9 broad and they were supported upon two ranks of Pillars which made a Wing on each Side the Proportion of their breadth and length was taken three Ways The first was when having divided the length into 5 3 were allowed for the breadth The second was when having divided it into 3 2 were allowed for the breadth The third was when having made an Equilateral Square the Diagonal of this Square was taken for the length and the Side for the breadth The height was equal to the length taken from the Pavement below to the bottom of the Plat-Fonds or Flat-Roof which was hollowed on the other side the Beams the seventh part of the whole height The Proportion that the Alley which was in the middle between the Pillars had with the Wings was different according to the Magnitude of the Vestibule or Entry for the greater they were or the lesser the Wings had a proportionable breadth with the Alley in the middle So that if the Vestibule or Entry was 100 Foot long the Wings had only for their breadth the 50th part of the length and when it was but 30 Foot long they had only the 3d. part ART III. Of Halls THE Ancients had three Sorts of Halls Viz. The Corinthian the AEgyptian and the Cyzican The Corinthian had Pillars round about against the Wall and these Pillars supported the Floor made in form of a Vault Surbaissee The AEgyptian Halls had their Pillars distant from the Wall in the manner of the Peristyle and they supported only an Architrave without a Frise and without a Cornice upon this Architrave there was another row of Pillars between which were the Windows The Floor which reached from the Pillars to the Wall served for a Terrasse without The Cyzican Halls had this in particular that they were turned to the North and had a Prospect of the Gardens they were principally made use of by the Greeks the Proportion of these Halls was as follows Their length was double their breadth and as to their height this Rule was observed to have the height of all Sorts of Apartments that are not so broad as long they added their length to their breadth and took half of the sum for their height The Apartments which were no longer than broad had in height their breadth and half their breadth ART IV. Of the Distribution of the Apartments among the Ancients THE Romans and the Greek ordered and distributed differently their Apartments for the Romans had their Courts and Entries magnificent but the Greeks had only a narrow Entrance through which they passed into a Peristyle this Entry had of one Side a Porter's Lodge on the other Side the Stables The Apartments of these two Nations differed in this the Apartments of the Women were separate from the Apartments of the Men among the Greeks insomuch that they Dined apart They had likewise particular Rooms reserved for Strangers apart where they only gave them Lodging and never treated them above one Day CHAP. III. Of things that equally appertain to Publick and Private Buildings ARTICLE I. Of Aqueducts IN Order to the bringing of Waters to Towns and Cities the Level must be exactly taken to the end it may be known whether the Waters can be brought thither or no. The Ancients to this end made use of an Instrument called Corobates which was directed by a Lead and by Water when the Wind hindered them from making use of the Lead They brought their Water three several ways viz. by Aqueducts by Pipes of Lead and Pipes baked in a Potter's Furnace They allowed for the Channels or Sewers of the Aqueducts for every 100 Foot half a Foot of Declination or Sloping and if any Hills were in their way they dug through them making Vents to give Air at convenient Distances The Pipes of Lead were at least 9 Foot long they made them of bended Sheets or Plates and of different thicknesses according to the Proportion of the greatness of the Pipes these Pipes had likewise their necessary Declination or Sloping and if any Valley was in the way they made it equal to the Level with a Wall they likewise made many Vents to give the Water Air and to know where to mend the Pipes The Pipes of Potter's-Work were two Inches thick they were joyned together with Mortar mixed with Oil and when they had Conde or Joynt to make they made use of a red Free Stone which they pierced through to receive the two Ends of the Pipes ART II. Of Wells and Cisterns IT being remarkt oftentimes that the Water which is under the Earth hath many bad Qualities and exhales vapours which often stifles those which work in the Wells after that they are dug the Water begins to gather together The Ancients had this Precaution to let a Lamp gently down into it and if it extinguished it they took it for an Infallible sign that the Water was bad The Cisterns were made to receive Rain Water in great Conservatories under Ground whose Walls on all Sides and at the bottom were built with Mortar of strong Lime and Sand and Pebbles all well beaten together They made several Conservatories and the Water passed from one to another to the end it might leave all the Dirt in the first and second They likewise put Salt in their Cistern-Water to make it more subtile ART III. Of Machines for carrying and lifting up great Stones and Burthens CTesiphon and his Son Metagenes Architects of the Temple of Ephesus invented Machines to carry great Stones out of which Pillars and Architraves were to be made That which was made to draw the Pillars was but a sort of a Frame as long as the Pillars in the end of which were fastned Pins of Iron which entred into the ends of the Frame and served instead of an Axle-tree the Pillar itself serving for a Wheel And this had the desired Effect because of the disposition of the place through which these Stones were to be drawn which was a flat and level Country The other Machine for drawing of Architraves was the same Frame which had two Wheels at each end which supported the Architrave which served instead of an Axle-tree For the raising of great Weights they had three sorts of Machines The first was composed of three pieces of Wood which were joyned together at top by a Pin which went through them all so that there were two of these pieces which were on one side a little distance one from the other and the third was opposite to them The two which were together on the one side had a Hand-Mill which drew a Rope which passed within a Truckle with three Pullies of which that part which had the two Pullies was fastned to the top of the Machine and that which had but one was fastned to the Weight to be drawn up The second Machine was stronger than the first because the Moulin had more Pullies and instead of a Moulin
Eurythmy and Symmetry But we have thought it proper only to make use of the word Proportion because Eurythmy is a Greek word which signifies nothing else but Proportion and Symmetry although a word commonly used does not signifie in the Vulgar Languages what Vitruvius understands by Proportion for he understands by Proportion a Relation according to Reason and Symmetry in the vulgar Languages signifies only a Relation of Parity and Equality For the word Simmetria signifies in Latin and Greek Relation only As for Example as the Relation that Windows of Eight Foot high have with other Windows of Six Foot when the one are Four Foot broad and the other Three and Symmetry in the Vulgar Languages signifies the Relation for Example That Windows have one to another when they are all of an equal height and equal breadth and that their Number and Distances are equal to the Right and the Left so that if the distances be unequal of one side the like inequality is to be found in the other Decorum or Decency is that which makes the Aspect of the Fabrick so correct that there is nothing that is not approv'd of and founded upon some Authority It teaches us to have regard to three things which are Design Custom and Nature The Regard to Design makes us chuse for Example other Dispositions and Proportions for a Palace than for a Church The Respect we have to Custom is the Reason for Example That the Porches and Entries of Houses are adorned when the Inner Parts are Rich and Magnificent The Regard we have to the Nature of Places makes as chuse different Prospects for different Parts of the Fabrick to make them the wholsomer and the more convenient For Example the Bed-Chambers and the Libraries are exposed to the Morning Sun the Winter Apartments to the West the Closets or Pictures and other Curiosities which should always have equal Light to the North. Oeconomy teaches the Architect to have regard to the Expences that are to be made and to the Quality of the Materials near the Places where he Builds and to take his Measures rightly for the Order and Disposition viz. to give the Fabrick a convenient Form and Magnitude These Eight Parts as we have said have a Relation to the Three first viz. Solidity Convenience Beauty which suppose Order Disposition Proportion Decorum and Oeconomy This is the reason that we divide this first Part only into Three Chapters the first is of the Solidity the second of the Convenience the third of the Beauty of the Fabrick CHAP. II. Of the Solidity of Buildings ARTICLE I. Of the Choice of Materials THE Materials of which Vitruvius speaks are Stone Brick Wood Lime and Sand. All the Stones are not of one sort for some are soft some harder and some extreamly hard Those that are not hard are easily cut and are good for the Inner Parts of the Buildings where they are cover'd from Rain and Frost which brings them to Powder and if they be made use of in Buildings near the Sea the Salt Particles of the Air and Heat destroys them Those that are indifferently hard are fit to bear Weight but there are some sorts of them that easily crack with the heat of the Fire There is likewise another sort of Stone which is a kind of Free-Stone some are Red some Black and some White which are as easily cut with a Saw as Wood. The best Bricks are those which are only dry'd and not baked in the Fire but there are many Years required to dry them well and for this Reason at Vtica a City of Africa they made a Law That none should make use of Bricks which had not been made five Years For these sort of Bricks so dry'd had their Pores so close in their Superficies that they would swim upon Water like a Pumice-Stone and they had a particular Lightness which made them very fit for all sorts of Buildings The Earth of which these Bricks were usually made was very Fat and a sort of White Chalky Clay without Gravel or Sand which made them Lighter and more Durable they mixed Straw with them to make them better bound and firmer The Woods which were made use of in all Buildings are Oak Poplar Beech Elm Cypress Firr but some of them are not so proper for Building as others The Firr because it has great plenty of Air and Fire and but little Earth and Water is light and does not easily bend but is very subject to Worms and Fire The Oak which is more Earthy lasts for ever under Ground but above Ground is apt to cleave The Beech which has little of Earthiness Humidity and Fire but great plenty of Air is not very solid and easily breaks The Poplar and the Linden Trees are only good for light Work they are easily cut and so finest for Carving The Alder is good to make Piles of in Marthy Places The Elm and the Ash have this property that they do not easily cleave and that they are pliable The Yoke-Elm is likewise pliable and yet very strong this is the Reason that they made Yokes for their Oxen of them in Old Time The Pine and the Cypress have this defect that they easily bend under any Weight because of their great Humidity but they have this Advantage that their Humidity does not engender Worms because of their Bitterness which kills them The Juniper and the Cedar have the same Vertue of hindering Corruption the Juniper by its Gum which is call'd Sandarax and the Cedar by its Oil call'd Cedrium The Larch-Tree has likewise the same Vertue but its particular property is that it will not burn There is a remarkable Story of this Wood which is That when Julius Caesar besieg'd a Castle at the Foot of the Alpes there was a Tower built of this Wood which prov'd the Principal Defence of the Place He thought to take it easily by making a great Fire at the Foot of the Tower but for all this great Fire the Tower did not suffer the least Damage The Olive-Tree is likewise very serviceable if it be put in the Foundations and Walls of Cities for after it has been singed a little and interlaced among the Stones it lasts for ever and is out of all danger of Corruption Lime is made of White Stones or Flinty Pebbles the harder the Stones are which 't is made of the better it is for Building That which is made of soft Spongy Stones is proper for Plastring There are five sorts of Sand viz. Sand that is dug out of the Ground River Sand Gravel Sea-Sand and Pozzolana which is a Sand peculiar to some Parts of Italy The best Sand is that which being rubb'd between the Hands makes a little Noise which that Sand does not which is Earthy because it is not rough Another Mark of good Sand is that when 't is put upon any Thing that is White and shak'd off it leaves no Mark behind The Sand which is dug out of the
Earth has all these Qualities and is esteem'd the best Vitruvius makes four sorts of it viz. White Black Red and Bright like a Carbuncle If it happen that there be no good Place to dig Sand in we may make use of Sea-Sand or River-Sand which is likewise better for Plastering than the Sand which is digged which is excellent for Building because it drys quickly Gravel likewise is very good provided the grosser Parts be taken away Sea-Sand is worst of all because 't is long adrying and for this Reason where 't is made use of in Building they are forc'd to desist sometimes till it dry The Sand which is found near Naeples call'd Pozzolana is so proper to make good Mortar if it be mixed with Lime that not only in the ordinary Fabricks but even in the very bottom of the Sea it grows into a wonderful hard Body In Old Times they made use of it for Moles or Ports of the Sea for after having made with Piles and Boards a Partition they fill'd up the whole Compass of the Partition with this Mortar which dry'd of it self in the middle of the Water and became a solid Body ART II. Of the Vse of the Materials THE first thing we should have a Care of before we begin to build is to have the Stones dug out of the Quarry before they be used and to expose them in some open Place to the end that those which are endamaged by the Air during this Time may be put in the Foundation and those that prove Durable and Good may be kept for the Walls above Ground We must likewise have a great care of the Wood which we make use of That it be cut in a seasonable Time which is in Autumn and Winter for then it is not full of that superfluous Humidity which weakened it in dilating its Fibers but it is firm and well closed by the Cold. This is so true that the Wood of Trees which grow and become very great in a little Time by reason of their great Humidity is tender and apt to break and very unfit for Building Which Experience shows us particularly in those Firrs call'd Supernates which grow in Italy on that side the Apennine towards the Adriatick-Sea for they are great and beautiful but their Wood is not good for Building whereas those on the other side of the Mountain which are exposed to Heat and Dryness call'd Infernates are very good for Building This superfluous Humidity endamages Trees so much that we are sometimes constrain'd to make a hole at the foot of the Tree and let it run out which is the occasion of the Practice which is observ'd in cutting of Wood for Building to Tap that Tree at the Foot cutting not only the Bark but even some part of the Wood it self and so leave it for some time before it be Fell'd It is likewise easie to judge of what great Importance the draining of this superfluous Humidity is for strengthning the Timber and hindring Corruption from this That those Piles which are interlaced among the Stones in the Walls and Fortifications of Towns endure for ever without Corrupting when they have been burnt a little on the outside Bricks ought not to be made use of but in very thick Walls for this reason they did not build with Brick in Rome for to save Ground they were not permitted to make the Walls of their Houses above a Foot and a Half thick which Makes about 16 Inches and a half of our Foot They likewise never made the top of their Walls with Brick for the Brick of the Ancients not being baked this part of the Wall would have been easily endamaged for this reason they built it with Tiles a foot and a half high comprizing the Cornish or Entablature which was made likewise of Tiles to cast off the Water and defend the rest of the Wall They likewise chose for these Cornishes the best Tiles viz. those that had been long on the top of the Houses and given sufficient Proof that they were well baked and made of good Matter The Walling with Brick was so much esteem'd among the Ancients that all their Fabricks as well publick as private and their most beautiful Palaces were built with them But that which principally made this sort of Building be esteem'd was its great Duration for when expert Architects were called to make an Estimate of Buildings they always deducted an 80th part of what they judged the Building cost for every Year that the Wall had been standing for they supposed that the Wall could not ordinarily endure more than Fourscore Years but when they valued Buildings of Brick they always valued them at what they cost at first supposing them to be of an Eternal Duration To make the right use of Lime and Sand and to make good Mortar of them it is necessary that the Lime be first well Quench'd and that it be kept a long time to the end that if there be any Piece of it that is not well burnt in the Kilo it may being extinguished at leasure soften as well as the rest This is of Great Importance particularly in Plastering and Works of Stuck which is a Composition of Marble finely beaten with Lime For if any little Pieces remain that are not well baked when they come to be made use of they crack and break the Work The way to know whether the Lime be well Quench'd is thus You may thrust a Chip of Wood into it or a Knife and if the Chip of Wood meet with any Stones or that the Knife comes out clean without any sticking to it it signifies the Lime was not will burnt for when 't is well Quench'd it is Fat and will stick to the Knife but the quite contrary happens to Mortar for it is neither well prepar'd nor well mix'd if it stick to the Trowel For to make the right use of Sand you must first consider what it is to be employ'd in for if it be Mortar for Plastring you must not make use of Sand that was lately dug out for it drys the Mortar too fast which cracks the Plastring but quite contrary if it be to be employ'd in Masonry it must not have been a long time expos'd to the Air for the Sun and the Moon do so alter it that the Rain dissolves it and turns it almost all into Earth The Proportion that Sand and Lime ought to have to make good Mortar should be three parts of Sand that is dug or two parts of River-Sand or Sea-Sand against on of Lime and 't will be yet much better if you add to the Sand of the Sea and the River a third part of Tiles well beaten One of the Principal Things that is to be observ'd in making Mortar is to mix it well The Grecian Workmen were so careful of this that they Tewed it a great while putting Ten Men to every Vessel wherein they wrought it which gave so
great a hardness to the Mortar that when any big pieces of Plaster fell off the Old Walls they made Tables of it ART III. Of the Foundation THE Foundation is the most important part of the Fabrick for the Faults committed in it cannot be so easily remedied as in other parts To lay the Foundation well you must dig till you come to solid Ground and even into the solid as much as is necessary to support the Weight of the Walls it must be larger below than above the Superficies of the Earth When you have found firm Earth to make it more solid you must beat it with a Rammer but if you cannot arrive at solid Earth but find it still soft and spungy you must dig as far as you can and drive in Piles of Alder Olive or Oak a little singed near together and fill up the void Places between the Piles with Coal In short you must make all Masonry with the most solid Stone that can be found for this use To make the Binding of the Stones the stronger in the Foundation of great Fabricks you must put Piles of Olive a little singed and placed very thick from one Parement or Courk to another which serves as it were for Keys and Braces for this Wood so prepar'd is not subject to Worms and will endure for ever either in the Earth or in the Water without the least Damage When you would make Cellars the Foundations must be much larger for the Wall that is to support the Earth requires a greater thickness to resist the strong Efforts that the Earth makes against it in Winter at which time it swells and becomes more heavy by reason of the Water it has drunk up ART IV. Of the Walts THE right ordering of Stones joined with Mortar which is call'd Masonry is sevenfold there are three of them which are of hewed Stone viz. that which is in Form of a Net that which is in Binding that which is call'd the Greek Masonry There are likewise three sorts of Masonry of unhewed Stones viz. that which is of an equal Course and that which is of an unequal and that which is fill'd up in the middle the seventh is compounded of all the rest The Net-Masonry is that which is made of Stones perfectly squar'd in their Courses and are laid so that the Joints go obliquely and the Diagonals are the one Perpendicular and the other Level This is the most pleasing Masonry to the Sight but it is apt to crack See the Figure A. Table I. The Masonry call'd the Bound-Masonry is that as Vitruvius explains it in which the Stones are plac'd one upon another like Tiles that is to say where the Joints of the Beds are Level and the Mounters are Perpendicular so that the Joint that mounts and separates two Stones falls directly upon the middle of the Stone which is below Some Authors call this sort of Masonry Incertain but they are mistaken for they read Incerta instead of Inserta it is not so Beautiful as the Net-work but it is more solid and durable See the Figure BB. Table I. The Masonry which Vitruvius says is particular to the Greeks is that where after we have laid two Stones each of which make a Parement or Course another is laid at the end which makes two Parements or Courses and all the Building through observe this Order This may be call'd Double-Binding for the Binding is not only of Stones of the same Course one with another but likewise of one Course with another Course See Figure CC. Table I. The manner of Walling by unequal Courses call'd Isodomum by the Ancients differs in nothing from the Masonry call'd Bound-Masonry but only in this that the Stones are not hewed See Figure D. Table I. The other manner by unequal Courses call'd Pseudisodomum is also made of unhewed Stone and laid in Bound-Work but they are not of the same thickness and there is no equality observ'd but only in the several Courses the Courses themselves being unequal one to another See Figure A. Table I. The Masonry which is fill'd up in the middle call'd by the Ancients Emplecton is likewise made of unhewed Stone and by Courses but the Stones are only set in order as to the Parements or Courses but the middle is fill'd up with Stones thrown in carelesly among the Mortar See Fig. FF GG H. Table I. Among all these sorts of Masonry that will always be best which is made of Stones of an indifferent size rather lesser than greater to the end that the Mortar penetrating them in more parts may bind them faster and the strength of the Mortar does not so soon decay For we see that the Mortar which is laid in the Joints or Seams of the greater Stones with time decays and turns to Dust which never happens to the most Ancient Fabricks which have been built of little Stones From thence we may conclude that it is ill Husbandry to be sparing of Mortar For this reason Vitruvius proposes another sort of Masonry which may be call'd the Compound Masonry for it is all the former together of Stones hewed and unhewed and fastned together with Cramp-Irons The Structure is as follows The Courses being made of hew'd Stone the middle place which was left void is fill'd up with Mortar and Pebbles thrown in together after this they bind the Stones of one Parement or Course to those of another with Cramp-Irons fasten'd with melted Lead This is done to the end that the abundance of Mortar which is in the middle may furnish and communicate a sufficient Humidity to the Joints of the great Stones which make the Parements See the Figure K. Table I. There are many Precautions to be given to make the Masonry more firm and durable and these Precautions are common to all the different sorts of Masonry When you would have the Walls very thick for great and heavy Buildings you must strengthen the inner part of the Wall with long Piles of singed Olive which serves for Keys and Braces for this Wood being so prepar'd never corrupts It is likewise of great Importance for the strength of Walls that all be directly Perpendicular and that the Chains the Pillars and Pieds-droits or Piers be so situated that solid always answer'd to the solid for if there be any part of the Wall or any Pillar that carrys false it is impossible the Work should continue long There are also two ways of strengthning the Walls which are either to ease them of their own weight or of that of the Earth which they are to support The first way of easing is in those Places where there are void spaces as above Doors or Windows These easements may be made two different ways the first is to put over the Lintel which supports the Wall which is over the void space of the Gates and Windows two Beams which lying or resting below directly upon Pieds-droits or Piers
meet together above The other way is to make directly over the void spaces Vaulted Arches with Stones cut corner-ways and tending to one Center For the Walls be so strengthned by the means of these easements that part of the Wall which is below will not sink at all being easied of the load of the part that is above and if some defect should happen by tract of time it may be mended without propping that which is above The second way of easing is for Walls that are made to support the Earth for besides the extraordinary thickness which they ought to have they should have likewise Buttresses on that side next the Earth so far distant one from another as is the breadth of the Wall they ought likewise to have an Emparement or large Foundation which must be equal to the height of the Wall so that they go diminishing by degrees from the bottom to the top where they come to equal the height of the Wall The effect of these Buttresses is not only to support the Earth by their Resistance but likewise to lessen its Efforts when it swells in dividing it into many parts And if it be judg'd that these Buttresses be not sufficient the Wall also which supports the Earth must be strengthned with other Buttresses within ART V. Of Flooring and Ceiling THere are four sorts of Flooring some are upon the Superficies of the Ground others between two Stories others make the Roof of the House in Plat-form and the last is Plat-Fond To make those Floors that are upon the Ground you must first make the Earth smooth and plain if it be firm and solid if not it must be beaten with a Rammer with which they ram down their Piles and after having cover'd the Earth with the first Lay or Bed call'd Statumen by the Ancients which was of Flinty Stones about the bigness of ones Fist among which was mixed Mortar made of Lime and Sand. Then they laid the second Bed which they call'd Rudus which was made of lesser Stones of which there were three Parts for one of Stone if they were new for if they were taken out of old Buildings five parts of Stones or Pibbles would be required for two of Lime The Greeks had a way of making their Floors in those low places where cold and humidity ordinarily reign which freed them from there Inconveniences They digged the Earth two Footdeep and after having beaten it well they laid a Bed of Mortar or Cement a little sloping from either side to the Channel which convey'd the Water under Ground they laid a Bed of Coal upon the first Mortar and having beaten them well they cover'd them with another Cement or Mortar made of Lime Sand and Ashes which they made smooth when it was dry with a Polishing-Stone These Floors presently drank up the Water that fell upon them that one might walk barefoot without being incommoded by the Cold. For the Floors which are between two Stories there must be a particular care taken that if there be any Partition below it that it may not touch the Flooring for fear lest if the Flooring came to sink a little it might be broke upon the Partition which remains firm To make these Floorings the Boards must be nailed at each end upon every Joist to the end they may not warp these Boards or Planks being cover'd with Straw to hinder the Lime from wasting the Timber the first Bed must be laid made of a mixture of Mortar and little Stones a hand breadth which must be beaten a long time with Iron-Levers and so it must make a solid Crust which must be nine Inches thick upon it shall be laid the Noyau or Ame which must be at least six Inches thick It must be made of Cement with which must be mix'd one part Lime for two parts of Cement Upon the Ame or Noyau is placed the Parement made with the Rule afterwards it must be scrap'd and all the Eminences and Inequality taken away After that must be laid a Composition of Lime Sand and beaten Marble to fill equally all the Seams or Joints If a Flooring be to be made in the open Air as upon Terrasses that may endure Rain or Frost without any Damage you must nail upon the Joists two Ranks of Boards across one above the other and having laid the first Bed as is said before it must be Paved with great Square Bricks two Foot Square which must be hollow'd in the Ends in the Form of a half-Channel the breadth of an Inch which must be fill'd with Lime mixed with Oil. These Square Bricks must be higher in the middle sloping two Inches for every six Foot that is to say a Forty-eighth Part Upon these Square Bricks must be laid the Ame upon which after it has been well beaten as well as the rest must be put great Square Stones and to hinder the Moisture from hurting the Boards it is good to pour as much of the Lees of Oil as they will soak up The under part of the Flooring and the Plat-Fonds must be made also with great Care To make the Plat-Fonds or Flat-roofs in the Form of a Vault you must nail to the Joists of the Boards or to the Rafters of the Roof from two Foot to two Foot pieces of crooked Timber and Choice must be made of Timber that is not apt to rot such as viz. Cypress Box Juniper and Olive no Oke must be made use of because it will warp and crack the Work The Joists being fastened to the Summers you must fix to them Spanish-Broom with Greek-Reeds well beaten These Reeds are in stead of Laths which at present are made use of to make the Eaves of Houses over these Reeds must be laid a Plaster of Mortar made of Sand to hinder the Drops of Water which may fall from above from endamaging these Plat-Fonds After which the under part must be Plaster'd pretty thick making all Places equal with Mortar made of Lime and Sand that it may be afterwards Polished with Mortar made with Lime and Marble The Ancients sometimes made double Vaults when they were afraid that the Humidity which is engender'd by the Vapours which mount up might rot the Wood which is upon the Vaults This Method they principally made use of in their Baths The Corniches which are made use of under the Plat-Fonds ought to be little left their great Jetting out or Projecture should make them heavy and apt to fall For this Reason they ought to be made of pure Stuck of Marble without any Plaster that all the Work drying at the same time may be less apt to break ART VI. Of Plastering TO make Plaster that it may continue a long time and not crack you must take Care to lay it on Walls that are very Dry for if the Walls be Moist the Plastering being expos'd to the Air and drying faster than the Walls will crack To do this Methodically it
was the place where the Actors played it was raised not above five Foot at the most above the Orchestra or Pit The Proscenium was the Front of the Stage which was adorned with Pillars of several sorts one above another These Orders were so proportioned that the second was a fourth part lesser than the first The third diminishing according to the same Proportion The Front had three Gates that in the middle which was the greatest was called the Royal Gate the two others were called the Gates of Strangers These three Gates were closed with Machines made in a Triangle and composed of three Fronts or Faces well Painted to represent Buildings in Perspective they served for the changing of the Scenes when these Machines were turned And the Paintings represented three sorts of Buildings which made three sorts of Scenes viz. The Tragick by Magnificent Pallaces the Comick by Private Houses the Satyrical i. e. the Pastoral by Fields and Groves The Parascenium or Postscenium was the hinder part of the Theater and the place whither the Actors retired and dressed themselves and had their Rehearsals and where the Machines were kept Near the Theaters were Publick Walks in length a Stadium which is about 90 Perches There were Trees planted and round about it were double Portico's which were every one as broad as the Pillars on the out-side were high for those within were higher by a fifth part than those without and they were likewise of a different Order for those without were of the Dorick Order and those within of the Ionick or Corinthian The Ancients built their Ports in two manners at those which were Natural they only made Portico's round about with Magazines and Towers at the Ends for to shut the Port with a Chain Those which were Artificial were built three several ways The first was to make Partitions of Wood only without emptying the Water which was within the Partitions and they cast into the Partitions Stone and Mortar made with Pozzolana thrown in hand over head for they were certain that this Mortar wou'd grow dry in the bottom of the Water The second Way was by making Partitions with ordinary Clay or fat Earth at the bottom of the Sea after the Water had been emptied out by Pumps The third Way was to build a Mole upon the Sea-Coast and to cast it in when the Mason's Work was sufficiently dry which only required two Months time That they might the better throw these Moles into the Sea they built them half upon the Sea-Coast and half upon an heap of Sand which they made close to the Sea-Coast to the end that this Sand which was stopped by nothing but by the Walls built only to support it during the time that the Mole was a drying might let it fall when the Sea came to carry away the Sand after that the Walls were beaten down The Bathes of the Ancients consisted of many Chambers some for Men and some for Women Some of the Chambers had a moderate Heat to warm their Bodies insensibly and prepare them for a stronger Heat to make them Sweat The Chamber they were to Sweat in was called Laconicum and was round and Vaulted like the ends of an Oven pierced at the top with a round Opening which was opened and shut with a Buckler of Brass which hung at a Chain by which means they augmented or diminished the Heat according to the Proportion that they pull'd up or let down the Buckler One and the same Furnace heated both the Air and the Water according to the Disposition of the places which were nearer or further from the Furnace whose heat was communicated to the Chambers from under the Flooring which was made full of little holes The Water was likewise diversly tempered by the different situation of three great Vessels of Brass whose Water went from one into another and there were Pipes that conveyed these three sorts of Water into the Bath The Academies of the Ancients which they called Palaestra was a place where the Youth learned Letters and their Exercises They were composed of three parts viz Of a Peristyle a Xyste and a Stadium the Peristyle was a Court surrounded with Portico's which were of two sorts three of them were Simple and one Double The Simple stood in a row against three Bodies of Lodgings composed of many great Halls where the Philosophers had their Disputes and Conferences The Bodies of the Lodgings which was the length of the double Portico and one part of the Bodies of Lodgings which turned in were distributed into several parts for the Studies and Exercises of Youth for there they had their Classes their Baths their Stoves and their Tenis-Court The Xyste was a place planted with Trees and surrounded with Portico's on every side These Portico's were of two sorts There was one double which was set against the Bodies of the Lodgings to which the double Portico of the Peristyle was joyned The Simple Portico's had two Wings under these Simple Portico's there were hollow Ways where they performed their Exercises the rest of the Portico was raised to the right and the left for those that had a mind to Walk while the rest performed their Exercises in the hollow ways The Place which was compassed with these three Portico's was planted with Trees which made Allies where the Wrestlers exercised in Winter when it was fair Weather The Stadium was on the Side of the Peristyle and the Xyste It was an Alley of 90 Perches on each Side it had many Steps or Degrees which made a sort of a long Theater bending in at both ends these Steps or Degrees were made for the convenience of seeing them that Run CHAP. II. Of Private Buildings ARTICLE I. Of the Courts of Houses THE Houses of the Ancients had five sorts of Courts of which the greatest part were covered round about by the Jettings which supported the Water-Channel or Gutter in which all the Water that fell from the Roof met together These Courts made with Jettings were of four sorts The first was called the Tuscan this Court was surrounded with a Jetting en auvent which was laid upon four Beams supported by other standing Beams placed in the Corners The second Sort was called Corinthian it had likewise Beams but they were further from the Walls than in the Tuscan Court and they were laid upon Pillars The third Sort was called Tetra-style because the Beams were supported with four Pillars which were in the place of the standing Beams that were made use of in the Tuscan Court. The fourth Sort was called the Vaulted because the Jetting that it had round about was supported by Vaults The fifth Sort of Court that had no Jetting and which was called the Uncovered had the Water-Gutter directly upon the Wall and was only covered with the Entablature ART II. Of the Vestibulum or Entry THE Houses of the Ancients had Great and Magnificent Entries they were sometimes 15 Perches long and