containing the ordinances and desseings of the PLVs point out & principal buildings which were found in Rome at the time that it was in its largest flower: part of which buildings are void still at present, the remainder having been either completely or partially ruined. By Jaques Andro\'fcet, du Cerceau. M. D. LXXXIII To the great Prince, Monsignor Messire Jaques de Sauoye, Duke of Geneuois, and of Nemours. Monsignor, I have spent half a [...] square of the city of Rome [...] 'it was formerly the biggest plender, but it was impossible for me to represent so little of place all the perfectios which find it are more signal buildings of this one I made of it a liurcentier, which will be able to seruir to those who are curious of antiquity, & even more (in my judgment) to those who are mayors in Architecture, which will find many beautiful features & enrichments to help their inuentions. And all the more, Monsignor, that you are a Prince who loves & hear architecture perfectly, & who mesmes have been on the spot, or you have deigned to visit & notice the most memorable relics of antiquity, he m 'seemed that you addressedat & dediat this book, it is to appropriate the work to its point: As long as you have done me this honor q to accept me for yours, & to maintain me by your liberality , which makes me estimate yours what proui\'e9t of avg. Leave with all humility, that is offered and presented to you, begging you to receive the melmeoeil & tedder that some of you have made my own little inventions. Monseigneur, I beg the Creator that you please grant him, with his grace, all the time and quotation that you desire. Your very humble & very obedient servant, Jaques Androuet du Cerceau. To the READER I have always had this opinion, as we commonly say, that necessity is the mother of all arts and sciences, that peace, wealth, and abdication are the nurturers: & alongside the long seditiss & wars, the real ones murderous: what is seen even more clearly in the art of architecture, than in the others. Because like very small beginnings it livers little by little increased, according to the occasions & nececitate which awoke the esprie of ingenious men, to palliate & to add something new to: old inuentions, in the end it came to the full height of its perfection during the Roman Empire, from which the Emperors consecutively assembled there all the most exquisite inventions of all kinds of sawn timber, which they could hardly find in their neighbors: & namely in Architecture, of which during a long peace they got on so well together that they made their city very well, which was first of all mud and bricecloth, filled with a marvelous quantity of marble, iaspe, & porphyry, & embellished such & so large buildings, both public and pray, that those who have not seen them, or at least their vestiges, can hardly believe them, and understand them. But as this city had grown and embellished by peace, also since then by the diuisios of the Empire, and the wars wars which soon subsided there, was so ruined and diminished in its first splendor, that of all these wonders, with great hardly can we today notice the places where they were seated: And what is worse the same fury has almost swept away & at all enfeueli with such buildings, art & masters: However, there is some virtuous personage in our time, which by reading and researching antiquity has given us a map roughly representing this city of Rome, ancient in its naturalness, as it was formerly in its most great magnificence, which having been made in Italy, and finding it very little here and there, I thought I should merit the publicq, if I put it back in light to our France, to communicate it to you more easily: made it reduce in smaller form to be seen and known, almost by a single glance: And by the same means considered that such a way could only bring the fruit that such a good work deserves, if the main particularities which are there were also represented in larger form, by which you could easily notice the ornaments and inuentios of Architecture which are there, which in truth are admirable: Who made me undertake to show you in particular r, & together in this book, which I can say, in that it represents, contain all the perfection of Architecture, beyond which I do not think that it is possible for the spirit of man to achieve, & dares make sure that whoever hears the reasons for the works contained therein, laughed can no longer sift ny difficult ny new: that if Jeusse wanted to declare all the items on the menu, I would have had to bring back icy routes to the old stories , & yet to transcribe almost verbatim what has been so clearly spoken by many, many men of our time, who would have been a vain labor and exceeded my strength. So I liked it better to leave you the judgment by reading it than to do between so many Authors who have written about it, not wanting to mediate with me to decide the diversity that is found in them, so as not to go out of my profession. One thing seems to me well worthy of consideration, it is then that today there remain nothing like so many so large buildings which seemed for the solidity of their matter & cone Symmetry & Architecture to remain immortal, which we do not need to relish for what is right in this world, but to put our hope and confidence in what has been, is and will be eternally, to which alone is all honor and glory.\ \ \ Temple de Venus\ Domus faustae contantini avg\ Atrium faustae avg\ Monoumentum cilonianorum\ \ Theatrum Platinum\ Basilica Ulpia\ \ Iuxta Campum\ Presentiani\ \ Templum fortune\ \ Porta olitoria\ \ Collis Hortulorum\ \ Iulia tumul\ Monumentum sex baebiorum\ Horti Caesaris\ \ Sabini\ \ Thermae Diocletianae et maximiane\ \ Thermae a orippae\ \ septiosnium vetus\ \ domus attiany\ \ \pard\pardeftab720\sl560\partightenfactor0 \cf2 \strokec4 \ \pard\pardeftab720\sl280\partightenfactor0 \cf2 \ }