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CHAPTER II.

OF THE ORNAMENTS OF COLUMNS.

The origin and invention of the different species of co-lumns having been discussed, it is now necessary to saysomething on the subject of their ornaments, how theyoriginated, and upon what principles and for what pur-poses they were invented. In all buildings the timberframed work, which has various names, crowns them.The timbers vary as much in their uses as in their names.Those are called bressummers (trabes) which are placedover columns, pilasters (parastatse), and antse. In theframing of floors, beams (tigna) and boards (axes) areused. If the span of a roof be large, a ridge piece (co-lumen) is laid on the top of the king post (columna,whence is derived the word column), and a tye beam(transtrum) and struts (capreoli) will be necessary. Ifthe roof be of moderate span, the ridge piece (columen),and rafters (cantherii), of sufficient projection at theirfeet to throw the water off the walls, will answer the pur-pose. On the rafters are laid purlines (templa), andagain on these, to receive the tiles, are placed commonrafters (asseres), which must be of sufficient length tocover the walls and protect them. Thus each piece hasits proper place, origin, and purpose. Hence, following thearrangement of timber framing, workmen have imi-tated, both in stone and marble, the disposition of tim-bers in sacred edifices, thinking such a distribution oughtto be attended to j because some antient artificers, havinglaid the beams so that they ran over from the inner face