93 A R C H I T 
itig- Mr. Murphy, however, with great apparent rcafon, 
feems to attribute this, as well as the fpires and pinnacles, 
to Egyptian invention. He lays, that “ among the various 
frruttures of the ancients, there is none that approaches 
nearer to the form of a Gothic church, titan the Egyptian- 
hall, defcribed by Vitruvius, b.vi. c.6. The iimilitude 
is obvious at the fir ft view ; but, were the hall executed 
entirely in (lone, the refemblance would be (till more ap¬ 
parent. The arches over the ailes would require lateral 
refillance proportionate to their impulfe ; buttrelles would 
nece.Tarily follow ; the vault of the nave would alfo re¬ 
quire an adequate reliftance ; the nature of the defign 
would immediately lugged the idea of reclined fulcra, ex¬ 
tending from the walls of the ailcs to thole of the nave. 
And, iince materials of this fort could not be ealily obtain¬ 
ed to form each fulcrum of one entire piece, the conjunc¬ 
tion of different Hones, in the form of an arch, is the only 
ihpport that could with propriety be applied; we (hould 
call it a flying buttrefs. It is true, that a fohd wall ot a 
triangular form would anfwer that end, as is feen in the 
Temple of Peace at Rqme ; but the ftiperiority of the 
Gothic manner is evidently preferable in every relpe.pl. In 
fine, were an Egyptian hall entirely conflruded of the Am¬ 
ple produce of the quarry, the arches and buttrelles con- 
fequently introduced, together with the pillars, windows, 
ailes, and the uncovered pallages over the ailes, would bear 
a Itriking refemblance to the body of a Gothic church. 
It is generally admitted, that the cathedral church of 
Salilbury, taken in the aggregate, is the moll complete of 
any in England, ariling from its having been wholly erect¬ 
ed at one time, and upon one uniform plan. We have 
therefore chofen a correct view ol this fuperb ftrufture, 
to i 11 it Urate the external eftell of the Norman Gothic ar- 
chitedlure. The defcription is taken from Sir Chriltopher 
Wren, who furveyed it in 1668. “ The whole pile (fays 
Sir Chriltopher) is large and magnificent, and may be juftly 
accounted one of the belt patterns of architecture ot the 
age wherein it was built. The figure of it is a crofs, upon 
the interfedion of which (lands a tower, and a (leeple of 
(tone, as high, from the foundation as the whole length of 
the nave, and is founded upon four pillars and arches of 
the interfedlion. Between the (leeple and the ealt end is 
another eroding of the nave, which on the weft fide only 
lias no ailes : the main body is fupported on pillars with 
ailes annexed, and buttrelles without the ailes, from whence 
anfe bowes or flying buttrelles to the walls ot the nave; 
which are concealed within the timber roof ot the ailes. 
“ The roof is almolt as lharp as an equilateral triangle, 
made of fmall timber after the ancient manner, without 
principal rafters. The whole church is vaulted with chalk 
between the arches and crofs fpringers only, after the an¬ 
cient manner, without orbs and tracery, excepting under 
the tower, where the fpringers divide, and reprefent a lort 
of tracery ; and this appears to me to have been a later 
work, and to have been done by fome later hand than that 
of the firll architect, whole judgment I mud juftly coin- 
mend for many things beyond what 1 find in divers Gothic 
fabrics of later date, which though more elaborated with 
nice and fmall works, yet want the natural beauty that 
aril'es from proportion of the firll dimenlions ; for here the 
breadth to the height of the naves, and both to the lhape 
of the ailes, bear a good proportion : the pillars and the 
intercolumniations (or fpaces betwixt pillar and pillar) are 
well fuited to the height of the arches. The mouldings 
are decently mixed with large planes, without an affilia¬ 
tion of filling every corner with ornaments, which, unlefs 
they are admirably good, glut the eye, as much as in ma¬ 
lic too much divilion cloys the ear. The windows are not 
made too great, nor yet the light obftrulled with many 
mullions and tranfoms of tracery work, which was the ill 
faftiion of the next following age ; our artill knew better, 
that nothing could add beauty to light; he traded in a 
{lately and rich plahmefs, which his marble (hafts gave to 
his work.” 
The different ftyle of architecture which diftinguilhes 
E C T U R E. 
the fpire and the higher part of the tower from the reft 
of the ftruiSture, has often induced critical judges of Go¬ 
thic architecture to fufpect that the fpire was added to the 
tower in a period much pofterior to the original building; 
but no probable conjecture has yet been offered to deter¬ 
mine its proper age; the reader will therefore perhaps be 
gratified by the following information: “ There is a pa¬ 
tent of the firll year of king Henry VI. 1423, which re¬ 
cites, ‘That the done tower danding in the middle of 
Salilbury cathedral is become ruinous, and empowers the 
dean and chapter to appropriate 50I. annually for its rc4 
pairs.’ This was a very conliderable Aim ; and I think an 
inference may fairly be drawn, that the repair was made, 
and the tower rebuilt, with the addition rfa fpire. The 
higher and greater part of the prelent tower is evidently 
ingrafted on work of an older and limpler condruCtion. I 
1'uppofe this new tower and fpire to have been finidied not 
later than the year 1429, for in that year Sir Walter H1111- 
gerford had licenfe from the king to appropriate the great 
tythes of Ci icklade and the reverfion of the manor of 
Cricklade, called Abingdon’s Court, to the dean and chap¬ 
ter of Salilbury cathedral, to maintain the tall fpire dee- 
pie of that fabric in repair.” Dvgdalt's Baronage , ii. 205. 
It is (aid that a confultation was once held, whether it 
would not be advifable to take down the fpire, (this was 
foon after the fall of Wiinborne fpire in 1610,) it being in 
fo ruinous a date; but, after fome deliberation it was re- 
folved in the negative. Sir Chriltopher Wren being af¬ 
terwards employed, he fo drengthened it as to make that 
and the tower more fecure than ever. The architecture 
of the prelent tower and its fpire is quite in that dyle of 
building which began to be in falhion about the beginning 
of the 15th century. The walls of the fpire at its bale 
are about two feet in thickqefs, which, as it afeends, Ellens, 
till at the top it finiflies at only 7 inches thicknefs. A neat 
parapet wall encompaffes the whole building; and the quan¬ 
tity of timber in the feveral roofs, according to a moderate 
computation laid before the lords of the treafury in the 
year 1737, amounts to 2641 tons of oak. The dimenlions 
of the principal parts of the cathedral are as follow : 
Lengths. Feet. 
Extreme outlide from welt to e-aft - - 480 
Ditto infide - - - - 452 
From the extreme weft to the centre of the tower 235 
Ditto inlide ----- 217 
From the centre of the tower to that of the eaft crofs 96 
Widths. 
Extreme outdde of the grand crofs, fouth to north 232 
Ditto infide - 205 
Extreme of the wed front - - - - 115 
Extreme of the body, or three ailes - - 102 
Nave between pillar and pillar - - 34 
Extreme of the tower from wed to ead - 51 
Heights. 
From the pavement to the extreme top of the fpire 400 
Ditto to the top of thecapftone or ball - 387 
Ditto to the top of the parapet wall of the tower 207 
Ditto to the extreme top of the weft front - 130 
Ditto to the top of the vaulted deling of the nave 84 
Ditto to the cieling of the ailes - 38 
Height of St. Peter’s at Rome - - 437-1 
Height of St. Paul’s prefent cathedral, London - 340 
The clroir has lately received a mod complete repair, 
under the direction of Mr. Wyatt, with the addition of 
dained glafs. The entrance is awfully drifting : the win¬ 
dows at the eaft-end reprefent the Elevation of the Brazen 
Serpent, and the Refurreftion. The former was the gift 
of the earl of Radnor in 1781, defigned by the late inge¬ 
nious Mr. Mortimer, and executed by Mr. Pearfon; it is 
comprifed in three compartments, and confids of twenty- 
one figures, all of which are admirably executed : its di¬ 
menlions are twenty-one feet in height, by ieyenteen feet 
fix inches in width. In this window tlie^H-vilions of rhe 
3 ' glafs 
