Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="main">
              <s>
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              On Rows of homely Turf they ſat to ſee,
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              Crown'd with the Wreaths of every common Tree.
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              </s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>DRYDEN'S Tranſlation.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>HOWEVER, we read that
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              Jolaus,
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              the Son of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Iphiclus,
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              firſt contrived Seats for the Spectators
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              in
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              Sardinia,
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              when he received the Theſpiad
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              from
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              Hercules.
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              </s>
              <s> But at firſt Theatres were
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              built only of Wood; and we find that
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              Pompey
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              was blamed for having made the Seats fixed
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              and not moveable, as they uſed to be anciently:
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              But Diverſions of this Nature were afterwards
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              carried to ſuch a Height, that there were no
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              leſs than three vaſt Theatres within the City of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome,
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              beſides ſeveral Amphitheatres, one of
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              which was ſo large that it would hold above
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              two hundred thouſand Perſons, beſides the
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              Cir­
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              cus Maximus:
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              All which were built of ſquare
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              Stone and adorned with Columns of Marble.
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              </s>
              <s>Nay, not content with all theſe, they erected
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              Theatres, only for temporary Entertainments,
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              prodigiouſly enriched with Marble, Glaſs, and
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              great Numbers of Statues. </s>
              <s>The nobleſt Struc­
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              ture in thoſe Days, and the moſt capacious,
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              which was at
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              Placentia,
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              a Town in
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              Lombardy,
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              was burnt in the Time of
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              Octavianus's
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              War.
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              </s>
              <s>But we ſhall dwell no longer upon this ancient
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              Magnificence. </s>
              <s>Of publick Shows, ſome are
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              proper to Peace and Leiſure, others to War and
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              Buſineſs. </s>
              <s>Thoſe proper to Leiſure, belong to
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              the Poets, Muſicians and Actors: Thoſe pro­
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              per to War, are Wreſtling, Boxing, Fencing,
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              Shooting, Running, and every Thing elſe re­
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              lating to the Exerciſe of Arms.
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              Plato
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              ordained
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              that Shows of this laſt Nature ſhould be exhi­
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              bited every Year, as highly tending to the
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              Welfare and Ornament of a City. </s>
              <s>Theſe Di­
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              verſions required various Buildings, which there­
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              fore have been called by various Names. </s>
              <s>Thoſe
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              deſigned for the Uſe of the Poets, Comick,
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              Tragick and the like, are called Theatres by
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              way of Excellence. </s>
              <s>The Place where the no­
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              ble Youth exerciſed themſelves in driving Races
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              in Chariots with two or four Horſes, was called
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              the
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              Circus.
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              </s>
              <s> That laſtly, where wild Beaſt
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              were encloſed and baited, was called an Am­
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              phitheatre. </s>
              <s>Almoſt all the Structures for theſe
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              different Sorts of Shows were built in Imitation
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              of the Figure of an Army drawn up in Order
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              of Battle, with its two Horns or Wings pro­
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              tending forwards, and conſiſted of an Area
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              wherein the Actors, or Combatants, or Chari­
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              ots are to exhibit the Spectacle, and of Rows
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              of Seats around for the Spectators to ſit on:
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              But then they differ as to the Form of the afore­
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              ſaid Area; for thoſe which have this Area in
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              the Shape of a Moon in its Decreaſe are called
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              Theatres, but when the Horns are protracted
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              a great Way forwards, they are called
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              Circuſſes,
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              becauſe in them the Chariots make a Circle
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              about the Goal. </s>
              <s>Some tell us, that the Anci­
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              ents uſed to celebrate Games of this Kind in
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              Rings between Rivers and Swords (
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              interenſes &
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              flumina
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              ) and that therefore they were called
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Circenſes,
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              and that the Inventor of theſe Di­
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              verſions was one
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              Monagus
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              at
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              Elis
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              in
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              Aſia.
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              </s>
              <s> The
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              Area incloſed between the Fronts of two Thea­
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              tres joined together was called
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              Cavea,
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              or the
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              Pit, and the whole Edifice an Amphitheatre.
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              </s>
              <s>The Situation of a Building for publick Shows
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              ought particularly to be choſen in a good Air,
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              that the Spectators may not be incommoded
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              either by Wind, Sun, or any of the other In­
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              conveniences mentioned in the firſt Book, and
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              the Theatre ought in an eſpecial Manner to
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              be ſheltered from the Sun, becauſe it is in the
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              Month of
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              Auguſt
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              chiefly, as
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              Horace
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              obſerves,
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              that the People are fond of the Recitals of the
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              Poets, and the lighter Recreations: And if the
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              Rays of the Sun beat in, and were confined
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              within any Part of the Theatre, the exceſſive
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              Heat might be apt to throw the Spectators into
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              Diſtempers. </s>
              <s>The Place ought alſo to be pro­
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              per for Sound, and it is very convenient to have
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              Porticoes, either adjoining to the Theatre, or
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              at an eaſy Diſtance from it, for People to ſhel­
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              ter themſelves under from ſudden Rains and
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              Storms.
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              Plato
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              was for having the Theatre
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              within the City, and the
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              Circus
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              ſomewhere out
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              of it. </s>
              <s>The Parts of the ancient Theatres were
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              as follows: The Area or open Space in the
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              Middle, which was quite uncovered; about
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              this Area, the Rows of Seats for the Specta­
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              tors, and oppoſite to them the raiſed Floor or
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              Stage for the Actors, and the Decorations pro­
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              per to the Repreſentation, and at the Top of
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              all, Colonades and Arches to receive the Actor's
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              Voice, and make it more ſonorous. </s>
              <s>But the
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Greek
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              Theatres differed from thoſe of the
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              Ro­
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              mans
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              in this Particular, that the
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              Greeks
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              brought
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              their Choruſes and Actors within the Area,
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              and by that Means had Occaſion for a ſmaller
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              Stage, whereas the
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              Romans
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              having the whole
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              Performance upon the
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              Pulpitum,
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              or Stage, be­
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              yond the Semicircle of the Seats, were obliged
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              to make their Stage much larger. </s>
              <s>In this they
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              all agreed, that at firſt in marking out the Plat­
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              form for the Theatre, they made uſe of a Se­
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              micircle, only drawing out the Horns ſome­
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              what farther than to be exactly ſemicircular, </s>
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