Sir Christopher Wren And His Times.

tells us of what might seem a very fair offer which he had of liberty , ancl of what must bo called a very unceremonious way in which he received it . " Some space before the decease of Oliver Cromwell , Mr . Christopher Wren ( only son of Dr . Christopher Wrenand nephew of the Bishop of El ) became

ac-, y , quainted with Mr . Claypole , who married the usurper ' s favourite daughter . This gentleman , being a lover of mathematics , had conceived a great esteem for him , and took all occasions to cultivate his friendship , and to court his conversation , particularly by frequent invitations to his house and table . Ifc happened upon one of these invitations , that Cromwell came into the company as they sat at dinner ;

and without any ceremony ( as his usual way was in his own family ) took his place : after a little time , fixing his eyes on Mr . Wren , ' Your uncle ( says he ) has long been confined in the Tower . '— ' He has so , sir , but bears his afflictions with great patience and resignation . '— 'He may come out if he will . '— ' Will your Highness ( so he was called ) permit me to tell him this from your own mouth ?' ' — 'Yes ' — -As

, you may . soon as he could decently retire , he hastened with no little joy to the Tower , and informed the Bishop of all the particulars of this his interview with Cromwell ; upon which his lordship expressed himself warmly to this effect : — ' That this was not the first time he had received the like intimation from that miscreant , but disdained the terms projected for his enlargementwhich were to be a mean

, acknowledgment of his favour , and an abject submission to his detestable tyranny . That he was determined patiently to tarry the Lord ' s leisure , and owe his deliverance ( which he trusted was not far off ) to Him only . " The problem has long been one of difficulty , how to account for the circumstance that when a man had to be found who

should stand in the shoes of Inigo Jones , this was a yovmg professor of astronomy , a demonstrative anatomist , a micrographisfc , and what not , —anything and everything , —in short , bufc an architect , or even a builder . Now this seems to me to be the explanation . It may be affirmed that ifc was , in those days , more or less , a matter of mere classical erudition , thafc a man of learning , if he

possessed the faculty of imagination in any degree , or even the elements of antiquarianism , should understand something of the orders of architecture . And no doubt there would be many such who , draughtsmanship apart , might understand more or less of their application or criticism , in either case a comparatively simple system , ' as we know , in that style of design . It is possible that , even iu the instance of

MeditQval works , this suggestion might furnish a favourable theoiy for the explanation of those traditions whicli so often assign tho composition of tho most important monuments of architecture fco leading men in the church ; thafc is to say , leading men of learning , in whom leisure , scholarship , and a cultivated taste so often have led to tho always fascinating study of tho grandest of the arts . Afc all events , as regards the seventeenth century , it is matter of certainty thafc ' lsuch

men as Dr . Aldrich , Dean of Christ Church , Oxford , and Sir James Burroughs , Master of Caius College , Cambridge , like De Whoivell and Professor Willis , of our own day , were accomplished critics ; and that in the paucity of professional skill these learned amateurs were even obliged to act as practical designers and constructors . And such a person , in less degree , there appears reason to believe was the worthy

Dean Wren , of Windsor . There is even a tradition of his having boon entrusted with the preparation of a design and estimate of cost for a domestic work for the Queen of Charles I . Without absolutely reasoning in a circle , I think it may be said to be not ; afc all unlikely , viewing tho career of his son , that such a tradition maybe fact ; and . il" so , that such a fact will well explain the origin of his son ' s aptitude

for the art . Amongst other subjects of interest , I conceive , to which the learned and accomplished Dean had directed the attention of his bo _ y , there ivould be architecture , very probably as illustrated in the volumes of Palladio ; and amongst these subjects of which in subsequent years the worthy father would encourage the study on the part of a son so versatile , in fche ivhole range of scholarship , there would still , I think , bo this . Indeed , ive may go oven further , and assert that the extraordinary ingenuity of his construction in after-life , and the equally extraordinary

Sir Christopher Wren And His Times.

grace of his design , may be held to prove to demonstration nofc only that the young philosopher had early attached himself to the mastery of architecture , but thafc he possessed also that inherent genius which compelled him to the study , and rendered its mastery of easy attainment . Accordingly , if all this be fair argument , we have thus , I think , a

reasonable clue to what must otherwise be merely marvellous , and , therefore , uninstructive . When , in short , King Charles was advised to apply to lyoung Mr . Christopher Wren as an architectural adviser , it was because he had long been an amateur of architecture ; and , possessing as he did such unusual powers of ingenuity and taste , was well known to be capable of the accomplishment of any task upon which ,

in that province , he might choose to exercise his mind . It seems only to be a matter of regret that good Dean Wren himself did not live to see the day . ( To be continued . )

On Colour In Churches.

ON COLOUR IN CHURCHES .

The same feelings that in some people call strongly for colour in the decoration of the interior of churches , form in others the ground of their objection to it . For in some minds the bare whiteness found in churches where thismeans of ornamentation is not used , is of all things themost antagonistic to that solemnity of effect which we most of us consider requisite for a lace of divine worshiwhile

p p , in others the very idea of colour is unavoidably suggestive of a gaudiness and gaiety equally afc variance with that solemnity ; ancl both these classes of thinkers are right , and ' furnish us with tho best clue to success in our treatment of this difficult subject , by showing us , in t io first place , what to avoid ; for by seeing that the two apparently diametrically opposite opinions both spring from the same feelings

, ivhich from their origin ought to be respected , and which we as church designers would wish to produce by our work ; we are provided with two important limits , which if we wish our work to be rightly and intellectually expressive of its purpose to all who enter it , we shall take care not to pass . And these two limits are , coldness on the one hand and

gaudmess on the other , and useful limits they are m general art , as well as in church decoration . We will then proceed to consider the several means of colour at our disposal within these limits . And firstly , by means of flat tints laid on the walls and other parts of the building . These should be as delicate as possible , and if no more expensive mode can be adopted , this method is , in my opinion , very preferable to

the white plaster with which fche walls of so many churches are , as a matter of course , covered , but this when carried to any extent requires more care and more knowledge of the rules of colour than any other mode , as directly the colour is allowed to be in any way stronger than a pale tint , or the different colours used are not in harmony , it either becomes gaudy or disagreeable .

Secondly , by coloured stone . This is in itself a wide subject , the means of decoration under this head ranging from the simple leaving of the walls unplastered , and giving the church the benefit ; of the rich gradated grey , or warm gradated brown or pale yellow of the various building stones , to the elaborate , and in this country almost recently revived , art of inlaying walls with the choicest marbles .

Under this head may , from the material used , be classified that to my mind most perfect of all the means of colour , that of mosaic , when it is not tho modern glass mosaic . This colouring of a church with coloured stone is , in some respects , the safest of all means . Wo cannot , in my opinion , by this means err on the sideof gaudiness , and if we really uso coloured stones we cannot err on the side of whiteness

, but it seems to me thafc , from the nature of the material , we may sometimes err on the side of coldness and want of variety of colour ; yet surely this must bo from our want of taste in selection , not from a dearth of variously coloured materials in nature . It appears to me also that our failing in our modern attempts at this kind of colouring , both as applied to our special subject as well as to the exterior colouring of