Thus it fully appears, the ancient _Romans_ used to erect _Temples, which lay open without walls, surrounded only with pillars_; in invention like this at _Stoneheng_. But, let us see whether the form _Monopteros_, had any roof over it. That the _Romans_ had _Temples_ uncovered, and without roofs, like _Stoneheng_, is in part already, and shall more manifestly be hereafter proved: and searching curiously into their _Antiquities_, it will be found the greatest, most splendid, and most magnificent work of all others, which the _Ancients_ made for service of their _Deities_, were those kinde of _Temples_ of the _Aspect Hypæthros_. Whether the _Monopteros_ was one of that kind, appears not yet, and _Vitruvius_ is very obscure therein; neverthelesse, that it was built without a roof, I shall illustrate by these reasons.
First, _Vitruvius_ tels us not it had a roof; for, in his precepts of all severall kinds of _Temples_, after he hath delivered the _Aspect_, _Form_, and _Manner_ of them with much exactnesse, he omits not throughout his fourth Book to demonstrate aswell the contignation, as proportion of timbers of the roofs, belonging to all those _Temples_, which had any, and when vaulted he gives us likewise the form thereof, if the _Temples_ so covered: but, in the description of the form _Monopteros_, there is no manner of timber work, nor form of vault, nor the least word mentioned of any roof at all, in what place soever throughout his whole work speaking thereof. In which respect, considering all _Temples_ having roofs, those roofs are described by _Vitruvius_, and that he describes no roof belonging to this, it must necessarily follow, the _Temples_ in form _Monopteros_ had no roofs over them.
Again, after giving the proportion of the _Architrave_ over the columnes of the _Monopteros_, he saith, _Zophorus & reliqua quæ insuper imponuntur, ita uti in tertio volumine de symmetriis scripsit. The Freese and other ornaments laid upon them, are as in his third Book of symmetries made mention of._ Now, in his third Book, he only treats of proportions, and not one word is so much as mentioned by him of any manner of roofs at all, only in the close of the said Book, he gives the proportion of frontispices belonging to quadrangular _Temples_: the same referment in like manner he makes for the ornaments of the _Peripteros_, and withall proceeds to a full description, in what manner the roof of its _Cell_ was made, which questionlesse, he would likewise have done in the other form, if it had been covered. For, he saith, whatever is to be laid above the _Freese_ of the _Monopteros_, is, as set down in his third Book: but, in his third Book, there is not One word mentioned of any roofs; the conclusion then follows the _Monopteros_ was without a roof.