Chap. XXXI.

PRINCIPLES OF PROPORTION.

1627

shall afterwards find in St. George’sChapel, Windsor . In King’s Collegethe nave comprises half the entirearea of’a severy, and the remaininghalf is divided into three, one ofwhich is given to each of the chapels,and the other divided between thepoints of support: in this beautifulbuilding, with its majestically con-trived roof of stone, the lightestconstruction is adopted. The cate-narian curve exhibits the direction ofthe thrust of the vault, which tailswithin the base.

The stone roof we are now ex-amining differs somewhat from thatof Henry VII. ’s chapel at West-minster ; the area of the points ofsupport is only one-half of those inthe latter elegant example; in noinstance have we so much effect pro-duced by the mason’s art, with sosmall a quantity of material: it isevident that the gradual changesmade in the architecture of the me-diaeval period led at last to thegreatest perfection, beyond whichit seems impossible for us to advance.

In selecting a style of any oneperiod, it may be fairly asked whetherthe principles found in the latter, orthe economy adopted in the con-structions of the 15th century, mightnot be applied to it, and the sameeffect produced,—the section of thechapter-house at Wells, for instance,lightened of half its material : un-doubtedly it might, for the loftypointed arch, not having the thrustwhich the latter, struck from fourcentres, had, would exert less thrust,and be in favour of such a change.

But at the present day, when copiesare rigidly made of the finest ex-amples of each style, it would seem abold innovation to suggest such anadoption; still it might be introduced,and probably would have been, hadthe freemasons continued an operativefraternity, and been required to buildin the Lancet or other style, which su-perseded it. The same decorations and Fig , 3041, vaulting of king’s college chapel.

form of arch may be used in the later

styles as in the earlier, as far as construction is concerned, and we have evidence ofsufficient strength in the example before us ; the principles are the same in each, thoughthey may differ in form ; there would be no more difficulty in transforming one style tothat of another, than was experienced by William of Wykeham , when he changed theSaxon nave of Winchester to the Perpendicular.

On the section shown at fig. 3040. a line is drawn exhibiting the catenarian curve, for thepurpose of showing that the abutment piers are set out in correspondence with its.principles; it is not contended that a knowledge of this curve guided the freemasons inproportioning their piers, or that their flying buttresses were always placed within it;but it is singular that in those structures where their true position seems to have beendecided, the catenarian passes through them.

Bath Abbey section (fig. 3051.) is an example which exhibits this most perfectly ; and bya comparison of its section with that at Wells, (fig- 3004.) it will be perceived that the strutsare differently placed, and that the earlier example is defective ; fig. 3030. represents Roslyn