1inaſmuch as they were to be one People joyn
ing in the Worſhip of one God, by whom
alone they were defended and preſerved. Now
I cannot approve of either of theſe Particulars:
For as to the Firſt, it muſt be extremely in
convenient to the People, and eſpecially to
thoſe who frequent the Temples moſt, as the
old Folks and the Infirm; and the Second muſt
take very much from the Majeſty of the Struc
ture. As to what I have obſerved in ſome
ſacred Edifices, built not long before our Time,
to which you aſcend by a few Steps on the
Outſide, and afterwards have as many to go
down again within, I will not abſolutely call it
ridiculous; but why they ſhould contrive it in
this Manner, I cannot imagine. Indeed I would
have the Plain of the Portico, and ſo of the
whole Temple, ſomewhat raiſed above the Le
vel of the reſt of the Town, which gives the
Fabrick a great Air of Dignity. But as in an
Animal, the Head, the Feet, and every parti
cular Member, ſhould be exactly proportioned
to all the other Members, and to all the reſt
of the Body; ſo in a Building, and eſpecially
in a Temple, all the Parts ſhould be made to
correſpond ſo exactly, that let us conſider which
of them we pleaſe, it may bear its juſt Propor
tion to all the Reſt. Thus I find that moſt
of the beſt ancient Architects uſed to take their
Elevation of the Plain of their Temple, from
the Breadth of the Temple itſelf, which they
divided into ſix Parts, giving one of thoſe
Parts to the Height of the Plain or Mound of
the Structure. Others, in larger Temples, raiſ
ed it only a ſeventh Part, and in the Biggeſt of
all, only a ninth. The Portico, by its Nature,
ſhould have a continued Wall but of one Side,
and all the other Sides ſhould be full of large
Apertures for Paſſage. Your Buſineſs there
fore is to conſider what Kind of Apertures you
would make uſe of; for Colonades are of two
Sorts; one where the Columns ſtand wide and
at a great Diſtance from each other; and the
other, where they ſtand cloſe and thick. And
neither of theſe Sorts is without its Inconveni
encies; for in the wide Sort, the Apertures are
ſo large, that if you would make uſe of an
Architrave, it is apt to break in the Middle,
and if you would carry Arches over it, it is no
eaſy Matter to turn them upon the Heads of
the Columns. Where the Columns ſtand cloſe
and thick, they intercept the View, the Light
and the Paſſage, and upon this Account, a
third Manner has been found out, in a Medium
between the other two, which is called Elegant,
and avoids the Defects of the others; is more
convenient and much more approved. And
with theſe three Sorts we might have been con
tented; but the Diligence of Architects have
added two other Sorts, which I ſuppoſe may
be accounted for as follows: Not having a
ſufficient Number of Columns for the Exten
ſiveneſs of their Area, they deviated ſomewhat
from the laudable Medium, and imitated the
wider Apertures; and when they happen to
have Plenty of Columns, they were fond of
ſetting them cloſer together; whence aroſe five
Sorts of Intercolumniations, which we may call
by the Names of Wide, Cloſe, Elegant, Leſs
wide, Leſs-cloſe. I further ſuppoſe it to have
happened, that the Architects being ſometimes
deſtitute of long Stones, were obliged to make
their Columns ſhorter, knowing that this
would take much from the Beauty of the
Structure, they ſet a Plinth under their Columns,
in order to give them their juſt Height; for
they found by a careful View and Examinati
on of other Buildings, that Columns had no
Grace in a Portico, unleſs a right Proportion
was obſerved both in their Height and Thick
neſs. This induced them to lay down the fol
lowing Rules for this Purpoſe. The Interco
lumniation may be unequal; but the Columns
themſelves muſt always be exactly equal. Let
the Apertures that anſwers to the Door be ſome
what wider than the reſt. Where the Inter
columniation is cloſe, make uſe of thinner Co
lumns; where it is wide, make uſe of thicker;
thus always proportioning the Thickneſs of the
Colums to the Interſpaces, and the Interſpaces
to the Thickneſs of the Columns, which you
may do by the following Rules. In the cloſeſt
Sort of Colonades, let the Intercolumniation be
never narrower than one Diameter and a Half
of the Column; and in the wideſt, let it be
never broader than three Diameters and three
eighths. In the elegant Sort of Colonades you
may allow two Diameters and a Quarter, in the
Leſs-cloſe, two; in the Leſs-wide, three. The
middle Interſpace in the Colonade ſhould be
ſomewhat wider than the reſt, and the Ancients
direct us to give it an Addition of one fourth
Part: But by an Examination of old Buildings,
I find that this middle Interſpace was not al
ways made according to this Rule; for in the
wide Colonades, no good Architect ever made
it a fourth Part wider, but only about a
twelfth; and herein they acted very prudently,
leſt an unfaithful Architrave ſhould not be able
to bear even the Weight of its own Length,
ing in the Worſhip of one God, by whom
alone they were defended and preſerved. Now
I cannot approve of either of theſe Particulars:
For as to the Firſt, it muſt be extremely in
convenient to the People, and eſpecially to
thoſe who frequent the Temples moſt, as the
old Folks and the Infirm; and the Second muſt
take very much from the Majeſty of the Struc
ture. As to what I have obſerved in ſome
ſacred Edifices, built not long before our Time,
to which you aſcend by a few Steps on the
Outſide, and afterwards have as many to go
down again within, I will not abſolutely call it
ridiculous; but why they ſhould contrive it in
this Manner, I cannot imagine. Indeed I would
have the Plain of the Portico, and ſo of the
whole Temple, ſomewhat raiſed above the Le
vel of the reſt of the Town, which gives the
Fabrick a great Air of Dignity. But as in an
Animal, the Head, the Feet, and every parti
cular Member, ſhould be exactly proportioned
to all the other Members, and to all the reſt
of the Body; ſo in a Building, and eſpecially
in a Temple, all the Parts ſhould be made to
correſpond ſo exactly, that let us conſider which
of them we pleaſe, it may bear its juſt Propor
tion to all the Reſt. Thus I find that moſt
of the beſt ancient Architects uſed to take their
Elevation of the Plain of their Temple, from
the Breadth of the Temple itſelf, which they
divided into ſix Parts, giving one of thoſe
Parts to the Height of the Plain or Mound of
the Structure. Others, in larger Temples, raiſ
ed it only a ſeventh Part, and in the Biggeſt of
all, only a ninth. The Portico, by its Nature,
ſhould have a continued Wall but of one Side,
and all the other Sides ſhould be full of large
Apertures for Paſſage. Your Buſineſs there
fore is to conſider what Kind of Apertures you
would make uſe of; for Colonades are of two
Sorts; one where the Columns ſtand wide and
at a great Diſtance from each other; and the
other, where they ſtand cloſe and thick. And
neither of theſe Sorts is without its Inconveni
encies; for in the wide Sort, the Apertures are
ſo large, that if you would make uſe of an
Architrave, it is apt to break in the Middle,
and if you would carry Arches over it, it is no
eaſy Matter to turn them upon the Heads of
the Columns. Where the Columns ſtand cloſe
and thick, they intercept the View, the Light
and the Paſſage, and upon this Account, a
third Manner has been found out, in a Medium
between the other two, which is called Elegant,
and avoids the Defects of the others; is more
convenient and much more approved. And
with theſe three Sorts we might have been con
tented; but the Diligence of Architects have
added two other Sorts, which I ſuppoſe may
be accounted for as follows: Not having a
ſufficient Number of Columns for the Exten
ſiveneſs of their Area, they deviated ſomewhat
from the laudable Medium, and imitated the
wider Apertures; and when they happen to
have Plenty of Columns, they were fond of
ſetting them cloſer together; whence aroſe five
Sorts of Intercolumniations, which we may call
by the Names of Wide, Cloſe, Elegant, Leſs
wide, Leſs-cloſe. I further ſuppoſe it to have
happened, that the Architects being ſometimes
deſtitute of long Stones, were obliged to make
their Columns ſhorter, knowing that this
would take much from the Beauty of the
Structure, they ſet a Plinth under their Columns,
in order to give them their juſt Height; for
they found by a careful View and Examinati
on of other Buildings, that Columns had no
Grace in a Portico, unleſs a right Proportion
was obſerved both in their Height and Thick
neſs. This induced them to lay down the fol
lowing Rules for this Purpoſe. The Interco
lumniation may be unequal; but the Columns
themſelves muſt always be exactly equal. Let
the Apertures that anſwers to the Door be ſome
what wider than the reſt. Where the Inter
columniation is cloſe, make uſe of thinner Co
lumns; where it is wide, make uſe of thicker;
thus always proportioning the Thickneſs of the
Colums to the Interſpaces, and the Interſpaces
to the Thickneſs of the Columns, which you
may do by the following Rules. In the cloſeſt
Sort of Colonades, let the Intercolumniation be
never narrower than one Diameter and a Half
of the Column; and in the wideſt, let it be
never broader than three Diameters and three
eighths. In the elegant Sort of Colonades you
may allow two Diameters and a Quarter, in the
Leſs-cloſe, two; in the Leſs-wide, three. The
middle Interſpace in the Colonade ſhould be
ſomewhat wider than the reſt, and the Ancients
direct us to give it an Addition of one fourth
Part: But by an Examination of old Buildings,
I find that this middle Interſpace was not al
ways made according to this Rule; for in the
wide Colonades, no good Architect ever made
it a fourth Part wider, but only about a
twelfth; and herein they acted very prudently,
leſt an unfaithful Architrave ſhould not be able
to bear even the Weight of its own Length,
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