S I R

CHRISTOPHER WREN,

K N T.

35 *

APPENDIX.

Of Architecture; and Observations on Antique

Temples , &c.

\JFrom some rough Draughts , imperfe&l\

TRACT I.

A RCHITECTURE has its political Use; publick Buildings being the Or- <nament of a Country; it establishes a Nation, draws People and Commerce;makes the People love their native Country, which Passion is the Ori-ginal of all great Actions in a Common-wealth. The Emulation of the Citiesof Greece was the true Cause of their Greatness. The obstinate Valour of theyews, occasioned by the Love of their Temple, was a Cement that held toge-ther that People, for many Ages, through infinite Changes. The Care of pub-lick Decency and Convenience was a great Cause of the Establishment of theLow-countries, and of many Cities in the World. Modern Rome subsists still,by the Ruins and Imitation of the old-, as does Jerusalem , by the Temple of

the Sepulchre, and other Remains of Hetena’s Zeal.

Architecture aims at Eternity; and therefore the only Thing uncapable ofModes and Fashions in its Principals, the Orders.

The Orders are not only Roman and Greek , but Phœnician , Hebrew , and As-syrian ; therefore being founded upon the Experience of all Ages, promoted bythe vast Treasures of all the great Monarchs, and Skill of the greatest Artists andGeometricians, every one emulating each other j and Experiments in this kindbeing greatly expenceful, and Errors incorrigible, is the Reason that the Prin-ciples of Architecture are now rather the Study of Antiquity than Fancy.

Beauty, Firmness, and Convenience, are the Principles; the two first dependupon geometrical Reasons of Opticks and Staticks ; the third only makes theVariety.

There are natural Causes of Beauty. Beauty is a Harmony of Objects, be-getting Pleasure by the Eye. There are two Causes of Beauty, natural andcustomary. Natural is from Geometry , consisting in Uniformity (that is Equality)and Proportion. Customary Beauty is begotten by the Use of our Senses to thoseObjects which are usually pleasing to us for other Causes, as Familiarity or par-ticular Inclination breeds a Love to Things not in themselves lovely. Here liesthe great Occasion of Errors; here is tried the Architect’s Judgment: but alwaysthe true Test is natural or geometrical Beauty.

Geometrical Figures are naturally more beautiful than other irregular; in thisall consent as to a Law of Nature. Of geometrical Figures, the Square and theCircle are most beautiful; next, the Parallelogram and the Oval. Strait Linesare more beautiful than curve ; next to strait Lines, equal and geometrical Fle-xures ; an Object elevated in the Middle is more beautiful than depressed.

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