Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755
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              Compaſſes, and fixing one Foot in the Point
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              below the Eye, let the other reach to the End
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              of the Line which you have already turned,
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              that is to ſay, to the End of your Semi-circle,
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              and turn it upwards till you touch the upper
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              Edge of the Ovolo. </s>
              <s>Thus with two unequal
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              Semi-circles, you will have made one entire
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              Compaſs about the Eye of your Volute. </s>
              <s>Then
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              go on with your Sweep in the ſame Manner,
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              till you have turned it quite to the Eye of the
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              Volute, or that little Circle in the Middle.
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              <s>The Top of the Ovolo in the Front muſt have
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              a Projecture of two Minutes beyond the Rind,
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              and the lower Part of it muſt be even with the
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              Top of the Shaft. </s>
              <s>The Sides of the Volutes
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              where the hindmoſt joins to the foremoſt on
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              each Side of the Capital, muſt be contracted to
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              the ſame Width as the Ovolo, with the Addi­
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              tion only of one half Minute. </s>
              <s>The Abacus
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              muſt be adorned with an upright Cymatium
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              of one Minute. </s>
              <s>The Back of the Volute muſt
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              be adorned with a little Channel half a Minute
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              deep, and the Annulets on the Side of this
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              Channel muſt be one Fourth of its Breadth,
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              and the Spaces on each Side the Channel muſt
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              be filled with Leaves or Fruits. </s>
              <s>That Part of
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              the Ovolo which appears forward in the Front
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              of the Capital muſt be carved with Eggs, and
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              under them with Berries. </s>
              <s>In the Void left on
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              each Side by the Sweep of the Volute, carve
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              Leaves or Scales. </s>
              <s>And thus much for the
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              Ionic
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              Capital. </s>
              <s>The
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              Corinthian
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              Capital is in Height
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              one whole Diameter of the Bottom of the Shaft.
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              <s>This Height muſt be divided into ſeven Parts
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              or Minutes, of which the Abacus muſt be al­
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              lowed one. </s>
              <s>The reſt is entirely taken up by
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              the Bell or Vaſe, the Breadth of which at the
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              Bottom muſt be exactly equal to that of the
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              Top of the Shaft, without any of its Projec­
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              tures, and the Breadth of the Top of the Vaſe
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              muſt be equal to the largeſt Diameter of the
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              Bottom of the Shaft. </s>
              <s>The Length of the A­
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              bacus on every Side muſt be equal to ten of the
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              afore-mentioned Parts; but the Corners of it
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              muſt be cut away to the Breadth of one half
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              of thoſe Parts. </s>
              <s>The Abacus of the other Ca­
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              pitals conſiſts entirely of ſtraight Lines, but
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              that of the
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              Corinthian
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              muſt go with a Sweep
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              inwards to the Thickneſs of the Bottom of the
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              Vaſe. </s>
              <s>The Thickneſs of the Abacus is divid­
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              ed into three Parts, the Uppermoſt of which
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              muſt be made exactly as we adorn the Top of
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              the Shaft, that is to ſay, with a Fillet and ſmall
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              Baguette. </s>
              <s>The Vaſe muſt be covered with
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              two Rows of Leaves ſtanding upright, each
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              Row conſiſting of eight Leaves. </s>
              <s>Each Row
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              muſt be in Height two of the afore-mentioned
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              Parts, and the remaining Parts muſt be given
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              to ſeveral little Shoots riſing out of the Leaves
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              to the Top of the Vaſe. </s>
              <s>Theſe Shoots are in
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              Number ſixteen, of which four are tied in each
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              Front of the Capital, two on the leſt Hand in
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              one Knot, and two on the right in another,
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              ſpreading away from each Knot in ſuch a Man­
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              ner, that the Tops of the two outward ones
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              make a Sort of a Volute exactly under the
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              Horns of the Abacus. </s>
              <s>The two Middle ones
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              in each Front join together, winding alſo like
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              Volutes, and exactly over the Middle of them
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              is carved a beautiful Flower riſing out of the
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              Vaſe, which muſt not exceed the Abacus in
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              Breadth. </s>
              <s>The Breadth of thoſe Parts of the
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              Lips of the Vaſe which thoſe Shoots do not
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              conceal from us, is only one of the afore-men­
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              tioned ſeventh Parts. </s>
              <s>The Leaves muſt be di­
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              vided into five Plumes, and never more than
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              into ſeven. </s>
              <s>The Tops of the Leaves muſt pro­
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              ject half a Minute. </s>
              <s>It looks handſome in the
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              Leaves of this Capital, and all other Carving
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              of the ſame Nature, to have all the Lines cut
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              in deep and bold. </s>
              <s>This was the Capital of
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              the
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              Corinthians.
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              <s> The
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              Italians
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              brought into
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              their Capital all the Ornaments that they found
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              in the others, and obſerved the ſame Method
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              in making the Vaſe, Abacus, Leaves, and the
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              Flower in the Abacus, as the
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              Corinthians.
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              <s> But
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              inſtead of Shoots they made uſe of a Sort of
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              Volutes, under the four Horns of the Abacus,
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              projecting two whole Minutes. </s>
              <s>The Front of
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              the Capital, being otherwiſe naked, borrowed
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              its Ornaments from the
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              Ionic;
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              for inſtead of
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              Shoots it has Volutes, and the Lips of its Vaſe
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              are carved full of Eggs with Berries underneath
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              them, like an Ovolo. </s>
              <s>Beſides the Capitals here
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              deſcribed, we up and down ſee a great many
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              other Sorts made up of the Members of theſe,
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              with either Additions or Diminutions: But I
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              do not find that they are much approved.
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              <s>And thus much may ſuffice of Capitals, unleſs
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              it be neceſſary juſt to mention one Practice;
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              which is, that it is common over the Abacus
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              to lay a very thick ſquare Piece of Stone, or
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              Plinth, which ſeems as it were to give the Ca­
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              pital Breadth, and to prevent its being oppreſſ­
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              ed by the Architrave, and at the ſame Time is
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              of Uſe to keep the niceſt and moſt delicate
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              Parts of the Work from being injured in laying
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              the Superſtructure.
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