trave, Frieze, and Cornice; and fuftained by a Pedestal. All which are delineated upon the annexed Plate.

The Definitions Vitruvius, Barbaro, Scamozzi, &c. give of the Orders, are fo obfcure, that it were in vain to repeat them without dwelling, therefore, on the Definition of a Word, which Cuftom has eftablished, it is fufficient to obferve, that there are five Orders of Columns; three whereof are Greek, viz. the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian; and two Italic, viz. the Tufcan and Compofite.

The three Greek Orders represent the three different Manners of Buildings, viz. the folid, delicate, and middling; the two Italic ones are imperfect Productions thereof. The little regard the Romans had for thefe laft, appears hence, that we do not meet with one Inftance in the Antique, where they are intermixed. That Abufe the Moderns have introduced by the mixture of Greek and Latin Orders, Daviler obferves, arifes from their want of Reflection on the Use made thereof by the Ancients.

The Origin of Orders is almoft as ancient as human Society. The Rigour of the Seafons firft led Men to make little Cabins, to retire into; at first, half under Ground, and the half above covered with Stubble: at length, growing more expert, they planted Trunks of Trees an-end, laying others across, to fuftain the Covering.

Hence they took the Hint of a more regular Architecture; for the Trunks of Trees, upright, reprefent Columns: the Girts, or Bands, which ferved to keep the Trunks from bursting, expreffed Bafes and Capitals; and the Summers laid across, gave the Hint of Entablatures; as the Coverings, ending in Points, did of Pedements. This is Vitruvius's Hypothefis; which we find very well illuftrated by M. Blondel.

Others take it, that Columns took their rife from Pyramids, which the Ancients erected over their Tombs; and that the Urns, wherein they inclofed the Afhes of the Dead, reprefented the Capitals, whofe Abacus was a Brick, laid thereon to cover the Urns: but Vitruvius's Account appears the more natural.

At length, the Greeks regulated the Height of their Columns on the Foot of the Proportions of the human Body; the Doric reprefented a Man of a strong, robuft Make; the Ionic that of a Woman; and the Corinthian that of a Girl: Their Bafes and Capitals were their Head-drefs, their Shoes, &c.

Thefe Orders took their Names from the People, among whom they were invented: Scamozzi ufes fignificative Terms

to

to exprefs their Character; when he calls the Tufcan, the gigantic; the Doric, the Herculean; the Ionic, the matronal; the Compofite, the heroic; and the Corinthian, the virginal.

To give a general Idea of the Orders; it must be observed, that the whole of each Order is compofed of two Parts at the leaft, viz. the Column and Entablature; and of four Parts at the most, when there is a Pedestal under the Column, and an Acroter, or little Pedestal, atop of the Entablature: that the Column has three Parts, viz. the Bafe, the Shaft, and the Capital; the Entablature has three likewife, viz. the Architrave, the Frieze, and Cornice: which Parts are all different in the feveral Orders.

Tufcan Order is the firft, moft fimple, and folid: its Column is feven Diameters high; and its Capital, Base, and Entablature, have but few Mouldings, or Ornaments. See the Plate Fig. 1.

Doric Order is the fecond, and the most agreeable to Nature. It has no Ornament on its Bafe, or in its Capital. Its Height is eight Diameters. Its Frieze is divided by Triglyphs and Metopes. See the Plate Fig. 2.

Ionic Order is the third; and a kind of mean Proportional between the folid, and delicate Manner. Its Capital is adorned with Volutes, and its Cornice with Denticles. See the Plate Fig. 3.

Mich. Angelo, contrary to all other Authors, gives the Ionic a fingle Row of Leaves at the Bottom of the Capital.

Corinthian Order, invited by Callimachus, is the fourth, the richeft, and moft delicate. Its Capital is adorned with two Rows of Leaves, and eight Volutes, which fuftain the Abacus. Its Column is ten Diameters high; and its Cornice has Modillions. See the Plate Fig. 4.

Compofite Order, the fifth and laft, (though Scamozzi and Le Clerc make it the fourth) is fo called, because its Capital is compofed out of thofe of the other Orders; having the two Rows of Leaves of the Corinthian, and the Volutes of the Ionic. It is alfo called the Roman, because invented among that People. Its Column is ten Diameters high; and its Cornice has Denticles, or fimple Modillions. See the Plate Fig. 5.

There are feveral Arts fubfervient to Architecture, as Carpentry, Masonry, Paving, Joinery, Smithery, Glaziery, Plumbery, Plaftering, Gilding, Painting, &c.

In Building there are three Things chiefly in View, viz. Conveniency, Firmnefs, and Delight.-To attain thefe Ends,

Sir Henry Wotton confiders the whole Subject under two Heads, viz. the Seat or Situation, aud the Work or Structure.

For the Situation of a Building, either that the Whole is to be confidered, or that of its Parts.As to the first, regard is to be had to the Quality, Temperature, and Salubrity of the Air; the Conveniency of Water, Fuel, Carriage, &c. and the Agreeableness of the Profpect.

For the fecond, the chief Rooms, Studies, Libraries, &c. are to lie towards the Eaft: Offices that require Heat, as Kitchens, Diftillatories, Brew-houfes, &c. to the South: thofe that require a fresh cool Air, as Cellars, Pantries, Granaries, &c. to the North: as alfo Galleries for Painting, Museums, &c. which require a fteady Light. He adds, that the ancient Greeks and Romans generally fituated the Front of their Houses to the South; but that modern Italians vary from this Rule. Indeed, in this Matter, Regard must be ftill had to the Country; each being obliged to provide againft its respective Inconveniencies: fo that a good Parlour in Egypt, might make a good Cellar in England.-The Situation being fixed on, the next thing to be confidered is the

Work or Structure of the BUILDING, under which come firft the principal Parts, then the Accessories, or Ornaments.To the Principals, belong firft, the Materials; then the Form, or Difpofition.

The Materials of a BUILDING, are either Stone, as Marble, Free-ftone, Brick for the Walls, &c. or Wood, as Firr, Cyprefs, Cedar, for Pofts and Pillars of upright Ufe; Oak for Beams, Summers, and for Joining and Connection.

For the Form or Difpofition of a BUILDING, it must either be fimple or mixed.The fimple Forms are either circular or angular and the circular ones are either compleat, as juft Spheres; or deficient, as Ovals.

The circular Form is very commodious, of the greatest Capacity of any; ftrong, durable beyond the reft, and very beautiful; but then it is found of all others the most chargeable; much Room is loft in the Bending of the Walls, when it comes to be divided; befides an ill Diftribution of Light, except from the Center of the Roof: on thefe Confiderations it was, that the Ancients only ufed the circular Form in Temples and Amphitheatres, which needed no Compartition.Oval Forms have the fame Inconveniencies, without the fame Conveniencies; being of lefs Capacity.

For angular Figures, Sir Henry Wotton obferves, that Building neither loves many, nor few Angles: the Triangle, v. gr. is condemned above all others, in wanting Capacity and Firmness; as alfo, because irrefolvable into any other re

gular

gular Figure in the inward Partitions, befides its own.-For Figures of five, fix, feven, or more Angles, they are fitter for Fortifications than civil Buildings. There is, indeed, a celebrated Building of Vignola, at Caprarola, in Form of a Pentagon; but the Architect had prodigious Difficulties to grapple with, in difpofing the Lights, and faving the Vacuities. Such Buildings then, feem rather for Curiofity than Conveniency: and for this Reafon, Rectangles are pitched on, as being a Medium between the two Extremes. But again, whether the Rectangle is to be just a Square or an Oblong, is difputed; Sir Henry Wotton prefers the latter, provided the Length do not exceed the Breadth by above one third.

Mixed Figures, partly circular and partly angular, may be judged of from the Rules of the fimple ones; only they have this particular Defect, that they offend against Uniformity. Indeed Uniformity and Variety may feem to be oppofite to each other: But Sir H. Wotton obferves, they may be reconciled and for an Inftance, mentions the Structure of the human Body where both meet. Thus much for the firft grand Divifion, viz. the Whole of a Building.

The Parts of a BUILDING, Baptifta Alberti comprifes under five Heads, viz. the Foundation, Walls, Apertures, Compartition, and Cover.

For the Foundation, to examine its Firmnefs, Vitruvius orders the Ground to be dug up; an apparent Solidity not to be trufted to, unless the whole Mould cut through be found folid he does not indeed limit the Depth of the Digging; Palladio limits it to a fixth Part of the Height of the Building: this Sir Henry Wotton calls the natural Foundation, whereon is to ftand the Subftruction, or Ground-work, to fupport the Walls, which he calls the artificial Foundation: this then is to be the Level; its loweft Ledge, or Row, of Stone only, clofe laid with Mortar, and the broader the better; at the leaft, twice as broad as the Wall: laftly, fome add, that the Materials below fhould be laid juft as they grow in the Quarry; as fuppofing them to have the greateft Strength in their natural Pofture. De Lorme enforces this, by obferving, that the breaking or yielding of a Stone in this Part, but the Breadth of the back of a Knife, will make a Cleft of above half a Foot in the Fabric above.-For Pallification, or piling the Ground-plot, fo much commended by Vitruvius, we fay nothing; that being required only in a moift marfhy Ground, which fhould never be chofen nor perhaps are there any Inftances of this Kind, where it was not Neceffity that drove them to it.

Vol. I.

For

For the Walls, they are either entire and continued, or intermitted; and the Intermiffions are either Columns or Pilafters.-Entire, or continued Walls, are variously distinguished; by fome, according to the Quality of the Materials, as they are either Stone, Brick, &c. others only confider the Pofition of the Materials; as when Brick, or fquare Stones, are laid in their Lengths, with Sides and Heads together, or the Points conjoined, like a Network, &c.

The great Laws of Muring, are, that the Walls ftand perpendicular to the Ground-work; the right Angle being the Caufe of all Stability: that the maffieft and heavieft Materials be lowest, as fitter to bear than to be born; that the Work diminish in Thicknefs, as it rifes; both for Eafe of Weight and Expence that certain Courfes, or Ledges, of more Strength than the reft, be interlaid, like Bones, to fuftain the Fabric from total Ruin, if the under Parts chance to decay and lastly, that the Angles be firmly bound; thefe being the Nerves of the whole Fabric, and commonly fortified, by the Italians, on each Side the Corners, even in Brick Buildings, with fquared Stones; which add both Beauty and Strength.

The Intermiffions, as before obferved, are either Columns or Pilafters whereof there are five Orders, viz. Tufcan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Compofite; each of which is delineated on the Plate annexed.

Columns and Pilafters are frequently, both for Beauty and Majefty, formed archwife.

For the Apertures, they are either Doors, Windows, Staircafes, Chimneys, or Conduits for the Suillage, &c. Only with regard to the laft, it may be obferved, that Art fhould imitate Nature in these ignoble Conveyances, and feparate them from Sight, where a running Water is wanting, into the most remote, lowest and thickeft Part of the Foundation; with fecret Vents, paffing up through the Walls like Tunnels to the open Air; which the Italians all commend for the Discharge of noifome Vapours.

For the Compartition, or Diftribution of the Ground-plot into Apartments, &c. Sir H. Wotton lays down these Preliminaries; that the Architect never fix his Fancy on a Paperdraught, how exactly foever fet off in Perfpective; much lefs on a mere Plan, without a Model, or Type of the whole Structure, and every Part thereof, in Paftboard or Wood; that this Model be as plain and unadorned as poffible, to prevent the Eye's being imposed on; and that the bigger this Model, the better.

In