REIGLE GENERALE
OF ARCHITECTURE
OF THE FIVE COLUMN WAY
TO KNOW
TUSCAN,
DORIC,
IONIC,
CORINTH, 
     AND
COMPOSITE

BOOK ENRICH AND SEVERAL OTHERS, EXAMPLE OF ANCIENT

Vow, research, and increase by the author of five other orders of columns, 
fleeing the rules and doctrine of Vitruue.

Ouagement necessary for painters, sculptors, goldsmiths, masons, carpenters, menuifiers and 
all other people working with the compass, and on the square.


BY MASTER JEAN BULLANT, ARCHITECT OF MONSEIGNEUR
de Montmorency, Coneftable de France
AT ROUEN,
From Primprimerie by David Ferrand; near the palace
 

TO VERY ILLUSTRATED LORD
MESSIRE FRANCOIS DE MONTMORNECY, MARESCHAL
de France, Lieurenant and Gouverneur pour le Roy in the City of Paris and Ille de France: 
Jean Bullant is very bumble, and very eye-catching.

Monsignor after find little folicitude required to the ouuranges to av command by 
Monfeigneur the conneftable, your trefcher and honors Pere, devoured all virtue: which 
always occupied and maintained me in the hearts of late chafteaz d'Efcouen, in order not to 
confuse me in oyfuietŽ, especially since most of the time reftoit me fans other occupation, ie I 
fled to reduce (in real practice, that the capacity of my small understanding has the fire to 
understand and mefmes in great volume) five ways of columns, according to the doctrine of 
Vitruue: it has to be Tuscan, Doric, Ironic, Corinth and Compolite, accompanied by others 
fleeing each of them in order, which there were in the ancient of in Rome, as in the theaters 
of Marcellus , which must devour of a Doric and Ironic order, strong rent with the temple of 
virile Fortune, which has there an Ironic order and the Pantheon (otherwise dict Rotonde 
which was formerly in richy of an order Gorinth well esteemed. Vray eft, Monfeigneur , cue 
this eruure is more necessary for the ouuriers who work with the compass and with the 
efquierre (for lefquels ie I am mainly employed) that for the great Lords, who melts always 
prevent business which rages them from hour to other, in the administration of the 
Repiblique. Nevertheless, I am running away from my good and virtuous affection, 
Monsegneur, enueurs all men of the liberal arts and sciences, whom I have dared to dedicate 
to you, to offer and to prefer your work, however simple and mechanical it may be. Because 
when I came to remember how the Lord Lord the Conneftable deigned to be ashamed of 
himself as of a book of little geometry and horologiography, which makes him resound 
humble and obedient fuject: I run away from you at all , Monsegneur, (to whom we see 
shining the virtues of such and excellent Father) you will not disdain either my new furs, 
which very humbly I prefer you, Monsignor, who are the true protective of men loving virtue. 
Begging for your excellence, that your good Pleasure be, to receive it, at least for good 
affection, that you prefer to be very humble and very kind. Obellant feruiteur. And so much 
so, that such grace was made to me, I conformmeray the refte of my life ence that I 
cognoiftray you able pleasant, and even to pray the grator for your very good property and 
fante, Dfcouen the year of grace millet five cens sixty-four.


JEAN BULANNT,  TO THE STUDENTS 
OF ARCHITECTURE, HELLO

Gentlemen, what my little one intends to understand is the Books of Vitruue, combined with 
what there is little antuque, forced me to use more bardiment to reduce the five ways of 
columns, which make, Tuscan, Doric , Ionique, Corinth and Compofite, according to the 
doctrine of said Vitruue, fuinant which I have made five figures of columns in difference in 
height, to give more clearly to understand that retrescence must have the principal parts of 
each, as do the architraue Frize and Corice, having regard to the said height, and this is not 
one of the five above-mentioned ways. By means of which facility each one will be able well 
well to know as should condiure the order donÕt want to be served: provided that whoever 
will want to make his profit of it is ignorant of perspective. Because there will be nothing he 
can practice by the way, it is not by accident. And when the parties, like, and symmetrical of 
them, I run away from declaring them and dealing with sweating what has been written and 
excellent Architect. Messieru Leon Baptsite Albert, who has learnedly and amply deducted all 
these chofes in his seventh book of good bastir, translated by Jean Martin Parisien, to which 
has been greatly praised by the studious of architecture, for having him profitably. Now, 
gentlemen, I would like to warn you that my main intention, in a new fashion, was the 
ingestion of our good ancient masters. And to accompany the dictates five orders, it seems to 
me knowable to reduce to my pousir led orders more rent that are seen in Rome in the 
antique, as do one order Doric, two orders Ionic, two orders Corinths, and one order 
Composite, knowing and as easy as I myself have measured and practiced their symmetry to 
educate according to each order, and adoring as much as a good statement for each figure, 
that those who have the practice of the compass will need nothing else reading, which canses 
that I did not stop for a long time to write, as it is necessary to take their major in each order: 
Especially since all the figures are so reduced in large volume and dinersified in several strong 
that they do not require more ample and special declaration, assuring me that the only 
compass will suffice to give reason and intelligence to the workers, And who will courageously 
seek with compass, he will find that all will relate according to the rules of this learned 
Vitruue. In addition, gentlemen, I beg you to impute a presumption enterprise, not to 
consider myself so temere to want to correct ancient inventions and courage. Because my 
intention was never that to knock out the chofes who are well or badly understood, of siring 
by my labor to give occefion to studious men and better exercise, of which one void, the 
fertile fields of these good Autheurs es be closed to make come back n coignossance of all an 
infinite number of other innenions, which will flee to posterity and will not show the gifts of 
grace by them liberally received, both from God and from nature. As for me, I beg to be 
excused, if not having attained perfection that I had not so clearly exposed the text that there 
is not there remains some obseurite, as well as foy mesmeil it is very hard to hear. And if 
some evil watches me want to blame for that, I ask him to put the difference to the learned 
men and force himself to be better, so that the chofes are heard better to each. You will 
therefore like that, Monsiueurs, to take good part of my goodwill to practice that God has 
given me the means to declare you, to help you, if need be, which I beg to give grace to those 
who wish, D'Escouen the year of grace one thousand five hundred and sixty-four.

WARNING
TO THE READINGS

Our render more clear intelligence to the works, to this ffonde impression the fled me used 
(Monsieurs) to all that was possible to me, of what seemed to me to be demuere obscure and 
hiding from the figures of this mine little work: and also to to tell the truth, when some work 
is done, it is easy for everyone to know the faults, but difficult, if not a little to amend them, 
Who is the cuase to more appear the distribution and measure of each column order, I sit put 
in two (from this little practice that God has given me) to increase my work by five other 
orders of colones, each with all their part of symmetry and measure to deduct amply, the, 
both by figures and by writing, Showing in each order by Alphabet, as must be taken the 
measurements of all parts of chachun member. And so it will be very easy to come to 
cognizance to the caretakers of their measure and the main part of each member of the most 
beautiful and convenient; and also to cook the poorly shaped misshapen as you will see in the 
figures, I have increased and corrected what I have little. And as for the famous fictitious 
capitals, of those who make gradual reduict they have the poorly split and cotterŽ ruined 
leaves to be fled according to the antique. We cannot give the gauge to the size of the wood, 
as to the size of the leather, which we can do more clearly. Ausurplus, Monsieurs, I will say 
this, that there will be no new fashion inuenced there, that we can quite rightly estimate 
maeste, in order of their members, simmetry, and in consonance of measure, as are the conq 
orders of columns, which these ancient and learned Architects left us of their intuition, both 
in writing and in work, which is still seen in the antique. And flee in this option, which it is not 
possible to adore it, no less decrease, in variety of their orders and symmetry, sand a great 
disformity of their consonance and measure. I would feel very happy to be able to imitate 
somewhat these excellent workers, who have left us such beautiful works. So I would be very 
grateful to you, Gentlemen, that I want to attribute to myself that I have approached him so 
perfectly, and my little work, that there can still be no stain of rust, both on the figures and on 
the letter. Why I beg all Readers and fludious of architecture to want to take a good part is 
that I did, to get away if necessary.




THE PRINTER, READING

Reader, Beneuolle, having discovered this little Tresor hidden in Paris for eighty years, and 
having it in his possession. I did not want to hide this talent from you, as well as those who 
put it in their hands so I wanted it to emerge, cachet that there is public interest, for the 
embellishment and structure of beautiful buildings France. This is why I wanted to put it in 
the press, so that you can iouyr fruit can collect such ancient works, being prized because of 
the small number which had to be made and the excess of the price which was the main 
cause: Tule reccura therefore from as good a Heart as I present it to you, Hoping in short to 
put in your hands the eggs of philipert of elm (being a teacher of all figures which are ten 
icelles, as well as Vitruvue) Being here only a small sample of the iron that I bring to those 
who delight in such awareness. And if you meet some default, I humbly beg you to excuse it: 
Especially since a faure is so much gone by, that the impressions of the most excellent women 
in the world do not guarantee it, which waiting for your prudence and good judgment. I 
remain forever your humble Seruiteur.


Others, for what they heard that things seen from afar (and by way of saying) almost as if with 
a weary eye, show less than they are, ordered by deliberation, that the tall clones should not 
be so small by huat that the shortest, and for this reason follows that the diameter of the 
encroachment, (if the stem must be fifteen feet long) would be divided into twelve equal 
sections, of which the eleven must be given at the end from above, and not at all. But if it is 
fifteen to nineteen feet, it should start from the bottom diameter to the bottom, and give the 
top twelve. More if it is twenty to thirty feet, this diameter of the encroachment must have 
eighteen parts, and the upstream end sixteen. After if it is thirty feet to forty feet, it will be 
necessary to divide the diameter into fifteen, and yawn the treze at the end of the top. 
Besides if it rises from forty feet to fifty feet, the diameter below will be part of eight 
modules, the top end of which will have seven, and so the others: because it is necessary to 
store so that the column is long, the bigger it should be from the top. And of course all the 
Architects agreed to this: Whenever measuring ancient buildings, I find that these rules have 
not always been entirely observed. However, I have made the reigns of Vitruvius, as you will 
see by the figures on the last page of the book.