1Indeed, within the Temple I think detached
Pictures do much better than painting upon
the Wall itſelf, and in my Mind Statues are
handſomer than Pictures. unleſs they be ſuch
excellent ones as thoſe two, for which Cæſar
the Dictator gave ninety Talents, or fourteen
hundred of our Crowns, in order to adorn the
Temple of Venus his Progenitor; and I look
upon a Picture with no leſs Pleaſure (I mean a
good one, for ill Painting is a Diſgrace to the
Wall) than I read a good Hiſtory. They both
indeed are Pictures, only the Hiſtorian paints
with Words, and the Painter with his Pencil.
All other Qualifications are common to them
both, and they both require the greateſt Genius
and Application. But I would have nothing
either on the Wall or Pavement of the Tem
ple but what ſavours entirely of Philoſophy. We
read that in the Capitol there were Tables of
Braſs whereon were inſcribed the Laws by
which the Empire was to be governed; which,
when the Temple was deſtroyed by Fire, were
reſtored by the Emperor Veſpaſian, to the
Number of three Thouſand. We are told that
at the Entrance of the Temple of Apollo at De
los, there were Verſes engraved, containing ſe
veral Compoſitions of Herbs proper to be uſed
as Remedies againſt all Sorts of Poiſon. Thus
I ſhould think it would be proper among us,
by Way of Inſcription, to have ſuch Precepts
as may make us more juſt, more modeſt, more
uſeful, more adorned with all Virtues, and
more acceptable in the Sight of God; ſuch as
theſe, Be what you would be thought; Love if
you would be beloved, and the like. And I would
have the Compoſition of the Lines of the
Pavement full of muſical and geometrical Pro
portions; to the Intent that which-ſoever Way
we may turn our Eyes, we may be ſure to find
Employment for our Minds. One Method
which the Ancients took to adorn their Tem
ples, was to fill them with Things that were
uncommon and excellent; as in the Temple of
Hercules, where were to be ſeen ſome Horns
of Emmets brought from India; or like thoſe
Crowns made of Cinnamon which Veſpaſian
gave to the Capitol; or like that great Root of
Cinnamon which Auguſta placed in the prin
cipal Temple of Mount Palatine, in a Cup of
Gold. At Thermus, a Town in Ætolia plun
dered by Philip, we are told, that in the Por
ticoes of the Temple there were above fifteen
thouſand Suits of Armour, and to adorn the
Temple itſelf above two thouſand Statues; all
which, according to Polybius's Relation, were
deſtroyed and broken by Philip, except thoſe
which were inſcribed with the Name, or bore
the Repreſentation of ſome God; and perhaps
Variety is more to be conſulted in ſuch Collec
tions than Number. Solinus informs us, that
in Sicily there were ſome Artificers who had
the Secret of making Statues of Salt; and Pliny
tells us, that there was one made of Glaſs.
There is no Queſtion but ſuch Things muſt be
exceeding rare, and very worthy to raiſe our
Admiration of the Work both of Nature and
Art. But of Statues we ſhall ſpeak in another
Place. The Walls and Apertures muſt be
adorned with Columns; but not like a Porti
co. There is one Thing which I have obſerv
ed in the Covering of ſome of the biggeſt
Temples, which is, that not having Columns
of Height ſufficient to reach to the Spring of
their Arches, they heightened the Sides of the
Arches themſelves in ſuch a Manner that their
Sagitta was a third Part longer than their Se
mi-diameter, which added not a little to the
Clearneſs and Beauty of the Work itſelf. And
here I muſt not omit one Precept, namely, that
the Spring of the Arch ſhould have at leaſt ſo
much Perpendicular, as to prevent the Projec
ture of the Cornices from taking away any Part
of the Arch from the Sight of thoſe that ſtaid
below in the Middle of the Temple.
Pictures do much better than painting upon
the Wall itſelf, and in my Mind Statues are
handſomer than Pictures. unleſs they be ſuch
excellent ones as thoſe two, for which Cæſar
the Dictator gave ninety Talents, or fourteen
hundred of our Crowns, in order to adorn the
Temple of Venus his Progenitor; and I look
upon a Picture with no leſs Pleaſure (I mean a
good one, for ill Painting is a Diſgrace to the
Wall) than I read a good Hiſtory. They both
indeed are Pictures, only the Hiſtorian paints
with Words, and the Painter with his Pencil.
All other Qualifications are common to them
both, and they both require the greateſt Genius
and Application. But I would have nothing
either on the Wall or Pavement of the Tem
ple but what ſavours entirely of Philoſophy. We
read that in the Capitol there were Tables of
Braſs whereon were inſcribed the Laws by
which the Empire was to be governed; which,
when the Temple was deſtroyed by Fire, were
reſtored by the Emperor Veſpaſian, to the
Number of three Thouſand. We are told that
at the Entrance of the Temple of Apollo at De
los, there were Verſes engraved, containing ſe
veral Compoſitions of Herbs proper to be uſed
as Remedies againſt all Sorts of Poiſon. Thus
I ſhould think it would be proper among us,
by Way of Inſcription, to have ſuch Precepts
as may make us more juſt, more modeſt, more
uſeful, more adorned with all Virtues, and
more acceptable in the Sight of God; ſuch as
theſe, Be what you would be thought; Love if
you would be beloved, and the like. And I would
have the Compoſition of the Lines of the
Pavement full of muſical and geometrical Pro
portions; to the Intent that which-ſoever Way
we may turn our Eyes, we may be ſure to find
Employment for our Minds. One Method
which the Ancients took to adorn their Tem
ples, was to fill them with Things that were
uncommon and excellent; as in the Temple of
Hercules, where were to be ſeen ſome Horns
of Emmets brought from India; or like thoſe
Crowns made of Cinnamon which Veſpaſian
gave to the Capitol; or like that great Root of
Cinnamon which Auguſta placed in the prin
cipal Temple of Mount Palatine, in a Cup of
Gold. At Thermus, a Town in Ætolia plun
dered by Philip, we are told, that in the Por
ticoes of the Temple there were above fifteen
thouſand Suits of Armour, and to adorn the
Temple itſelf above two thouſand Statues; all
which, according to Polybius's Relation, were
deſtroyed and broken by Philip, except thoſe
which were inſcribed with the Name, or bore
the Repreſentation of ſome God; and perhaps
Variety is more to be conſulted in ſuch Collec
tions than Number. Solinus informs us, that
in Sicily there were ſome Artificers who had
the Secret of making Statues of Salt; and Pliny
tells us, that there was one made of Glaſs.
There is no Queſtion but ſuch Things muſt be
exceeding rare, and very worthy to raiſe our
Admiration of the Work both of Nature and
Art. But of Statues we ſhall ſpeak in another
Place. The Walls and Apertures muſt be
adorned with Columns; but not like a Porti
co. There is one Thing which I have obſerv
ed in the Covering of ſome of the biggeſt
Temples, which is, that not having Columns
of Height ſufficient to reach to the Spring of
their Arches, they heightened the Sides of the
Arches themſelves in ſuch a Manner that their
Sagitta was a third Part longer than their Se
mi-diameter, which added not a little to the
Clearneſs and Beauty of the Work itſelf. And
here I muſt not omit one Precept, namely, that
the Spring of the Arch ſhould have at leaſt ſo
much Perpendicular, as to prevent the Projec
ture of the Cornices from taking away any Part
of the Arch from the Sight of thoſe that ſtaid
below in the Middle of the Temple.
CHAP. XI.
Why the Roofs of Temples ought to be arched.
I am entirely for having the Roofs of Tem
ples arched, as well becauſe it gives them
the greater Dignity, as becauſe it makes them
more durable. And indeed I know not how
it happens that we ſhall hardly meet any one
Temple whatſoever that has not fallen into the
Calamity of Fire. We read that Cambyſes burnt
all the Temples in Ægypt in general, and re
moved the Treaſure and Ornaments belonging
to them to Perſepolis. Euſebius relates, that the
Oracle of Delphos was burnt three Times by
the Thracians, and another Time it took Fire
of itſelf, and was rebuilt by Amaſis, as we are
informed by Herodotus. We read too that it
ples arched, as well becauſe it gives them
the greater Dignity, as becauſe it makes them
more durable. And indeed I know not how
it happens that we ſhall hardly meet any one
Temple whatſoever that has not fallen into the
Calamity of Fire. We read that Cambyſes burnt
all the Temples in Ægypt in general, and re
moved the Treaſure and Ornaments belonging
to them to Perſepolis. Euſebius relates, that the
Oracle of Delphos was burnt three Times by
the Thracians, and another Time it took Fire
of itſelf, and was rebuilt by Amaſis, as we are
informed by Herodotus. We read too that it
zoom in
zoom out
zoom area
full page
page width
set mark
remove mark
get reference
digilib