CHAP. III.
That Architecture began in Aſia, flouriſhed in Greece, and was brought to
Perfection in Italy.
Perfection in Italy.
The Art of Building, as far as I can
gather from the Works of the Ancients,
ſpent the firſt Vigour of its Youth (if I may
be allowed that Expreſſion) in Aſia: It after
wards flouriſhed among the Greeks; and at
laſt came to its full Maturity in Italy. And
this Account ſeems very probable; for the
Kings of Aſia abounding in Wealth and Lei
ſure, when they came to conſider themſelves,
their own Riches, and the Greatneſs and Ma
jeſty of their Empire, and found that they had
Occaſion for larger and nobler Habitations,
they began to ſearch out and collect every
Thing that might ſerve to this Purpoſe; and
in order to make their Buildings larger and
handſomer, began perhaps with building their
Roofs of larger Timbers, and their Walls of a
better Sort of Stone. This ſhewed noble and
great, and not unhandſome. Then finding
that ſuch Works were admired for being very
large, and imagining that a King was obliged
to do ſomething which private Men could not
effect, theſe great Monarchs began to be de
lighted with huge Works, which they fell to
raiſing with a Kind of Emulation of one an
other, till they came to erecting thoſe wild im
menſe Moles, the Pyramids. Hereupon I ima
gine that by frequent Building they began to
find out the Difference that there was between
a Structure built in one Manner, and one built
in another, and ſo getting ſome Notion of
Beauty and Proportion, began to neglect thoſe
Things which wanted thoſe Qualities. Greece
came next; which flouriſhing in excellent
Geniuſſes and Men of Learning, paſſionately
deſirous of adorning their Country, began to
erect Temples and other publick Structures.
They then thought fit to look abroad and take
a more careful View of the Works of the Aſ
ſyrians and Ægyptians, till at laſt they came
to underſtand that in all Things of this Nature
the Skill of the Workman was more admired
than the Wealth of the Prince: For any one
that is rich may raiſe a great Pile of Building;
but to raiſe ſuch a one as may be commended
by the Skilful, is the Part only of a ſuperior
Genius. Hereupon Greece finding that in theſe
Works ſhe could not equal thoſe Nations in
Expence, reſolved to try if ſhe could not out-do
them in Ingenuity. She began therefore to
trace and deduce this Art of Building, as in
deed ſhe did all others, from the very Lap of
Nature itſelf, examining, weighing and con
ſidering it in all its Parts with the greateſt Di
ligence and Exactneſs: enquiring with the
greateſt Strictneſs into the Difference between
thoſe Buildings which were highly praiſed, and
thoſe which were diſliked, without neglecting
the leaſt Particular. She tried all Manner of
Experiments, ſtill tracing and keeping cloſe to
the Footſteps of Nature, mingling uneven
Numbers with even, ſtrait Lines with Curves,
Light with Shade, hoping that as it happens
from the Conjunction of Male and Female, ſhe
ſhould by the Mixture of theſe Oppoſites hit
upon ſome third Thing that would anſwer her
Purpoſe: Nor even in the moſt minute Parti
culars did ſhe neglect to weigh and conſider all
the Parts over and over again, how thoſe on
the right Hand agreed with thoſe on the left,
the Upright with the Platform, the nearer with
the more remote, adding, diminiſhing, propor
tioning the great Parts to the Small, the Simi
lar to the Diſſimilar, the Laſt to the Firſt, till
ſhe had clearly demonſtrated that different
Rules were to be obſerved in thoſe Edifices
which were intended for Duration, to ſtand as
it were Monuments to Eternity, and thoſe
which were deſigned chiefly for Beauty. Theſe
were the Methods purſued by the Greeks.
Italy, in her firſt Beginnings, having Regard
wholly to Parſimony, concluded that the Mem
bers in Buildings ought to be contrived in the
ſame Manner as in Animals; as, for Inſtance,
in a Horſe, whoſe Limbs are generally moſt
beautiful when they are moſt uſeful for Service:
from whence they inferred that Beauty was
never ſeparate and diſtinct from Conveniency.
But afterwards when they had obtained the
Empire of the World, being then no leſs in
flamed than the Greeks with the Deſire of a
dorning their City and themſelves, in leſs than
thirty Years that which before was the fineſt
Houſe in the whole City of Rome, could not
gather from the Works of the Ancients,
ſpent the firſt Vigour of its Youth (if I may
be allowed that Expreſſion) in Aſia: It after
wards flouriſhed among the Greeks; and at
laſt came to its full Maturity in Italy. And
this Account ſeems very probable; for the
Kings of Aſia abounding in Wealth and Lei
ſure, when they came to conſider themſelves,
their own Riches, and the Greatneſs and Ma
jeſty of their Empire, and found that they had
Occaſion for larger and nobler Habitations,
they began to ſearch out and collect every
Thing that might ſerve to this Purpoſe; and
in order to make their Buildings larger and
handſomer, began perhaps with building their
Roofs of larger Timbers, and their Walls of a
better Sort of Stone. This ſhewed noble and
great, and not unhandſome. Then finding
that ſuch Works were admired for being very
large, and imagining that a King was obliged
to do ſomething which private Men could not
effect, theſe great Monarchs began to be de
lighted with huge Works, which they fell to
raiſing with a Kind of Emulation of one an
other, till they came to erecting thoſe wild im
menſe Moles, the Pyramids. Hereupon I ima
gine that by frequent Building they began to
find out the Difference that there was between
a Structure built in one Manner, and one built
in another, and ſo getting ſome Notion of
Beauty and Proportion, began to neglect thoſe
Things which wanted thoſe Qualities. Greece
came next; which flouriſhing in excellent
Geniuſſes and Men of Learning, paſſionately
deſirous of adorning their Country, began to
erect Temples and other publick Structures.
They then thought fit to look abroad and take
a more careful View of the Works of the Aſ
ſyrians and Ægyptians, till at laſt they came
to underſtand that in all Things of this Nature
the Skill of the Workman was more admired
than the Wealth of the Prince: For any one
that is rich may raiſe a great Pile of Building;
but to raiſe ſuch a one as may be commended
by the Skilful, is the Part only of a ſuperior
Genius. Hereupon Greece finding that in theſe
Works ſhe could not equal thoſe Nations in
Expence, reſolved to try if ſhe could not out-do
them in Ingenuity. She began therefore to
trace and deduce this Art of Building, as in
deed ſhe did all others, from the very Lap of
Nature itſelf, examining, weighing and con
ſidering it in all its Parts with the greateſt Di
ligence and Exactneſs: enquiring with the
greateſt Strictneſs into the Difference between
thoſe Buildings which were highly praiſed, and
thoſe which were diſliked, without neglecting
the leaſt Particular. She tried all Manner of
Experiments, ſtill tracing and keeping cloſe to
the Footſteps of Nature, mingling uneven
Numbers with even, ſtrait Lines with Curves,
Light with Shade, hoping that as it happens
from the Conjunction of Male and Female, ſhe
ſhould by the Mixture of theſe Oppoſites hit
upon ſome third Thing that would anſwer her
Purpoſe: Nor even in the moſt minute Parti
culars did ſhe neglect to weigh and conſider all
the Parts over and over again, how thoſe on
the right Hand agreed with thoſe on the left,
the Upright with the Platform, the nearer with
the more remote, adding, diminiſhing, propor
tioning the great Parts to the Small, the Simi
lar to the Diſſimilar, the Laſt to the Firſt, till
ſhe had clearly demonſtrated that different
Rules were to be obſerved in thoſe Edifices
which were intended for Duration, to ſtand as
it were Monuments to Eternity, and thoſe
which were deſigned chiefly for Beauty. Theſe
were the Methods purſued by the Greeks.
Italy, in her firſt Beginnings, having Regard
wholly to Parſimony, concluded that the Mem
bers in Buildings ought to be contrived in the
ſame Manner as in Animals; as, for Inſtance,
in a Horſe, whoſe Limbs are generally moſt
beautiful when they are moſt uſeful for Service:
from whence they inferred that Beauty was
never ſeparate and diſtinct from Conveniency.
But afterwards when they had obtained the
Empire of the World, being then no leſs in
flamed than the Greeks with the Deſire of a
dorning their City and themſelves, in leſs than
thirty Years that which before was the fineſt
Houſe in the whole City of Rome, could not