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Hist. of Am-phither.tres, hC. Maft'ei,Edit. bond.J730.

Ef > f - 87.

THE LIFE OF

still to follow the Fashion, though we can never attain to the Grandeur of thoseW orks.

Those who first laboured in the Restoration of Architecture, about threeCenturies ago, studied principally what they found in Rome, above-ground, inthe Ruins of the Theatres, Baths,Temples, and triumphal Arches; (for,amongthe Greeks little was then remaining) and in these there appeared great Differfences; however, they criticised upon them, and endeavoured to reconcile them*as well as they could, with one another, and with what they could meet within the Italian Cities: and it is to be considered, that what they found standingwas built, for the most part, after the Age of Augustus , particularly, the Arches,Amphitheatres, Baths, &c. The Dorick Order they chiefly understood, byexamining the Theatre of Marcellus ; the Ionic/:, from the Temple of FortunaVirilis ; the Corinthian , from the Pantheon of Agrippa ; the Composite, from thetriumphal Arch of Fit us, &c. I have seen among the Collections of Inigo'Jones, a Pocket-book of Pyrrho Ligorio’s, (an excellent Sculptor, and Architect,employed by Pope Paul the third, in the building of the Vatican Church ofSt. Peter in Rome, about the Year 1540) wherein he seemed to' have made ithis Business, out of the antique Fragments, to have drawn the many differentCapitals, Mouldings of Cornices, and Ornaments of Freezes, &c. purposely tojudge of the great Liberties of the ancient Architects, most of which had theirEducation in Greece.

In further Proof of this, we have now a very remarkable Account of aneminent and learned Critick in Architecture, viz.

“ The first Story of the Coliseo at Rome is said to be Dorick, and yet the' " Freeze of it is not plain and smooth. The third Story is Corinthian , but" without Carving or Ornaments, except in the Capitals. The fourth Story is

Composite, but with Corinthian Capitals, and like those of the third Order j“ the Corbills in the Freeze shewing them of the Composite Order. The Pillars" °f the four Orders, one above the other, do not diminish in Dimension, ac-" cording to Rule, but are all of a Thickness; and the Void of the Arches, the" Parts, Ornaments, and Measures in the different Stories, have not that Diver-“ sity of Proportion, which is believed to be eilential to different Orders. By" the Example of this Amphitheatre, (the noblest Remain of ancient Magni-" ficence) as well as by many others, it is evident, that in the Rules of the" Proportions, and different Members, &c. of the Orders, there was no cer-" tain perpetual and universal Law, but the sime Orders, Measures, and Man-" ners differed, according to the various Kinds of Buildings, the Judgment of“ the Architect, and the different Circumstances of Things.”

But although Architecture contains many excellent Parts, besides the rangingof Pillars, yet Curiosity may lead us to consider whence this Affectation aroseoriginally, so as to judge nothing beautiful, but what was adorned with Columns,even where there was no real Use of them; as when I lalf-columns are stuckupon the Walls of Temples, or Basilicas j and where they are hung-on, as itwere, upon the Outside of triumphal Arches, where they cannot be supposedof any Use, but merely for Ornament; as Seneca observed in the Roman Baths:Quantum columnarum est nibil fuftinentium, fed in ornamentum post arum, impenftecausa ! It will be to the Purpose, therefore, to examine whence proceeded thisAffectation of a Mode that hath continued now at least 3000 Years, and therather, because it may lead us to the Grounds of Architecture, and by whatSteps this Humour of Colonades came into Practice in all Ages.

The first Temples were, in all Probability, in the ruder Times, only littleCellce to inclose the Idol within, with no other Light than a large Door to dis-cover it to the People, when the Priest saw proper, and when he went in aloneto offer Incense, the People paying their Adorations without Doors; for all

Sacrifices