Sir Christopher Wren Part 30

Villapandus hath made a fine Romantick Piece after the Corinthian Order, which in that age was not used by any Nation: for the First Ages used grosser Pillars then Dorick. In after Times they began to refine from the Dorick, as in the Temple of Ephesus (the United Work of all Asia) and afterwards improved into a Slenderer Pillar, and Leavy Capital of various inventions which they called Corinthian. So that if we run back to the Age of Solomon, we may with reason believe they used the Tyrian manner, as gross at least as the Dorick, and that the Corinthian manner of Villapandus is meer fancy: Nay when long after Herod built the _Atrium Gentium_, he that carefully considers the description in Josephus will find it to be a Tripple Portico, and thick Pillars of the grosser Proportions which being whole stones of an incredible Bulk--our Saviour's Disciples admired them: _Master_, said they, _see what stones are here_! t.i.tus would have sav'd this n.o.ble structure, but a soldier throwing a torch upon the Roof which was Cedar planks covered with Bitumen, it easily took Fire and consumed the whole Building. All the City was thus covered flat with Bitumen (easily gathered from the Lake of Sodom) and upon the flat roofs the Jews celebrated under Palm-boughs the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Body of the First Temple was gilt upon Bitumen, which is good Size for gilding and will preserve the timber. The Roof and Cedar Wainscot within being carved with Knotts was gilded all over with a thick Leaf, so I understand the word _Overlay'd_; for if it was cover'd with plate apply'd over the knots and Imbossments the gold nails to fix it on would have increased the Weight of the plate, whereas the quant.i.ty of the Nails is reckoned but small in Proportion. The Doors might be plated over and nail'd, and the Hinges and Bars, called Chains, might be solid; for these were afterwards stripp'd when the Egyptians pillaged the Temple in the Reign of Rehoboam.

That Herod did more than the Upper Portico doth not appear, for the substruction under the Portico was certainly Solomon's Work. The whole Hill Moriah was wall'd upright by him from the bottom of the Valley which render'd a broad Area above for all the Buildings of the Courts.

This is the work in which were us'd stone of 10 and 12 Cubits, call'd as well they might _Costly Stones_.

Now it may well be inquired how in an uneven craggy Country, as it is about Jerusalem, such mighty Loads of Stone could be brought. I shall give my thoughts.

Solomon had an Army of Labourers in his Works; now suppose 12 Cubits long and 2 broad, and 1 thick, this would amount to 648 of our solid feet, which in marble would be 64 Tuns and more. Eight men can draw a Tun, but the ground being hilly, we will allow 10 men to a Tun which would be 640 men. Now how all these men can be brought to draw together I show as follows. First, 10 men draw in a Rope (as bargemen with us) at the end of this Rope is a Spring-tree (as our Coachmen use for ye two fore Horses) to each end of which is a rope so 20 men can draw in the second rank; each rope hath again its Spring-tree, and so on to a sixth rank each rank doubling the number and supposing 10 men to govern the rest (possibly with Musick) makes the number 640 men; and this will be found readier than capsterns, and by this means much vaster stones may be mov'd and even by Barbarous People without Engins. I cannot otherwise see what need Solomon had of such great mult.i.tudes of Labourers as _Threescore and ten Thousand Bearers of Burdens_, and _Fourscore Thousand Hewers of stone in the Mountains_, &c. Probably too they were employ'd by Months, and the rest were by turns to till the ground and bring food for the Labourers that the Country Work might proceed.

The Walls of Babylon were most stupendious Works, built with Brick and Cement with Bitumen; the Height of them, according to Herodotus, was Two Hundred Royal Cubits, and the Breadth Fifty; which in our measure (reckoning every Royal Cubit with Herodotus 1 foot 9 inches which is 3 inches above the common cubit measure) makes the Height 375 foot and the Breadth 93 ft. 9 in.

In these Walls were one hundred gates of Bra.s.s with Ornaments in Architecture of the same metal. Besides the first Wall, (which was encompa.s.sed with a wide and deep Foss always supply'd with water the sides of which were Lin'd with Brick) was an inner Wall built of near the same strength, tho not altogether of the same Breadth.

The extent of the City must add to the Surprise which being a Square contained a Front on every Side of one hundred and Twenty Stadia, that is Fifteen of our miles, and makes up in the whole Threescore miles.

Another stupendious Fabrick of I think also Tyrian architecture, was the monument of Porsenna, King of Etruria. This Sepulchre we have describ'd by Pliny, with the particular Dimensions in Feet which I have accordingly Delineated.

First, a Basis of squar'd stone fifty foot high rais'd the Pile above any vulgar contiguous Buildings which being solid only in those Parts that bore weight was so contriv'd within-side as to form a very intricate Labyrinth, into which whoever enter'd without a clew of thread would not be able to find the way out. Upon this Basis stood five Pyramids of 150 foot high; Four in the Angles, and one in the Centre; Bodies call'd Pyramids tho it is manifest they must have been so cut off as to have a large s.p.a.ce on the Top to carry a Second Story of Four more lofty Pyramids of 100 foot high; and over them a third Order of Five more. Now how these could be borne is worth the consideration of an architect. I conceive it might be thus perform'd securely.

Set half Hemispherical Arches, such as we make the heads of Niches, but lay'd back to back, so that each of these have its Bearing upon three Pyramids of the Lower Order, that is two angular ones and the middle Pyramids; and these cutting one another upon the Diagonals will have a firm bearing for all the Works above.

Pliny mentions a Bra.s.s Circle and Cupola, lay'd upon the Five Lower Pyramids, not I suppose to bear anything, but chiefly for Ornament, and to cover the stone work of the Arches upon the strong Spandrells of which if another Platform were rais'd upon that might the upper structure be built and the whole have a stupendious effect, and seemingly very open. Pliny took his Description of this extraordinary Pile from the Measures set down by Varro, a diligent and therefore credible author, who probably might have taken his Dimensions when it was standing before the absolute conquest of Etruria by the Romans; the summary then of this prodigious Edifice (erected to show the Vanity of the Eastern Monarchy could be exceeded by the Italians) may be thus compriz'd.

The Basis of the whole was 300 ft. square, and 50 ft. high; upon which stood Five Pyramids each of 75 ft. square at 150 ft. high; upon which rested the Brazen Circle and Cupola, stil'd by Pliny _Petasus_, (which I take to be a Bra.s.s Covering securing the Arches) from which hung little Bells by Chains, which sounded as they mov'd by the Winds.

The Four Pyramids of the Second Order of 100 ft. high standing upon the Circle or Brim of the _Petasus_ as upon an Entablature, were evidently the Four First Angular Pyramids continu'd to an Apex, or near to a Point, so each will be in all from the Basis 450 ft. high, and rise as high as the _Petasus_; above which was again a Platform containing the Third Order of Five more Pyramids, of which the four angular Pyramids rested firmly upon the keys of the Diagonal Sections of the half Hemispherical Vaultings, which were called by the Ancients _Conchae_ resembling the heads of Niches joyn'd back to back. This Platform I take to have been round as being the Horizontal Section of the _Petasus_; and the Bases of the Five Upper Pyramids would be contiguous, and thus would be of the same shape and as high as the same below, as Varro a.s.serts with some suspicion, fearing how they would stand, but I with confidence, the Proportions persuading, which indeed are very fine.

The Heighth to the Breadth of the Basis is 6 to 1. The Heighth of the Pyramids to the Bra.s.s _Petasus_ is 2 to 1, but taking in their whole heighth it would have 4 to 1, but allowing the Point of the Pyramid to be taken off (as it ought) and allowing for the Brasen Brim and Bells it will be 250 foot, above which was the Floor that bore the Five upper Pyramids of 4 to 1, so the Heighth is 550 foot as 6 to 11.

I have ventured to put some Ornaments, at ye Top belonging to the Tuscan superst.i.tion, (They then us'd not Statues) They are Golden Thunderbolts, so the whole will be 600 foot high, that is double to the Basis and the Heighth to the Bra.s.s circle will appear half the Face, or like the Facade of a Tuscan Temple, to which the Breadth of the Brim of the _Petasus_ and the Bells supply the Place of an Entablature:

I have been the longer in this Description because the Fabrick was in the Age of Pythagoras and his School, when the World began to be fond of Geometry and Arithmetick.

N.B. In all the Editions of Pliny for _Tricenum_ read Tricentinm as the sense requires.

At the end of the Discourse on Architecture is an elevation, drawn in pen and sepia, of the tomb of Mausolus, as Sir Christopher supposed from Pliny's account that it must have been constructed.

It is drawn to a scale, with indications of statues, of which he supposed there to have been forty-eight. It is remarkable how closely Sir Christopher's conjectural elevation tallies with what recent excavations have brought to light.