P R E F A C E
ON hwhatever fubject a hook lhould be at this u time propofed to the public, theymig t alk what is the need of it: this wo ld be a very reafonable as well as 
natural quell:ioo; and the author who fliould not be able to return a fatisfafrory ao!wer would not deforve their notice. 
Many treatifes have been written on the feveral fciences, and they have been of great fervice to the world; but after all the improvements they contain, there i, room for many more : no one of thefe fu bjeds is yet cxhaufied ; and architecture, from its great variety, leal1: of all. 
The difcoveries that have been made, and rules that have been eltablilhcd in this fciencc, arc fcattered in various books, as they have arifen from the labours of diffe­
r ild, have been found
This we apprehend to be the prefent fiate of architecture; and we propofe, in this undertaking, to collect all that is ufefol in die works of others, at whatfoever time they have been written, or in whatever language; and to add the Cevera! difco­veries and improvements made fince that time by the genius of others, or by our own iadu!rry. By this means we propofe ro make our work ferve as a library on this Iubjecl: to the gentleman and the builder ; fupplyiing the place of all other books: as jt will contain whatfoever there is in them worthy regard, and, together with this, whatever we· have been able to invent or obtain that is curious and ufefol. 
Thofe who have 11:udied thefe things, have in general confidered the magnificence ()f buildin"', rather than its ufe. Architechire has been celebrated as a noble fcience by many ??ho have never regarded its benefits in common life : we have endea­ voured to join thefe feveral parts of the fubject, nor lhall we fear to fay that the art of building cannot be more grand than it is ufeful; nor its dignity a greater praife than its convenience. From the neglecl: of this confideration, thofe who have written to inform others of its excellence, have been too much captivated by its pomp, and have bellowed in a manner all their labour there, leaving the more terviceable part neglected. 
This is the character of many of the celebrated books of architecture ; and 'tis this has fwelled fuch performances to an expeoce too great for perfons to whom they would be moft ufefol ; while, one the, other hand, thofc of fmall price are, in ge­neral, of lefs value: mo11: of them i1ideed ufdefs. 
Upon thefe confiderations, we have been induced to undertake the prefent exteu­
fiWt??e l be work: _Otn1tted the puthat rpo(e is of welegant hich or is to great; infl:rucl: but the rather than principal gmufe; regard in will which be /hewn nothing to
w l hat Thais t weoecelfmaary be and underureful. ftoo in the fucceeding parts f our unde taki g, we pr?­
pofewritmg _ to begand _ m fpeakwit?? ?? mg an of expla_na!tobu1ldmgs. ?? n of thofe feveral terms o of art whrich nare ufed 1n 
It may be faid thefe ha1•e been done rendered intelligible by others; but to this wf e an­fwterm er, it authhas ors never have cobeen mmonly yet made ufc perfectly of otohr cers, learnoly. t lefs In the difficult, explanation and no o obetterne
underfiood; therefore they have done it imperfectly; and we may fay with great truth that words alone can never explain them clearly. 
In our explication, we lhall_ be careful to ufe no words that are not perfectly un­derllood, without firft rendering them plain and familiar; and wherever the thing e:xpreflcd ??by witthe term is capable of reprefentation by lines, we lhall accompany clear;our 
,;inaccd oun?? {l;nkmfit g the h eye, a figure, will never accurately be forengraved, gotten. wh ich will render.the exprcffion
After this, which will be delivered as an introduction to the t1udy of architec­ture, we /ball advance to the confideration of thofe materials which ??re u fod in building; and of which the ftrnclures hereafter to be propofed w!l?? confi{r. In this pArt we ihall treat of the cohditions, nature, and qualities, fo far as experience has hitherto difcovcred them, of the feveral ki_nds of  fione and timber; thefe being the main fupports and principal materials in bmld111g._
After thefe we 01all confider the feveral fub{tances that are ufed in thofe cements 
or mortars which hold tbe former together; and i,'. this eart ihall treat of the nature of lime and fand ; together with whatfoever other mgredients have been or may be ufed in cements; explaining their fcveral qualities. 
from thefe we !hall enter upon the examination of fuch metals as are ufed for co11ering, and for connecting the feveral parts of buildings, delivering the qualities of Jead and iroo, fo far as they concern the architect, but no farther: it being our 
purpofe to treat as perfectly as we are able, every thing that relates to our fubjefr; 
but  in no cafe to expatiate beyond its limits
the confideration of frone we filall : deliver at large the . . d1fiinctions . of the fevc­
ral kinds of marble; and their ufes in plain or moulded work; in flab, or chimney­pieces ; and in other forms. 
From this we £hall proceed to the nature and qualities of the fevcral kinds of ordinary ftone ufed in our buildings, and known among workmen by the fevcral na1nes of Portland, and Bath, Rygace, and Purbeck. Acquainting the reader with 
t??eir ufes i public and private buildi??gs; plai?, wrought, _or mo':'ldecl ; in chimncy­p1eces, ?? covmgs, and other forms ; to _paving, whether 1t be Jn random or frrait 
courfes; in ll:eps, aftragal or plain ; in copings or curbs for iron-work; aod finally in the eretling and facing of walls; aud io the feveral parts of the dilfercnt orders of columns. 
After thus delivering an a??count of the different fpecies of frone, and tbeir par­ticular ufes; we lhall enter upon the nature and the ieveral forts of brick'. 
This may be confidered as an artificial kind of franc ; of which there are a great variety of forts, dilferent in value, and fuited to various purpofcs. The ufc of thefe in the buildings of this nation, efpecially in and about London, being much more common than that of fione, they demand the greateft confideration in a body of architecture fuited to our time and country. 
vV '? /hall here acquaiot the reader with the oaturc of their feveral :kinds, as they are dill:inguilhed by the workmen, under the names of red flocks, or gt"ey ftocks; place bricks and cutting bricks . 
. We fh??l f??om thefe naturally be led to give an accou??t of the {evQral forts of tiles, d1(hngu1lhed by the name of plain, pan, and gutter tiles. 
In the confideration of bricks, we Jhall deliver an account of their various ufes in walls and ornaments, and in arches and paving.
And, after this, of the feveral ufes of tiles in plain and pantiling, and in all thofe other fervices to which either of thefc materials are applied. 
Having here informed our reader of the different ufes to which ll:one and brick are commonly applied, we fhall in the clofe of the work take ao opportunity of accquainting him witli their fettled price, as u[ed in thofe feveral forms; which, be­ing at this time a kind of fixed or eftabli1hed rate, will infirucl: the g:entleman who intends to build, in thofe two great particulars, which are Jitteft for his purpofc, and 
and what is their feveral expence. 
From this confideration of tbe materials employed by the architetl, tbeir nature, quaj_ities and price, we £hall advance to the methods of uling them, in the com­
pofing the feveral parts of a building, and in forming the whole. 
It is here the coofideration of what is frritlly and dill:incl:ively called architeah,re be­gins ; and in this place it may be proper to fay fomething concerning the parts of this ooblc fcience, and to give our reafons for the order wherein we lball treat them in the fucceediog chapters. 
Architecture may be confidered under two beads ; with refpect to the preparatory frudies, and to the fcience itfelf. 
Among the ftudies that lead to it are to be reckoned arithmetic, geometry, per­fpective, and menfuration.
. Thcfo, fo far as they are necelfary to the builder, it mi??ht_ be natnral to i_otroduce, m_a regular courfeof the ftudy, before we delivered the pnnc1ples and prachce of the fc1ence itfelf; and in this order we Chould have difpofed them, had there not ap-peared rcafons to the contrary. 
. This work is calculated for g:ncral ufe; the gentlem2n as well as the bui. lder is mtended to be affifled by it; and we cannot doubt but the far greater part of our readers are acquainted already with fo much of thofe ftudics as may be needful to the For prefcnt this fubject. afon efs and difgu!l: that mull: have aru. , re we have avoided the tedioufn en
to many from giving courfes of thofe fcveral fciences in the firft lheets of our publication; but for the fake of Cuch as {ball make this book the whole foundation of ral their knowledge, we iliall at the end of the book give a concifc view of thofc [eve• fcie?ccs, fo far as they regard, or may be fubforvieot to _the architectur??. begmm.
Having thus explained what is needful to be under!l:ood m  ng of our work, and referved the more abftract conuderations which regard it, to the end; we 01all proceed in a regular order to defcribe and explain the Cevera! parts of which a building \Ve is to confi{l:; and fr9m thefe advance to the ftrucl:ure of the y whole.gra 
£hall beain with what is moil: familiar and fimpk, anti tlteucc bdual ad­ditions rife to thofe things which are more complicated and difficult; and thus lead, as it were by the hand, the careful ftudent from the railing of the fmalleft and plaineft, to the Jini(hing of the largefl: aod moft ornamented ftru&ure. 
Of this the practical reader may be perfectly affored, that with knowledge thus eafily obtained, he will be able to undertake and compleat the greatell: edifice; and that he who is ignorant of the principles of the fciencc, will not be al,le to fet about the leaft without perplexity and difadvantage. 
Having premifed a diCHoct account of the materials, we /hall in this place enter on the confidcration of the efi'ential parts of a building, and thence proceed to the defign­!11g, railing, and cornpleating it, of whatfoever kind: in which the knowled??e and Jn??gment of the under,aker are to £hew themfelves in the properly conftruct1ng the principal and the ufeful pans of the fabrick, and in the felecting and difpofing thofc which We are ornamental.
•thall begin with  the ??:fituation ·; and thence advance to the doctrine of fouuda.: . hons; and £hall lay down the proportion tbefe ought to bear to the walls railed upon them: and £hall deliver fcvcral rules, illuflratcd with figures, for piling and laying th,:rn, From according to the qualities of the <>round.
tbefe we /hall come to the co??fidcration  of [ewers and drains, and to the rai??ng of ??alls, of whatever materials; explaining ·their ftructure and proper dimi­
nut1011s; We with the docl:rine of chimnies, roofs and floors.
£hall then confider architecture as divided naturally into two parts: 
The fir.A: comprehending what is fixed by rule.
And the fecond, what is left to fancy.
mns Under the former head will be delivered  the doctrine of the five orders of co­
lu : far what relates to thcfc is all that is fixed or eflablilhed in the fcience. 
Under the fecond will be confidered the con!hucl:ion and difpofition of the feveral parts of a building; all which js left to the imagination of the arcb.ited:, and forms proper In _fcene of his employment in ofoful edifices.
lpeaking of the orders we £hall (hew what  is fixed, and what is arbitrary; for the _vrri??tions which are found in them among the works of antiquity, /hew that hfomethmg pr _is cleft to fancy even here. .
T ? OJe l:ure of the Doric capital in the theatre of Marcellus, is feven m11 1utes, ?r ??xt1etbs of the diameter of the column, and three quarters; and in the Colil'a!un1 Jt 1s _fevcnteen. ??or do the rnles of authors differ in this refpecl: lefs tha?? the  practice of the anuem architects: for Alberti makes this projecl:ure only two minutes and an iialf, whereas Palladio al
d A'.ter other infti\nces of this kind, lows to it nine. prevent furprife at fuch freed?ms as we may fin ,t necelfary to ufc wJth what is efteemed moft facred aroon<> arch,tecl:s, we /hall lead t??e unprejudiced reader, in the ftudy of thefe orders, to a dillind: and .A:ricl: con­fidcratton of the proportions and characters of the members of their feveral pede- 11:als, columns, and entablatures.
W.:. /hall confider lirfl: the three original and great orders of tlic Greeks, the Doric, 
Ionic, am! Corinthian; explaining from their forms and firuflurc their intents and 
ufes. 
The doric maJe for /lrcngth and forvicc, (hort in proportion to its thicknef,, and 
without orn3mcnts on its b??fc or capital ; the Ionic finer and more decorated, of a rnirldlc nature, between the firong and clelicate, taller than the Doric, and adorned 
with volutes; and l.1ftly, the Corinthian, light and elegant, loftier th3n the Ionic, and 
oamcn!e<l in the c:ipital with rows of leaves, and volutes to fupport the abacus. 0,
After thdc we 0,311 fpe??k of the two additional orders of the Romans; the Tuf­
can, lower, plainer, and /lrongcr 1ha11 th Doric, with no ornaments on its capital, (,afc, e tr cntablatnrc , and the Compolite,. i7 mproving on the height and delicacy of th Cori· thian ; and addiai: more decorations. 
As an addition to this 'head, we /hall confider alfo, under the name of orders, fince others have been content to call them fo, the Attic, confifi.ng of pcddlals with their caps; the Perfian, which has fiavcs inftead of columns; and the Caryatic. which !ms womeo. 
l'rom thde we (hall be naturally led to conlider pibftcrs, which are placed fome-1m1e, naked and free, and at other times aflixed to, or in part immerfed in the wall; as in colonnades. Under this head we lhalltrc at at 13rge of their projcdurc, their diminution, the manner of placing the entablature upon them, when it lies upon a column at 1he fame time; and laflly, of their Autings aod their capitals. 
Thefc are the article, of this great fdcnce which _have been ufed moll to perplex the fiudclll; but we t11all endeavour 10 render their forms and ufcs as familiar as any other part of the fubjelt, and to c:s,plain all that relates to them equally to the builder and gentleman.
the o-cneral praltice. We /hall lead Oltr fiudent to the planning out the edifice,
and to the complcating it with propriety, elegance, and tafie.
We lh:tll particularly confider under this head the two great articles of doors and windows. 
Vvith regard to the 6rft, we {hall lay down their regular proportion in refpecl: of thdr height and breadth; their proper po fition in the feveral ftor;es ; together with their general and particular conllruclion : and lh:tll accompany our obfervations with a great variety of deligns for doors, and their ornaments. 
In treating of windows, we £hall infuucl: him to proportion them in number and magnitude 10 the rooms they are to enlighten; and lhall lay down the juft dimen­fion, of thole of the Cevera\ different fiories, both with refpecl: of their height and brc??dth, and their relation to the piers betw??n them. 
From the walls of the building we lhall advance to the roof, the framing of which we £hall explain according tQ its feveral forms and kinds; and {hall lay down roles for the compleating it in each in the moft perfect and ma!lerly manner. 
Having thus gone through the 11:ruclurc of the outfidc of the building, we 1hall confider its inner divifion into rooms; their difuibution, and offices; and their pro­portions, in their feveral dimenfions, and with rcfpelt to one another. 
Vie lhnll in this part lay down, for the ufe of the pracl:ical rEader, fecl:ions of r;1oms of various kinds and fon??s, and deliver mlr?? for the e'.'nfi, uding ot innume­ rable others; and for the carrying up a great vanety of plain and decorated llair­
cafesH.
vfmtcd n tavine o their that fcveral moft purpofes, confidcrable and article of proportioning elegance, them their to one ornamentsano. ther, we iliall
ad o 
aUncder t this bead comprehending the great variety of chimney-pieces, ceilings, and other decorated parts. For thcfe we /hall firfi deliver certain fixed and invariable r, le , and afterwards hy down a great number of defigns, new, am! adapted to the pr, fcnt tallr.
Having
lia??i11g thus fully defcribed the fcveral parts of which a houfe is to confift, we Jhall rife to the confideration of it entire. When the reader has been informed how to de??gn, crea, proportion, and decorate thefe fcvcral portions of die edifice; we ihall mfirull: him in putting them together, and forming a complcco whole from. thofe perfect and proportioned parts, 
\Ve lhall thus give him full and complcat direclioos for the beginoing, carrying oni ??nd f½iilhing his work, whether it be fmall and plain, or large and decorated; lead­mg him from the confiruction of the meancft private houfc, to that of the rnoQ 
fupcrb publick building: and l11all in!lruct him to work in every part with pro­priety.
\\'hen we have thus cooduaed him through every part of the houfc, we !hall
??y iers before and him other a variety decorations, of and de!igos we for lball its here exterior enrich our ornaments, work under ,rith a the number heads ofof
p 
new and beautiful defigns for feats, bridges, and temples. 
In all thcfc, as well as the fcverol other ports of this undertaking, we {hall endea­vour to be plain in the expre/lion, and full in the deferiptions: and 8$ we pro­pofe no:hing of the practical kind but what will be illufirated with figures, we hcvc ma.de it a principal part of our care that the engravings were executed by the moll mafierly hands. 
By thefo means we hope to lay down in one body the whole fciencc: of archi­tellure, from its firft rudiments to its utmoft perfection; and that in a manner which thall rcncer every part of it iotclligible to every reader; to acquaint the gentleman with what, on every poffible occafion, he fliould delign in his edifice; and to in­ftrull: the pralUcal builder in not only what he ought to do, but how he {hould execute it, to his own credit, and to the advantage of the owner.
Book I. The hope we have to fucceed better is principally founded on the affi!l:ance of tho(e ?? figures we add to our explanations. In thcfc we have caufcd the moll: confiderable of
the objects to which we refer, to be reprc(entcd before the eye, as well as to the imagi­nation; firfl: together, and afterwards in their fcparate parts, with their names annexed. Thefe we conceive to be the principal means by which we ihall convey and efl:abli.01 the 
neceffary knowledge on this head ; but though the principal, this is not the only fource from which we flatter ourfolves with tl1at expectation. 
The books wherein theft: terms hnvc :ilready been explained, the writin?? of archi­tetl:s, and the Cevera! dictionaries lie before us; am: we hope that, feeing and avoid­ing their errors and defects, we {hall not fall into fo many nor fo great. If what has been publifhed by others were Cufficient, we ihould ftill have inferted fuch a table here, beca11Ce we lb.all not refer the reader to other works: but we apprehend fomcthing more is wanting. 
We can perceive how thefe explanations have been copied from the earlier into the later, and from the greater into the leffcr of thofe books; and in what manner they have been tranfcribed from the· lafi into the modern dictionaries. In the writers of archi­
teltme the terms recited are too few and they arc explained too fiightly: in the dil1:io­paries too many are collected, and they are treated t•JO diffufcly. vVe £hall endeavour to avoid each extreme; we would not leave·any ter:n_ that is in ufe unexplained, nei­ther w6uld we tire the fiutlent with a multitude Which lie will ncvc. fee clfewhere. In 
the fame manner, af ??ve ihnH take 'eMe to give a fu'!iGient explanation, we ?? avoid writing treatifes on each, refcrving that to the body of our work. 
The writers of architecture have faid too little on thcfe terms, becaufe they have fup­
pofed their readers acquainted with fome part of the fcience before; in dictionaries we find too much, becaufc they have ;10 other opportunities of entering on the fubjecl:s : and foroetimes they err from i1??accU{acy in the tranfctibing. It is very. difficult to capy with p11ncl:uality what is not undcrftood; and thefo perfons cannot be fuppafed mafiers of every thing CQl!Cerning which they muft write. 
We £hall endeavour in the firfl: place to be corree,; and 1??ext to proportion the man­ner and fcope of our explanation to the importance of the term. Where that is of lefs confequ.ence, we /hall add littfa illu!ttation; where it is of tnore, we (hall enter farther into particulars; which the reader, remembering this is not only an explication of words, but an introdultion to archiceltur??• will ,:xou{c.. W.e !ball endeavour, on each article, to iofofm the mil'ld, witliout butthening the memo:y; and to deliver in this place fo rriuc'h of the general principles or' the fc??nca, that tl1e ftutlmrt lb.:rll be able not OJTly to comprehend what he reads an8-lxears, but to uniletllitnd what he fees. 
We fuall in fome places add particular accounts to thefe general conliderations, that any -oiher book ef arcMte&tre, 11, we_ll ??s this, m11y be read wiiliout p<:rplel!ity; and that'the -careful readt;r, wit<b. fo rnut:h knowledge only, may be .able to fpcsk in.p.ro.per 
ferms, :md defcribe int????bty wh«t he fees. 
Tne bare explanations behigfo theinfel(res necefl'??ffy tbc fame, will appear alike in whatever work they occur; to be corr??fo this [Xllt is'llli that CJ1n he attained: in the illulmtion we /hall ha\'e ??courte to inftances £mm the :rbtiqoe, nnd to tro: pradi.al:' of the great(:n architects amoog !the 1'i1bdl!rns, that foch things as are ciq,!,u,nttd -in ot-licr book?? may b,e ell'emplified here. We -1bllllomit the (;t)mtllOll _and vulgar terms li!ld<ir-, 11:oor.'I by-every labourlng 'per.foil, ??-r{:futvc to ??tp1aces in the -work -the:tnorc 111'•?? 1;0nfi??eration of mant-o'thets. ,v1w we ititcadmc is :to give the.full ??XplaMli.<tn of the term ; tnd m -?? -ef'tl!e11Voot-te be ukflll ?? 1-10t :t??
abacus, Plnte II. 
It is pl'opcrly the uppcrmo£l member of the capital, whereon the archltraye rdl:s; terminating the column with its capit:tl at the top. as the plintb, an,0ther fq??e pieca to be defcribed hereafter, does with its hafe at the bottom; 
The term is Latin, but has been introduced frqm the Greek, °'??"'! in that language ligoifying the fame ehing; ??1id iti origin is from a Hebrew word of like found li,g­nifyiflg a.for!f. 
Some have faid tho original of the a/Mt·11s was a fquarc· tile, laid oy??r a ba.fket, r??nd which grew leaves of the acarirht1s or (,ear's.qreccb, whence theCormthiancapital WdS derived, But the abacus is 9f earlier orig??1. 'l'he Dm:c order was long prior to the Corintbia11, and we fee an abacus on \hat in 41e remai1'S of ??lie P .arthe:Nion at 41.hens, though the columns have no bafe. In the Cori111/Ji1111 order it indeed reprefents the til??; its four .fides are fcgments of circles. In th', ea??lieft inftanc??s, before thofe li-
. centi®Ii b11t Qfl)1\n1ents of capi.tals wete.int,eoduccd, it ferved only te give breadth to the
top of the coh1mn, an.d a level fupport to the entablature. We fee the abt1CIJS of the Doric capfral Vl!ry large in tbe mofl: antient buildings, for this reafon. 
In the origin of ar<l_hitefrurc, trunl;s of trees were r:µfed upright for columns, and others laid acrols them to bear the. roof. The abacus was then a fqt1are piece ,.dded t& the top of the column, for the_fupporting and holding thofe others more conve-: nieotl y: this was its original. 
In con(cquence of this origin, the abacus was made fquare and plain on the fidcs; as is feen in the antient Doric; and in the Tefcan added by the Romans: but in the Cori11tbia11 aQd (;_q,npojite it is altered. Its four fides are holiowed or arcJ:ied !n?? wards, and it is deco;ated in the center with a Hower, Qr other ornament. 
In the Tu.fcan order tbe abacus is Qf a great thickl).efs, n11d is called by fom.e the. die of the capital; in the later D&ric a cymatium is fom??times put over it1 [q that it lofes even its place : and in the l1J?1ic it is wrought with an ogee crowpC9, \ljt?? ?? fillet. 
In the 'l'JJjctJT1 ,order jt is ef tfie -(<1-me -Wr!U with cl\e plinth of the bafe • 
./JJJacus is 11ftd in a particular fe.t1fe Py Sr,a,'!"'f;ZZ/, Jigp,ifying not the crowl)iqg of tl,le c,tp,ital of a eoJ1,1m11, but a conca,ve 11191,1ldi.1Jg jn tl1e papita! 9f ?? 1' efc??n pedefral; this however is IWfOJlg, .JIS it ,IJll!J breed coofufion.
AC 4 l\l-T Ji l.f s.
An herb kc??t in '°ur gall,Ciens, and c,tlrlcd ,in Engli.ih litar'1,lireech ; the leaves of which Acanu,??
make an ornament in the Corinthian,aii<l Conipojite orJers, ??md??ire faid to have been the occafion of the former. See Plate II. 
There are two kinds of this plant, the one cailed the wild acanthus, which has prick­ly leaves, the other thea_canthns mollis, or fmooth acanthus, or garden aca11th11s, ha\'.ing no prickles. 'The anticnts reprefented the leaf of this kind; ,but we often fee pi.e 
_prickly aca11th11; .ill more modern works. L1ra11thru is.the Greek JJame of this pl??nt; tile Latios call it b1:(l11ca u,ji11a, though they often adopt alfo t!ie Greek 'll"j)Xd. 
The placP. o.f the a,cantbui loo.vcs .is on the J:,.c;ll 9£ the,<:a,pital, whi??h rJ,cy cove_r; l\nd th? ??re the di,ll:inction of 'the two rich orders from the thre?? o\herf; ??nd tlJ??ir dijJO• iition Ill a feparate manner on thofe two diftingui/hes them from one another. TM.e
alfo rife lblks among thefe leaves, which in the Corinthian order curl v.nder the nba.-us. Ca//imachus was the inventor of the Corinthian capital, and it arofe from this accident; 
a baiket was fet upon the ground, and covered with a tile; a root of the acanthus being there, the leaves and fralks rofe up, furrounded the ba!ket, and curled back at the tile; the appearance was fopretty that he carried it into the capital of a new order. The ba!ket is the bell of that capital ; the acanthm leaves and ftalks are the foliage and volutes, and the tile the abacus.
The Greek fculptors have takeo fome liberties in their reprefentations of the leaves of 
this plant. Sometimes the indentings are too deep, and often too numerous for na­ture, They alfo ufe occafionally olive leaves and laurel leaves in the divifioo, but 
reedom, and fo little regard to trnth, that, like thethefc they carve with fo much f
paintings of our heralds, if we were not told what they reprefent, we might be per­plexed in guefling. Jn the Cw1pofite capitals of 'Titus and Septimiu1 Severus at Rwe, the leaves meant for the acanthus mollis are indented fo deeply that they repre[cnt thofe of parJley. The leaves in the capital of the temple of 1'efla at Rome are called lau­rel, but they differ from what is ufoa\ly made for the acanthus only in the divifion 
at the ends; this being all the architecl:s mean by that term. 
In the remains of the temple of the fun at Pa/m)'ra, there are Corinthian columns, the bell only of whofe capital remains: they make a very ftrangc appearance. The columns are of white marble, and the l??aves probably were of brafs; for the holes
Vulgarly called ac1·oters. Certain little pedc!bls placed at the two extremes, and on the middle of pediments. Thcfe are commonly made without bafes. They are placed on frontifpieces in the fame manner as on pediments, and in their origin were intended to fupport fl:atues, though they are more frequently naked; the word is Greek, and -fignifies the tl1c fummit or higheft point of any thing.
Vitrm;ius has given rules for their dimeniions, according to which thofe at the ex­tremes ought to be half the height of the tympanum, and that in the middle one eighth more.
The term is ufed alfo to fignify thofe /harp pinacles and feparate battlements which fiaod in ranges about flat buildings, with rails and balufiers; this is conformable
enough to the original meaning of the word, but it were well that there never were more than one diil:incl: fenfe to the fame term, to prevent confufion.
Acroterion is alfo ufed by fome to exprefs a figure of fionc or metal, placed as a crown­
. ing to any buildiug, a?? 011 the top of a temple or othcrwifc; but its original fcnfo is
by columns, pilafters, or other ornaments. This is the original and firicl: meaning of the word, it being derived from alcoba in the Spanilh, which exprelfes a retired place for fieeping : but it has been made to exprefs alfo any thing of the {rune or like form. Where a part of a room is feparated by a fcreen of columns, and has feats or what­ever e\fc in it, though no bed, it is called an a/ewe ; and the feats in gardens when 
they in a11y manner approach to the form of fuch a pa, t of a room, are in the fame
or oval figure, containing a pit, called its arena, which was encompafed with a great 
number of feats, in rows rifing gradually over one another: acid it ufually had porticos 
both within fidc .and without. 
The theatre of the antients was in form of a femicircle, but in meaforc exceeding 
the exact femicircle by one fourth part; and two of thefe theatres put together form­
ed what they called an amphitheatre. The derivation of the word is from two Greek 
ones, "f'((i•, about, and 9E"7eov, a theatre. 
The amphitheatres of the antients were built for the entertaining the people with com­
bats and other pompousfpccl:aclcs; and their extent was made thus great for the receiv­
ing the multitude. We have the remains of three very confiderable ones il:anding at 
this time; the Colifaum, which was an ampbithtatre ofVejpefian, another at Verona,
and the third in Languedoc near Nifmes; and there are alfo remains of Come others.
of a building, or other work, that has been executed by Greeks or Romans, when the arts were in their greateft purity and perfection among thofe people. The period of things called airtique extends. from the time of Alexander the Great, to that of the emperor Phocas, wheo Italy was over-run by the Goths and Vandals. In the moft ftricl: fenfc of the term allti'fue, it takes in only the exprefs period when fome of the great works of antiquity were made, that period commencing when the arts had arrived at their perfecl:ion, and ending when they began to fall to deca.)'. fo this fenfe antique, which properly fignifies antient, is ufed as a term diftinguilbed from antient : all old buildings, or remains of buildings, of other ages being called antient, but thofe erecl:ed within that period only being honoured with the name of antique. But this is a vague and arbitrary fenfe: the derivation of the word being from the Latin antiquus, which fignifies old, without any limitation to one period of time more than another.
running under ground, or raifed above it: and ferving to carry the water to places according to their level, notwith:fianding the unevennefs of the ground between. The word is derived from the Latin aqua duclus, a conduit of water. The 11quadulls of the anticnts were many of them very great and allonifuing works; fome are·pre­ferved in large remains to this time, We are told that the agu,zducfs in R{)JJie brought into that city daily more than .five hundred thoufand hogilieads of water. The leller aquadutls were of wood, the larger of fione ; and thofe raifed above the ground were fopported by arches, in the manner of bridges, from one rifing-grou nd to another, often at feveral miles dillance; the remains of one are lhewn in the head-piece to this chapter.
and vault properly differ only io this, that the arch exprelfes a narrower, and the vault a broader piece of the fame kind. The principal difference in the form of arches is that fome are circular, and others elliptical, the former having a larger or fn1aller part of a circle, the othe,: of an ellipfis. 
\,Vhat are called firait arches are thofe frequently ufed over doors and windows, the upper and under edges of which are ftrait and parallel, and the ends and joints all pointing toward a centre. 
The fpace between two piers of a bridge is c??Ued an t1tth, becaufe ufually arch'd over. 
Triumphal arches are magnificent entries into cities, erected to adorn a triumph, and perpetuate the memory of the adion. The arches of 'Iitus and Cb,ylontine make at this time a great figure amoag the ruins of old Rome.
tween them, ufed by the antients in many of their buildings. They had peculiar terms for expreffi.ng the various meafures of tbefe fpaces, and this was that which denoted the largell: of all. The columns in the araojlyle method were placed at eight wodules or half diameters, that is, at four diameters diftance ; and fometimes at ten modules, that is .five diameters. Yitr1roi11s calls it .a difl:ance of four diameters, and this is the il:ricl: proportion of that intcrcolumniation. 
The word is Greek, aea,10, is rare, and ,u]..o;, a column. lt therefore denoted the placing them ih the moft rare or remote manner. The t1r<Zojlyle method of build­ing fuits the 'l'uftan more than any of the other orders; ihe malfynefs of thofe co­lumns beft keeping the dillance.
The nrchib·nve is undcr/1:ood to be the principal beam laid upon the columns, and Chap. I. ferving as a b:ue to the rclt of the fuperftrulture. Its name exprcffes this., being 1.-.-v---' derived partly from the Greek and partly from the Latin; the firfi half from aexo,,
which in Greek is principal, and the fc:cond from trabs, which fignifies a beam.
This member is made fometimes of a fingle fummer, as we fee in many of the old buildings, and fometimcs of fcveral haunfes, as is common in modern works. The old writers fometimes give it another name, the epijlyle, which is derived from the Greek ,,,,, upr,11, and ;u>.o,, a col11mn, becaufe of its place :is before defcribed, it ly­ing immediately upon tbe columns. 
The architrave, though its place be the fame in all the orders, differ& in form in each, Jn the 'Iitfca11 it confill:s only of a plain foce: in the Dflric it bas two faces gene· rally allowed it"; but in the oldell: buildings in this order we fee it plain, and with 
only one face and its annulet, as in the Tufcan; in the Ionic it confill:s of three fuces, ??nd Co in the more decorated: this is one of the parts in which archite& allow themfelves a great deal of liberty, and in which too many follow their fancy rather than any rule. 
ARCH IT RAVE ef a chimney-piece,
in that circumfiancc only; for befides thefe architraves of chimney-pieces, there arc architraves of doors and windows.
All arch1trl1".Jts fini(h either with a trenia or fillet only, or with an ovolo cavetto and fillet, or a cima revcrfa and fillet. Thefe terms will be explained hereafter in their place; in the mean time the ar,bitraw may be perfetlly underfiood from this de­fcription and the figures, in Plate II.
ASTRAGAL, 
A I ittlc round moulding, which in the orders furrounds the top of the !haft or body of Anroga1, the column. It is called alfo the talon, and tflntlino; it is ufed at the bottoms as well as tops of columns, and on other occafions: it properly reprefents a ring, on whatever part of a column it is placed, and the original idea of it was that of a circle of iron put round the trunk of a tree, ufed to fupport au edifice to prevent its fplittiog. 
It has its name from a Greek word "'•f"''>'">-•r, which fignilies 11:riltly a bone in the foot, to which this round moulding was imagined to bear a refcmblance. 
The ojlragal is often cut into beads and berries, and is ufed in the ornamented en­tablaturcs to feparatc the feveral faces of the architrave.
placed over fame other order of columns. We call them an order, in compliance with the common manner of expreflion, but they do not deferve th??t name : they have been properly enough called a ball:ard order, and a falfe order; but there arc: buildings in which they make a pretty appear:ince. An i11fiance may be-
fee_n ld??1 g Palladio's fccond book, Plate 12. e They make an cleg:int crowning g ot f_ a
bu1 m when they are properly introducd, but we fee them fometimes brou h Ill Yery monll:roufly, to the difgrnce of the architect, and disfiguring of the edifice.
terraces, and the like, and cound altars. The balnfters are of iron, wood, ll:one, or other materials, and the balujlrade, when finely executed, has an elegant appear­ance. vVe have of late, in fome handfome buildings, miferably fupplied the place of the antient bal11/Jn1de by Chineje rails. 
The balujlrade may confiil: of oh.e or more rows of baluflers, and may ferve as a rell: in front of terraces, and as a defence on levels : and it is fometimes ufed, with a great deal of propriety and beauty, by way of feparation between one part of a building and another. The baths among the antients were thus encompalfed with rails, and the word exprdling that feparation was balmijlrum: hence cci11ics our word /Jalr!f­ trade ; and ba!ujler for the fi11gle pillar.
The word fignifies a fupport of any kind, and for any thing; its derivation being from the Latin b'!fis, of which that is the fenfe; but we have appropriated it in a manner to this lower part of columns. 
The antients, in the early times of architccl:ure, ufed no befes. The Doric columns, in the temple of Minerva at Athens have none; but ftand immediately upon the floor of the porch. Columns afterwards came to be fupported on fquare pieces called 
plinths, and after that on pede!hls. When we fee a column, of whatfoever order, on a pede!l:al, the bafa is that part which comes between the top of the pede!l:al and the bottom of the £haft of the column ; when there is no pedeftal it is the part be­tween the b9ttom of the column and the plinth; fome have included the plinth as a part of the befe, but it is properly the piece on which the bafe ftands, as the co­lumn ftands upon that, 8 The
The pedc!l:al allo has its baft as well as the column, and the pila!l:er. The bafa of Chap. r. columns is differently formed in the dilforent orders, but in general it is compofed of ?? 
certain fpires or circles, and was thence in early times called the fpire of a column.
Thefo circles were in this cafe fuppofed to reprcfent the folds of a fnake as it li<!S rolled up; but they are properly the repre(entations of feveral larger and finaller rings or circles of iron, with which the trunks of trees which were the antient columns were furrounded, to prevent their bur!l:ing: thefe were rude and irregular, but the fculptor who imitated them in ftone, found the way to make them elegant. 
ThcTl!faanbaje confif!s only of a !inglc torur,or round member upon the plinth: this is the moll timple of all. The Doric bafa has a torus and ao inverted cima in the Co-lifa:um; the Ionic bafa has a tingle large torus, which fo placed over two ilender fco• tias, that are feparated by two a!l:ragals. The Ct»-inthiall bafe has two torus's, two fco-- tias, or hollow members, and two afuagals. And the Compojite has a double aflragal iH the middle. Thefe feveral terms will be explained in their places : and fo the mean time their form will be undcrftood by their figures in the fecond plate. We have obferved that the Doric had antiently no bqfe; Pitruvius allows it none, and other antique buildings betide the Parthenion of AthenJ might be produced as in-fiances. Evel'l the Jonie in fome very antient pieces has no bqfe: [o that we fee what is done: in this n1atter is very arbitrary, and has been introduced of later time than the period of many buildings of which we have remains; but this muft not be con- fiJered as an improper deviation from the moft antientmanner, but as an improvement upon it; for a bqfe is a very natural and very beautiful part of every order. 
We have named the baJe appropriated by writers to each order, but there is befide thefe .five, another called the Attick or the Atticurgick bqfe, which excels them all in beauty; and was lirll: given to the Doric, and fince to almo/1: every other column. This bafa confifts of two torus's and a fcotia; the two tores are of diff'erent rumentions and the fcotia runs between them. The Iunh buft is unnatural, becaufe it is fmaller
r
below than higher up, neither is that of the Cointhian without its faults: both are inferior by much to the Attick, which is therefore often with great judgment fubili-: tuted in their place. 
The antients fccm to have given the fame, or nearly the fame projecl:ure to the bafa• in all the orders where we find it jn their works. For inil:ance, we fee the fame pro. jecl:urc in the bafa of the Doric and Cmnthian order in the Colijt1JUm, aod in that of ti,e Jonie in the temple of Concord ; and the difference between the greatcft pro­jecl:ure of any antique bqfi· we know, which is in the arch of 'Titus, and the leaft, which is in the Corinthian order in the Colifteum, is very trifling. See the figures of the feveral bafes in Plate II.