An Abridgment of the Architecture of Vitruvius / Containing a System of the Whole Works of that Author

by Vitruvius Pollio

CHAPTERS.

The Introduction.

Article 1.

F the great merits of Vitruvius, and the Excellencies of his Works .[Page 1.]

Art. 2. Of the method of the Works of Vitruvius, with short Arguments of every Book .[9.]

A division of his whole Works into three parts, whereof 1. treats of Building, 2. Gnomonical, 3. Mechanical. A second division into three parts, 1. of Solidity, 2. of Convenience, and 3. of Beauty. The Arguments of the Ten Books. [11,] [12,] &c.

THE FIRST PART.

Of the Architecture that is common to us with the Ancients.

Chap. I. Of Architecture in general.

Art. 1. Of the Original of Architecture, [17.]

The first occasion of Architecture; the Models of the first Architects, [19.] The Inventers of the four Orders of Architecture, [20.]

Art. 2. What Architecture is, [23.]

Definition of it; an Architect ought to have the knowledge of eleven things, viz. Writing, Designing, Geometry, Arithmetick, History, [24.] Philosophy, moral and natural, [25.] Physick, Law, Astronomy, and Musick. [26.]

Art. 3. What the parts of Architecture are, [27.]

There are eight parts in Architecture, viz. 1. Solidity, [27.] 2. Convenience, 3. Beauty, 4. Order, 5. Disposition, [28.] 6. Proportion, 7. Decorum, 8. Oeconomy, [32.]

Chap. II. Of the Solidity of Buildings.

Art. 1. Of the choice of Materials, [33.]

Vitruvius speaks of five sorts of Materials, 1. Stone, [33.] 2. Bricks, [34.] 3. Wood, whereof divers sorts are used, as Oak, Fir, Poplar, Alder, [35.] Pine, Cypress, Juniper, Cedar, Larch, [36.] and Olive; 4. Lime; 5. Sand and Gravel, [37.] of which several sorts, Pit, River, and Pozzalane, [38.]

Art. 2. Of the use of Materials, [39.]

Of the Preparation of Stone, [39.] Of Wood, [40.] Of Bricks, [41.] Lime and Sand, [43.]

Art. 3. Of the Foundation, [45.]

In Foundations, to take care that the Earth be solid, [45.] Of the Masonry, [46.]

Art. 4. Of the Walls, [47.]

Six sorts of Masonry, [48,] [49.] Precautions to be used in binding the Walls, to strengthen them with Wood, [50.] That they be exact perpendicular, [51.] to ease them of their own weight, by Timber or Arches over doors and windows, and by Butresses in the earth, [53.]

Art. 5. Of Flooring and Ceiling, [54.]

Of Flooring upon the Ground, [54.] between Stories, [55.] Open to the Air as Terrass, &c., [57.] the Roof, 58. Cornice, 59.

Art. 6. Of Plaistering, [59.]

For great Walls, For Fresco, [60.] for Partitions, [61.] For moist places, [61.]

Chap. III. Of the Convenience of Fabricks.

Art. 1. Of convenient Scituation, [63.]

That a place be convenient, it ought to be fertile, accessible, in a wholsom Air, not on low Ground or marshy, [64.] How to know a wholsom Climate, [65.]

Art. 2. Of the Form and Scituation of the Building, [65.]

The Streets and Houses of a City to be the most advantagiously expos'd in respect to the Heavens and Wind, [65,] [66.] The scituation of each Room to be according to the use of it; of Dining-rooms, Libraries, Closets, &c. [67,] [68.]

Art. 3. Of the Dispositions of Fabricks, [68.]

The Dispositions of Buildings to be according to the use of the House, either publick or private; of Merchants Houses; of Country Houses; Of the several Apartments, [70.] Of Lights, [71.]

Art. 4. Of the convenient form of Buildings, [71.]

Of the Walls of Cities; Form of publick places, [72.] which were different among the Greeks and Romans; of Stairs and Halls, [72.]

Chap. IV. Of the Beauty of Buildings.

Art. 1. In what the beauty of Buildings consists, [74.]

Two sorts of beauty in Buildings; 1st, Positive, which consists in the Symmetry, Materials, and Performance, [75.] 2d. Arbitrary, which is of two sorts; 1. Prudence, 2. Regularity; which consist in the proper providing against Inconveniences, and observing the Laws of Proportion, [76.] The beauty is most seen in the proportion of these principal parts, viz. Pillars, Piedments, and Chambrantes, [78.] From these things result two other, Gender and Order, [79.]

Art. 2. Of the five Genders, or sorts of Fabricks, [80.]

The five sorts are Pycnostyle, Systile, [80.] Diastyle, Areostyle, Eustyle, [81.] The Genders to be always agreable to the Orders of Architecture, [82.]

Art. 3. Of the five Orders of Architecture, [84.]

The distinction and difference in the several Orders; consists in the Strength and Ornament; Vitruvius speaks but of three Orders, [85.]

Art. 4. Of things that are common to several Orders, [85.]

There are seven things common to all Orders, viz. Steps, [85.] Pedastals, [86.] the diminution of Pillars, the Channelings of Pillars, which is of three sorts, [89.] the Piedemont, [90.] Cornices, and Acroteres, [93.]

Art. 5. Of the Tuscane Order, [93.]

The Tuscane Order consists in the Proportion of Columns, in which there are three parts, the Base, the Shaft, and the Capital, [94.] Of Chambrantes; and of the Piedement, [95.]

Art. 6. Of the Dorick Order, [96.]

The Dorick Order consists in the proportion; of the Columns, which have been different at diverse times, and in diverse Works, [96,] [97.] The parts of the Column are the Shaft; the Base which it anciently wanted, but hath since borrowed from the Attic; the proportion of the Base, [97.] and the Captial, [98.] the Archiatrave, which hath two parts, the Platbands and the Gouttes, [98.] the Frise, in which are the Triglyphs and the Metops, [98.] the Proportion of them, [99.] Of the Cornice, its proportion, [99.]

Art. 7. Of the Ionick Order, [101.]

The preportion of Pillars of this Order, [101.] The Pillars set upon the Bases two ways, perpendicular, and not so, [101.] Proportion of the Base, divided into its parts the Plinthus, the Thorus, the Scotia upper and lower, with the Astragals, [102.] Of the Capital, its proportion and parts, [103.] Of the Architrave, wherein to be considered, the proportion it must have to the Pedestals, and to the heighth of the Column, 105. to the breadth at the bottom, [106.] and to the jetting of the Cymatium, [106.] Of the Frise and Cornice, [107.]

Art. 8. Of the Corinthian Order, [108.]

This Order different from the Ionick in nothing but in the Capitals of Pillars, being otherwise composed of the Dorick and Ionick; the proportion of the Capital, [109.] in which are to be consider'd its heighth, its breadth at the bottom, the Leafs, Stalks, the Volutes, and the Roses, [109.] Of the Ornaments, [110.]

Art. 9. Of the Compound Order, [110.]

The Compound is not described by Vitruvius, it being a general Design, and borrows the parts of the Capital (which is the only distinction it has) from the Corinthian, Ionick, and Dorick Orders, [111.]

THE SECOND PART,

Containing the Architecture that was particular to the Ancients.

Chap. I. Of publick Buildings.

Art. 1. Of Fortresses, [113.]

In Fortification four things are consider'd; the disposition of the Ramparts; the Figure of the whole place, [114.] the building of the Walls; thickness, materials, and terrass; the figure and disposition of the Towers, [115,] [116.]

Art. 2. Of Temples, 116.

Temples divided in the Greek and Tuscan Fashion; of the Greek some were round, and some square; in the square Temples of the Greeks three things are to be considered; 1. the Parts, which are five, the Porch, the Posticum, [117.] the Middle, the Portico, and the Gates, which were of three sorts, viz. Dorick, [118.] Jonick, [120.] and Attick, 120. 2. The Proportion, [121.] and 3. The Aspect, in respect to the Heavens, [122.] and to its own parts, which were different in Temples with Pillars, and those without Pillars; of Temples with Pillars there are eight sorts, [122,] [123,] [124.] Round Temples were of two sorts, Monoptere, [125.] Periptere, [126.] Temples of the Tuscane Fashion, [126.] The Ancients had fourteen sorts of Temples, [127.]

Art. 3. Of publick Places, Basilica’s, Theatres, Gates, Baths, and Academies, 127.

The Fabricks for publick Convenience were of six sorts, I. Market-places of the Greeks of the Romans, [128.] their Proportions; II. Basilica’s, their Proportions, Columns, Galleries, and Chalcediques, [128.] III. Theatres composed of three parts; the Steps or Degrees which enclosed the Orchestra, [129.] the Scene which had three parts, the Pulpit, the Proscenium, [130.] and the Palascenium, [131.] And the Walking-places, [131.] IV. Gates, which were either natural or artificial, built three ways, [132.] V. Baths, consisting of many Chambers, their Description, [133,] [134.] VI. Academies composed of three parts, the Peristyle, [134.] the Xystile, [135.] and the Stadium, [136.]

Chap. II. Of Private Buildings.

Art. 1. Of the Courts of Houses, [137.]

The Courts of Houses were of five sorts, four whereof were made with jettings out, or Pent-houses of four sorts. the Tuscan, [137.] the Corinthian, the Tetrastyle, the Vaulted, [138.] the fifth sort uncoverted, [138.]

Art. 2. Of the Vestibulum or Entry, [139.]

The proportion of the Vestibulum was taken three ways, for the length, breadth, and heighth, [139.] Of the Alley in the middle, [140.]

Art. 3. Of Halls, [140.]

Three sorts of Halls, the Corinthian, the Ægyptian, and the Cyzican, [141.]

Art. 4. Of the Distribution of the Apartments among the Ancients, [142.]

The Distribution of the Apartments different among the Greeks and Romans; what the Difference was, [142.]

Chap. III. Of things that equally appertain to Publick and Private Buildings.

Art. 1. Of Aqueducts, [143.]

The manner the Ancients used to take the Level exactly, [143.] The Water was brought by Aqueducts, or by Pipes of Lead, or Potters Work, [144.]

Art. 2. Of Wells and Cisterns, [145.]

The Precautions the Ancients used in digging their Wells, to discover bad Water, and in making their Cisterns, [145.]

Art. 3. Of Machines for carrying and lifting up great Stones and Burthens, [146.]

Machines for drawing Pillars, [147.] Architraves, [147.] for raising great Weights, three sorts; first, with a Handmill; second, with a Windlas, [147.] third, with several Ropes, to be drawn by Mens Hands, [148.]

Art. 4. Of Machines for elevating Waters, [149.]

Five sorts; I. The Tympan, [149.] II. A Wheel with Boxes. III. A Chain with Buckets. IV. The Vice of Archimedes. V. The Pomp of Cresibius, [151.]

Art. 5. Of Water-mills for grinding Corn, [152.]

The Water-mills of the Ancients were like ours.

Art. 6. Of other Hydraulick Machines, [153.]

Three sorts of Water-Machines; first, for shewing the hour, [153.] Second, Organs, [154.] Third, for measuring the Way by Water, [154.] by Land, [155.]

Art. 7. Of Machines of War, [155.]

Three kinds; I. To dart Arrows, &c. [155.] II. To batter down Walls, [157.] III. To cover them in their Approaches to the Walls of the Besieged, [158.]