ABSTRACT
In his book Words and Buildings, Adrian Forty refers to an essay written by the 17th-century author John Evelyn. John Evelyn’s text is titled ‘Account of Architects and Architecture’ and it is appended to a translation, also by John Evelyn, of a discussion about the classical orders written by the French author Freart de Chambray. De Chambray’s text, in its English translation, and John Evelyn’s essay are published in a book titled A Parallel of the Ancient Architecture with the Modern … Made English for the Benefit of Builders. To Which is Added, An Account of Architects and Architecture by John Evelyn (Evelyn and de Chambray 1707). Evelyn was an intellectual and member of the Royal Society who is best known for his diaries, which give detailed insight into life during the middle of the 17th century. Forty sums up the substance of the essay as follows.
