/

sir CHRISTOPHER WREN, knt.

“ at Right-angks, but diagonally like Struts or Braces, as in Fig. 6. must ne-

ccssarily bend or break, before the Window can sink. Nor are the Hound -“ windows below, unworthy Consideration, being contrived to admit Air in" foul Weather, yet not one Drop of Rain ; for being opened and set obliquely,“ as in Fig. 7. it receives the Rain within at a, and casts it out again at b;" much less will it admit Rain any-ways when shut, it closing within its" Frame at the Top, and without it at the Bottom.”

On the 9th of July, 1669, the new Theatre was opened with great Solem-nity, and followed with a most splendid AB, such as had not been equalledin the Memory of Man. The munificent Founder honoured the Architect, onthis first Eflay of his Skill, with the Present of a golden Cup; and by his Sta-tutes, appointed him jointly with the Vice-chancellor perpetual Curator ofthe Fabrick.

" We William Towns end of Oxford, Mason, and Jeremiah Franklin, and“ Thomas Speakman of the same, Carpenters, do hereby certify, that by the“ Command of the Reverend Robert Shippen, Doctor in Divinity, Vice-chan-" cellor of the University of Oxford, we did, on the Day of the Date hereof,“ survey, and strictly examine the whole Fabrick of the Theatre in the said“ University, and do find, that all the same is in perfect Repair, and good" Order ; all the Walls thereof no where appearing to be in the least defective;" and the Roof which has been formerly swayed or sunk in the Middle" about eleven Inches, occasioned by the shrinking of some of the Timber and“ great Weight of Books formerly laid upon it, appearing to us to be in as" good a Condition as it was above twenty Years since, when the like Exa-" ruination was made: And we do further certify, That the whole Fabrick" of the said Theatre is, in our Opinion, like to remain and continue in such" good Repair and Condition, for one hundred or two hundred Years yet

" to come. In Testimony wliereofi we 2ww hereunto put our Hands the eighth

" Day of March, Ansio Dom. 1720.

William Townefend.

Jeremiah Franklin.

Thomas Speakman.

N. B. This Certificate, from Builders of the best Repute in Oxford , was oc-casioned by a groundless Rumour, at that time, that the Fabrick was inwant of Repairs.

After the Description of this geometrical Flat-roof.\ it may be expedient toexamine the Diagrams of such Work, by the old Architect Sebastian Serlio ;and much later, by Dr. Wallis-, in order to discern in one View, how muchthis of the Oxford Theatre has excell’d the other two; though it is not knownthat either of those Schemes was ever put in Practice, except that of Dr. Wallisin a small Model.

Sebajliani Serlii ArchiteBura, Lib. i. de Geometria.

Complura prater opinionem ArchiteBo fapius accidere folent: verbs' gratia ,sit hujufce rei exesnplurn aliquod ojferamus .- contignatio ei forte fortuna pedumXV. fpatio ac intervals producenda extruendaque committetur : veriim, cosnplu-ribus tignis ipst propofitis, nullum corum ad tantam utique longitudinem per-tinget , quinimo fngula bipedali quantitate , a prcediBa deficient longitudine •

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