Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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1hollowed into a Scotia which lay between the
two Toruſſes.
A Scotia conſiſts of a hollow
Channel edged on each Side with an Annulet;
to each of thoſe Annulets they allowed one
ſeventh Part of the Scotia, and the reſt they
hollowed.
We have formerly laid it down as a
Rule, that in all Building particular Care muſt
be taken that all the Work be ſet upon a per­
fect Solid.
Now it would not be ſo, if a Per­
pendicular falling from the Edge of the upper
Stone were to meet with any void Space or Hol­
low.
For this Reaſon in cutting their Scotias,
they took Care not to go in ſo far as to come
within the Perpendicular of the Work above.
The Toruſſes muſt project one Half and an
Eighth of their Thickneſs, and the extremeſt
Edge of the Circle of the biggeſt Torus muſt
be exactly Perpendicular to the Die.
This was
the Method of the Dorians. The Ionians ap­
proved of the Doric Height, but they made
two Scotias, and placed two Fillets between

them.
Thus their Baſe was the Height of
half the Diameter of the Bottom of the Shaft;
and this Height they divided into four Parts,
one of which they aſſigned to the Height of the
Plinth, giving eleven of thoſe fourth Parts to its
Breadth: So that the whole Height of the Baſe
was as four, and the Breadth as eleven.
Ha­
ving thus deſigned their Plinth, they divided
the reſt of the Height into ſeven Parts, two of
which they gave to the Thickneſs of the lower
Torus, and what remained beſides this Torus
and the Plinth, they divided into three Parts,
one of which they hollowed to the upper To­
rus, and the two middle Parts they gave to the
two Scotias with their two Fillets, which ſeem­
ed to be ſqueezed between the two Toruſſes.
The Proportions of theſe Scotias and Fillets
were as follows: They divided the Space be­
tween the two Toruſſes into ſeven Parts, one
of which they gave to each Fillet, dividing the
reſt equally between the two Scotias.
As to
the Projecture of the Toruſſes they obſerved
the ſame Rules as the Dorians, and in hollow­
ing their Scotias had regard to the Perpendi­
cular Solid of the Stone that was to be laid
over them; but they made their Annulets on­
ly an eighth Part of the Scotia.
Others were
of Opinion, that excluſive of the Plinth, the
Baſe ought to be divided into ſixteen Parts,
which we call Minutes; and of theſe they gave
four to the lower Torus, and three to the upper,
three and a half to the lower Scotia, and three
and a half to the upper, and the other two
they aſſigned to the Fillets between them.
Theſe were the Ionic Proportions. The Co­
rinthians liked both the Ionic and the Doric
Baſe too, and made uſe indifferently of them
both; ſo that indeed they added nothing to the
Column, but a Capital.
We are told that the
Etrurians under their Columns (which we call
the Italian) uſed to put not a ſquare but a
round Plinth; but I never met with ſuch a
Baſe among the Works of the Ancients.
In­
deed I have taken Notice, that in Porticoes
which uſed to go clear round their circular
Temples, the Ancients carved one continued
Plinth quite round, which ſerved for all the
Columns, and of the due Height which the
Plinth of the Baſe ought to be of.
This I
doubt not they did, becauſe they were con­
vinced that ſquare Members did not ſuit with
a circular Structure.
I have obſerved, that
ſome have made even the Sides of the Abacus
of their Capitals point to the Center of the
Temple, which, if it were to be done in the
Baſes, might not be altogether amiſs, though it
would ſcarce be much commended.
And here
it may not be improper to ſay ſomething of the
ſeveral Members of the Ornaments made uſe
of in Architecture; and they are theſe; the
Plat-band, the Corona, the Ovolo, or Quarter­
round, the ſmall Ovolo, or Ogee, the Cima­
inverſa, and the Cymatium, or Doucine, both
upright and reverſed.
All theſe particular
Members have each a Projecture, but with
different Lines.
The Plat-band projects in a
Square like the Letter L, and is indeed the
ſame as a Liſt or Fillet, but ſomewhat broader.
The Corona has a much greater Projecture
than the Plat-band; the Ovolo, or Quarter­
round, I was almoſt tempted to call the Ivy,
becauſe it runs along and cleaves to another
Member, and its Projecture is like a C placed
under the Letter L, thus <30> and the ſmall Ovolo,
or Ogee is only ſomewhat leſs.
But if you
place this Letter C reverſed under the Letter L,
thus <31> it forms the Cima-inverſa.
Again, if
under the ſame Letter L you place an S in this
Manner <32> it is called the Cymatium, or Gola
from its Reſemblance to a Man's Throat; but
if you place it inverted thus <33> it is called Cima­
inverſa, or by ſome from the Similitude of its
Curve, the Onda, or Undula.
Again, theſe
Members are either plain, or elſe have ſome
other Ornaments inſerted into them.
In the
Plat-band or Faſcia it is common to carve
Cockle-ſhells, Birds, or Inſcriptions.
In the
Corona we frequently have Dentils, which are
made in the following Proportions: Their

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