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OF GROINED VAULTS.
The stupendous vaulting of the Temple of Peace *at Rome was a groined vault, (Fig. 5.) In the con-struction of this vault the Romans shewed a know-ledge which would have been admired in the latterpart of the middle ages, and the idiot EmperorClaudius a discrimination in the choice of his archi-tect not inferior to the inspired selection of Giuliothe Second, and Paolo the Third; and however cele-brated may have been the Temple of Jerusalem f re-built by Herod , the building of which is said to havedeprived the earth of rain in the day-time for a yearand a half $ the golden candlestick, the table ofshew-bread, the altar of perfumes, and the volumeof the law in golden tissue, the booty of Titus,could not be degraded by the meanness of their newhabitation.
The vaulting of the great hall at the baths ofDiocletian t is of the same character, and equally de-serving of respect, as that of the Temple of Peace .
It was the practice of the Free Masons , to whomwe are indebted for the vaults which secure our ca-thedrals, to reduce all the pressures in a building,