An Abridgment of the Architecture of Vitruvius Part 5

ART. III.

_Of the Disposition of Fabricks_.

[Sidenote: _Lib. 6. Chap. 6._]

The Disposition or Distribution of Fabricks contributes much to their Convenience, when each thing is so plac'd, that it is in a Proper place for the Use for which the Fabrick is Design'd; and for this reason the Town-House and the Market-Place ought to be in the Middle of the City, unless it happen that there be a Port or a River; for the Market ought not to be far distant from those places where the Merchandize is.

The Houses of Private Men, ought to be differently disposed, according to the divers Conditions of those that Dwell in them: For in the Houses of Great Men, the Apartments of the Lord, must not be at the Entry, where ought to be nothing but _Portico's_, _Courts_, _Peristyles_, _Halls_, and _Gardens_ to receive the great Number of those who have Business with them, and make their Court to them.

The Houses of Merchants ought to have at the Entry their _Shops_ and _Magazines_, and all other places where Strangers are to come about their Business.

[Sidenote: _Lib. 6. Chap. 9._]

The Country Houses ought to have a different Order and Disposition from those of the City.

For the Kitchen ought to be near the Ox-house, so that from their Cratches they may see the Chimney and the rising Sun; for this makes the Oxen more Beautiful, and makes their Hair lie better.

The Baths ought likewise to be near the Kitchen, that the Water may be more conveniently heated.

The Press ought not to be far from the Kitchen, for that will much facilitate the Service that is necessary for the Preparation of Olives.

If the Press be made of Wooden Beams, it ought to have at least for 16 Foot Breadth, 40 Foot of Length, if there be but one; or 24, if there be 2.

Not far from the Press, must the Cellar be plac'd, whose Windows must be turned to the North, because the heat spoils the Wine.

On the contrary, the Place where the Oil is kept, ought to be turned to the South; to the End, the gentle heat of the Sun may keep the Oil from freezing.

The Houses for Sheep and Goats ought to be so large, that each of them may at least have 4 Foot for his place.

The Stables must likewise be Built near the House in a warm place, but not turned towards the Chimney; for Horses that often see the Fire, are generally ill Coated.

The Barns and Granaries, as likewise the Mills, ought to be at a pretty distance from the House, because of the Danger of Fire.

In all sorts of Fabricks, a particular Care must be taken that they be well lighted; but the Light is princ.i.p.ally necessary in the _Stair-Cases_, _Pa.s.sages_, and _Dining-Rooms_.

ART. IV.

_Of the Convenient Form of Buildings._

When we are a.s.sur'd of the Convenience of the place where the City is to be Built, by the Knowledge we have of the goodness of the Air, of its Fertility, Rivers and Ports, care must be taken to make Fortifications, which do not only consist in the Solidity of the Walls and Ramparts, but princ.i.p.ally in their Form.

The Figure or Form of a place ought neither to be Square, nor Composed of Angles too far advanc'd, but it must have a great number of Corners, to the end the Enemy may be seen from all Parts; for the Angles that are so far advanc'd, are ill to be defended, and more favourable to the Besiegers than the Besieged. The Approach to the Walls must be made as difficult as possible.

The most Convenient Form of Publick Places, is to have in their Breadth 2 Thirds of their Length; The _Greeks_ made about their Publick places _Double Portico's_, with Pillars near together, which Supported the Galleries above.

But the _Romans_ finding this great number of Pillars to be inconvenient, placed them at a greater distance one from another, that they might have Shops well lighted.

[Sidenote: _Lib. 5. Chap. 3._]

The Stair-Cases of all Publick Buildings, ought to be large and streight, and to have many Entrances, to the End the People may come in and out conveniently; but we shall speak of this more largely in another place.

[Sidenote: _Lib. 5. Chap. 2._]

[Sidenote: _Lib. 6. Chap. 6._]

The Halls where great a.s.semblies are to meet, ought to have their _Ceiling_ very high, and to give them their true Proportion, we must unite the Length and Breadth, and give the half of the whole for the height of the _Ceiling_. The Halls where the _Ceiling_ is not so high, must have only their breadth, and half of their length for their height.

[Sidenote: _Lib. 5. Chap. 2._]

In vast and high places, to remedy the Inconvenience of the noisy Echo, about the middle of the height of the Wall, must be made a _Cornish_ round about to break the course of the Voice; which without that, beating against the Walls, would beat a Second time against the _Ceiling_, and cause a troublesom double Echo.

CHAP. IV.

_Of the Beauty of Buildings._

ARTICLE I.

_In what the Beauty of Building Consists._

_Buildings_ may have two sorts of Beauty, the one _Positive_, and the other _Arbitrary_. _Positive Beauty_, is that which necessarily pleaseth of her self; _Arbitrary_, is that which doth not necessarily please of her self, but her agreeableness depends upon the Circ.u.mstances that accompany her.

_Positive Beauty_, consists in Three princ.i.p.al Things; _viz._ In the Equality of the Relation that the Parts have one to another, which is called _Symmetry_, in the Richness of the Materials, in the Properness, Neatness, and Exactness of the Performance.

[Sidenote: _Lib. 2. Chap. 8._]

[Sidenote: _Lib. 1. Chap. 2._]

[Sidenote: _Lib. 6. Chap. 11._]

As to what regards the Relation of the Parts of the Fabrick one to another, _Vitruvius_ hath not spoke of it, but only where he prefers the _Netway_ of Walling before all other sorts of _Masonry_, because of the Uniformity that is in that Figure, and the laying of the Stones; As to the Richness of the Materials, he leaves the Disposition to him that is at the Expences of the Building; and he acknowledges that the Beauty of the Performance depends wholly upon the Dexterousness and Industry of the Workmen.

The second sort of _Beauty_, which only pleases by the Circ.u.mstances that accompany it, is of two sorts; The one is called _Wisdom_, and the other _Regularity_. _Wisdom_ consists in the reasonable use of _Positive Beauties_, which result from the use and convenient ranking of the Parts; for the Perfection of which, to a rich and precious Material, is given an Equal and Uniform Figure, with all the Property and Correctness possible.

_Vitruvius_ gives us two Examples of this sort of _Beauty_; The first is, When _Bosses_ or _Relievo's_ are made to hide the Joynts, putting them directly under the _Bosses_ which hide them by their jetting or projecture, for this gives them great Beauty and an agreeable Aspect.

The second is, When we consider the Winter-Appartments, that we have a care, that upon the Ceiling there be little or no Carving, and that the Ornaments be not made of Stuck, because it hath a shining whiteness, which will not endure the least nastiness; for it is impossible to hinder the smoak of the Fire and Candles which are lighted in the Winter, from tarnishing the beautiful Colour of the Work to which the Filth will stick, and enter into the Crevises of the Carving, which cannot be wiped out.

The _Regularity_ depends upon the Observation of the Laws which are Established for the Proportions of all the Parts of _Architecture_, the Observation of these Laws extreamly pleases those that understand _Architecture_, who love these Proportions for two Reasons.

The First is, That they are for the most part founded upon Reason; which requires, for example, that the parts that support and are under, be stronger than those above; as we see in _Pedestalls_, which are broader than the Pillars they support, and they are broader at the bottom than the top.

The other Motive is _Prevention_, which is one of the most usual Foundations of the _Beauty_ of all things, for even as we love the Fashion of the Cloaths which the Courtiers wear, although this mode have no _Positive Beauty_, but only for the Positive Merit of the Persons that wear them; so we are accustomed to love the Proportions of the Members of _Architecture_, rather because of the great Opinion that we have of them that Invented them, than for any _Positive Beauty_ which is found in the Works of the Ancients, where these Proportions are observ'd; for often these Proportions are against Reason; as we may see in the _Thorus_ of the _Ionick Base_, in the _Faces_ of _Architraves_ and _Chambranles_, or _Door-Cases_, with their _Mouldings_, where the Strong is supported by the Weak, and many other things, which Custom only hath made supportable.

These Proportions appertain to Three princ.i.p.al Members, which are _Pillars_, _Piedements_, _Chambranles_; the _Pillars_ taken Generically, and as opposite to _Piedements_, and _Chambranles_ or _Door-Cases_, have Three parts, _viz._ The _Pedestal_, the _Pillar_, and the _Ornaments_.

Every one of these Parts is likewise divided into Three other Parts, for the _Pedestal_ is composed of the _Basis_, its _Die_ and its _Cornish_; the _Pillar_ Comprehends its _Base_, _Shaft_ and _Capital_. The _Ornaments_ consist in the _Architrave_, _Frise_, and _Corniche_.