DIN

271

DIO

i of ^ 1D g points, the extreme point of the last arc being onepa 8Sesi three : each point through which the curve

Oentr e p' n '= so regulated as to be in a line drawn to the0 the r °<? t * le v °hite, and the lines at equal angles with eachSpiral and Yolute.

tion 0 fttNUTiON OF COLUMNS, the continued contrac-Som le diameter, from the base to the top of the shaft,from ® Modern authors make the diminution to commence’Oethe^ 6 '^ l ird the height of the column ; but if ancient

to Outhor^ 6 to have a preference, we shall find few examplesAt| leils orize this practice. In all the Grecian antiquities ofllle bott ° r ^ on ’ a > the diminution commences invariably fromI 0t H a 0rtl °f the shaft, immediately above the apophyge :

hie dinj ,0r< ^'. n S to the engravings from Stewart’s drawings,

; , e 'tnpi e t’°n is continued in a straight line, excepting in the1,0,1 is r° ^' or * a th, where the swell is shown. The diminu-°f tli e ; ,, 7 less than one-eighth, or greater than one-sixth,

’ I„ "Jwior diameter.

. a y h'c architecture, neither swell nor diminution ishi t,e horizontal sections being similar and equal.l| °n i 3 ent examples, even of the same order, the diminu-

: °tl, er e '7 variable.

t t,cu * ar remar hs will be found under Column.

an apartment in a house, appropriatedt ^glit ^ n S °f dinners. The dining-room and drawing-room1 c °Qid aVe some relation to each other in point of size, asS l0, >ses th^' r,0ve from one to the other. In the smallest-room ought to be the largest, and nearly,° r }' fr e q° n ^ le plan. In houses of a middle size, they are0f et in °f the same magnitude, which may be 18

4th;

‘■eadth.

24 feet in length, and 131 feet in height,

tv exte nd°d tlle breadth. In larger houses, the length mayt). et| to ,, to 40 feet; and in very considerable edificesjy re adth 6et 1 * n tllu l at -l er case the length may be double

^ for ° r p 00 .®. 8 are sometimes fitted up with a recess at one

V «Ty i

SSa

s- be ■

6ce iving the side-board; but if the apartment be

recess at each end

-'-'-co at tuiuii eiiu is necessary imSr er St l ua ™> or in the form of a niche,

Spates,

these recessesSee House,

an eminent architect, patronized by\v * 4 (. le .^ reat ! "’hose history is thus related by Vitru-Ijj n0 the time that Alexander was conquering the. ciatno .i._ . " '■ ’ his knowledge

W f^Ug la | es > the architect, confiding m mo

tion* p being desirous of obtaining the royal

ft., »».*?• ®lt oml -nnnnivoil +/i + omnv

•'•Vh

! lle U° u

Win, ,b“ Macedon, and repaired to the army.

‘ Ul hun ’ - - - - - - - -

com-He

i "“U'v letters from his relations and friends in his‘>o r 7 tnorq t0 Ule n °hles of the first rank, that he mightfrtVg^este,} eas 'ly gain access. Being favourably received,hirti jj, 0 he immediately presented to Alexander; they'Vrg/'h a P r °mises, but made delays, pretending tof tOi a ,° r e, Su f°Pe.’ opportunity should offer. Dinocrates ,^l a ''m Se ]p P e cting that he was derided, sought the remedy?\ S ( 0|)11 ten an was very large of stature, had an agree-Sbit 8 to t i | Ce ’ an d a dignity in his form and deportment.be 5(l a j, ese gifts of nature, he clothed himself in theSla^h bo? 1 ’,. an °>nted his body with oH crowned his’IW 01 ', au,| f , ,°f poplar, put a lion’s skin over his leftw'ice th 10 ,* n S one of the claws in his right hand,l tl lfJ " T|, e ® tr ibunal where the king was administeringPeopi e ° Velt y °f the appearance attracting the notice{yttigl'"© at' t ? CCas >oned Alexander also to see him, who,tpSr 1 a pp ro e . s igltt, commanded way to be given, that” l “'’ ac i Alexander then demanded who he was.

t ' tli^ r re • h *

* 'lam a Macedonian architect, who come

e > I h a y as „ an< l designs, worthy of the greatness ofe formed a design to cut Mount Athos into

the statue of a man, in whose left hand shall be a large city,and in his right a bason, which shall receive all the riversof the mountain, and again discharge them to the sea.’Alexander, delighted with the idea, immediately inquired,if the country adjacent would produce sufficient food for thesustenance of the inhabitants. When he understood thatprovision must be conveyed thither by sea, he replied :

‘ Dinocrates, I discern the excellence of thy design, and ampleased with it; but I consider, that whoever should establisha colony in such a place, would hereafter be justly blamed ;for, as a new-born infant cannot be nourished, or graduallyreared to the different stages of life, without the milk of thenurse; so neither can a city be peopled, nor can it thrive,without fertile land and plenty of provision: however, as Iapprove the design, though I disapprove the place, I willhave thee attend me, that elsewhere I may employ thee.’From that time, Dinocrates remained with the king, andattended him into Egypt . There Alexander, observing aspot which had a haven formed secure by nature, an excellent iplace for an emporium, the adjacent country through all jEgypt being fruitful, and having the accommodation of the jriver Nile , ordered him to build the city now called, fromhis name, Alexandria . Thus, by the means of a gracefulcountenance and dignity of person, Dinocrates becameeminent.”

Dinocrates was also employed to superintend the rebuild-ing of the temple of Diana, at Ephesus , when burnt by •Erostatus, which he did with more magnificence than before.The last design which history ascribes to him, was that oferecting a temple toArsinoe, queen of Ptolemy Philadelplms,at Alexandria , with a dome above it, which was to enclosea magnet, in order to keep suspended in the air an iron statueof that queen. Ptolemy approved the design, and gave ordersfor its execution; but both the king and the architect diedbefore the project c*ould be accomplished.

DIOPHANTINE PROBLEMS , in mathematics, certainquestions relating to square and cube numbers, and right-angled triangles, &c., the nature of which was determinedby Diophantus .

DIOPHANTUS, a celebrated mathematician of Alexan-dria , reputed to have been the inventor of algebra. Theexact date of his birth is unknown ; some authors assertingthat he lived before Christ, and others after, in the reigns ofNero and the Antonines. Ilis reputation was very highamong the ancients, since they ranked him with Pythagoras and Euclid in mathematical learning.

Diophantus left behind him thirteen books of arithmeticalquestions, of which, however, only six are extant.

DIORAMA, a mode of painting and scenic exhibitioninvented a few years ago by two French artists, Daguerre and Bouton. The peculiar and almost magical effect of thediorama arises, in a great degree, from the contrivance em-ployed in exhibiting the painting, which is viewed througha large opening or proscenium. Within this proscenium thepicture is placed at such distance, that the light is thrownupon it, at a proper angle from the roof, which is glazed withground glass, and cannot be seen by the spectators. Whilethe light is thus concentrated on the picture, the spectatorsare left in comparative darkness, by which the effect ismaterially increased; and the illusion is rendered still morecomplete, by the skilful manner in which the transitions oflight are managed. The light may be diminished or increasedat pleasure, and that either gradually or suddenly, so as torepresent the change from ordinary daylight to sunshine, fromsunshine to cloudy weather, or to the obscurity' of twilight,and also the difference of atmospheric tone attending them.By means of different folds or shutters attached to the glazed