INTERIOR.

The measurements show a marked diminution from the exterior--viz., 460
feet in length, a little under a hundred feet in breadth without
reckoning the recesses underneath the windows, and 240 feet across the
transepts.

In the Surveyor's favourite the Dome was almost everything; the four
short arms being so constructed as to afford picturesque and varied
vistas. Probably the acoustic properties would have been superior, and
for the ordinary purposes of congregational worship there would have
been less unused space. Hence it need take no one by surprise that
some, although they recognise the superiority of the present exterior,
give the preference to the originally designed interior. The short
arms were expanded into choir, transepts, and nave; the elaborate
vestibule has gone, but the west chapels have appeared. Finally, the
curved lines at the angles of the arms, designed to aid the interior
vistas, have given way to the orthodox right angles. It is impossible
to say how far Wren would have altered his opinions had he ever seen
the present building filled from door to door, as it now occasionally
is.[90]

Disappointed at the rejection of his pet scheme, Wren turned his
attention to the Basilica of Constantine, with its three aisles of
three arches apiece. "_This Temple of Peace being an Example of a
Three Aisle Fabric is certainly the best and most authentic pattern of
a cathedral Church, which must have three Aisles according to Custom,
and be vaulted._"[91] Piers were used in this building, the columns
being merely ornamental; but the interior of St. Paul's is in many
respects essentially different from its Roman model. In the Temple of
Peace three arches cover the enormous length of over 250 feet, and
seriously diminish the apparent size; in St. Paul's their span is less
than half of this. Indeed, in this respect Wren adopted a _via media_
between the Roman and the Anglo-Norman and Pointed. Old St. Paul's,
for instance, contained twice as many arches in the same length as its
successor, and Rochester still more. This use of larger arches renders
the perspective less effective, as any one can see by comparing the
views of Old and New St. Paul's. A second alteration from the Temple
of Peace to be mentioned is the massiveness of the piers. Wren's
regard for stability caused him to make his vast square supports of a
solidity exceeding those of Mainz and Speier. From the Romans the
Surveyor adopted the ro