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the custom of the Greeks, giving it the name oifiurov. Iftherefore, kings of such great power did not despise brickbuildings, those who, from their great revenue and spoilsin war, can afford the expence not only of squared andrough stone, but even of marble buildings, must notdespise brick structures when well executed. I shallnow explain why this species of walls is not permitted inthe city of Rome, and also why such walls ought not tobe permitted. The public laws forbid a greater thick-ness than one foot and a half to be given to walls thatabut on a public way, and the other walls, to preventloss of room, are not built thicker. Now brick walls,unless of the thickness of two or three bricks, at allevents of at least one foot and a half, are not fit to carrymore than one floor, so that from the great population ofthe city innumerable houses would be required. Since,therefore, the area it occupies would not in such case con-tain the number to be accommodated, it became abso-lutely necessary to gain in height that which could not beobtained on the plan. Thus by means of stone piers orwalls of burnt bricks or unsquared stones, which weretied together by the .timbers of the several floors, theyobtained in the upper story excellent dining rooms. TheRoman people by thus multiplying the number of storiesin their houses are comm odiously lodged. Having ex-plained why, on account of the narrowness of the streetsin Rome, walls of brick are not allowed in the city, I shallnow give instructions for their use out of the city whenrequired, to the end that they may be durable. On thetop of a wall immediately under the roof, there should be acourse of burnt bricks, about one foot and a half in height,and projecting over the walls like the corona of a cornice ;