Timber that stands next the Semi-circle , having Prick-pofts, and different" Lockages, from the rest of the four Bands, as is sufficiently represented by“ one Half of one of them, Fig. 4. Which is all I think need be said con-" ceroing this fine Piece of Timber-work, only that there are Crofs-braces be-" tween the middle Crow?i-posts as they stand in a Line from the Front to the“ Semicircle, as is represented, Fig. 5. marked with the Letters yyyyyy, both“ here, and as they stand, Fig, 1. And that it was contrived by our Englijh“ Vitruvius, the Right Worshipful and Learned Sir Christopher Wren, and" erected at the sole Charge of his Grace Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Can-" terbury, and Chancellor of the University ; who, besides the Expence of the" Structure, gave 2000 /. to purchase Lands for the perpetual Repair of it,“ which is like to Rand a most magnificent and lasting Monument of his" Graces Munificence, and t avour of good Learning to all Posterity (a).”

" The Painting of the deling of the Theatre is worth Examination ; for in" Imitation of the Theatres of the ancient Greeks and Romans, which were too" large to be covered with Lead or Tile, this, by the Painting of the Flat-" roof within, is represented open: And, as they stretched a Cordage from" Pilaster to Pilaster, upon which they strained a Covering of Cloth, to pro-" tect the People from the Injuries of the Weather, so here is a Cord-molding" gilded, that reaches cross and cross the House both in Length and Breadth," which supported! a great Drapery, supposed to have covered the Roof\ but" now furled up by the Genii round about the House toward the Walls," which discovereth the open Air, and maketh way for the Descent of thy" Arts and Sciences, that are congregated in a Circle of Clouds, &c.

" The great bivalve Wooden-windows in the upper Gallery of the Theatre" are so ingenioully contrived, that notwithstanding their great Weight, yet" can never sink so as to be brought out of a Square, as ’tis usual in such" Windows ; for the Iron-bars crossing them from Side to Side, not being set

Echard ’j Hist- ^ ^. r ‘ filbert Sheldon, educated in the University of Oxford, became Warden of All-Souls,

of England. ant * having been Chaplain to King Charles the First, and run through many Difficulties, was,

A then. Oxon. icter the Restoration , made first, Biiliop of London, and lastly Archbishop of Canterbury ; whichSee he held with great Honour and Reputation for above 14 Years, when he died at Sevcnty-nine Years of Age, Anno 1677. besides his Learning and Piety, he is particularly distin-guished by his munificent Benefactions, in which no Man more readily signalized himself;and especially he immortaliz’d his Name, in that glorious Work the Theatre of Oxford,which cost him more than Sixteen Thousand Rounds ; besides the Gift of Two Thousand Pounds ,to buy Lands worth 100 I, per Ann. to keep it in Repair. We are assured from his Rela-tions, That from the 1 imc of his being Bishop of London, to that of his Death, it appearedin his Book of Accounts, that upon publiek, pipus, an 4 charitable Uses, he had bestowedabout Thmstort and Six Thousand Pounds,

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