1Shepherds: There was a Contrivance upon the
Stage of a Machine which turning upon a Pin,
in an Inſtant changed the Scene to a Palace
for Tragedy, an ordinary Houſe for Comedy,
or a Grove for Paſtoral, as the Nature of the
Fable required. Such was the Manner of the
Middle, Area, Seats and Stage, Paſſages and
the like. I have already ſaid in this Chapter,
that one of the principal Parts of the Theatre
was the Portico, which was deſigned for ren
dering the Sound of the Voice ſtronger and
clearer. This was placed upon the higheſt
Seat, and the Front of its Colonade looked to
the middle Area of the Theatre. Of this we
are now to give ſome Account.
Stage of a Machine which turning upon a Pin,
in an Inſtant changed the Scene to a Palace
for Tragedy, an ordinary Houſe for Comedy,
or a Grove for Paſtoral, as the Nature of the
Fable required. Such was the Manner of the
Middle, Area, Seats and Stage, Paſſages and
the like. I have already ſaid in this Chapter,
that one of the principal Parts of the Theatre
was the Portico, which was deſigned for ren
dering the Sound of the Voice ſtronger and
clearer. This was placed upon the higheſt
Seat, and the Front of its Colonade looked to
the middle Area of the Theatre. Of this we
are now to give ſome Account.
THE Ancients had learnt from the Philoſo
phers, that the Air, by the Percuſſion of the
Voice, and the Force of Sound, was put into a
circular Motion, in the ſame Manner as Water
is when any thing is ſuddenly plunged into it,
and that, as for Inſtance, in a Lute, or in a
Valley, between two Hills, eſpecially if the
Place be woody, the Sound and Voice are ren
dered much more clear and ſtrong, becauſe the
ſwelling Circles of the Air meet with ſome
thing which beats back the Rays of the Voice
that iſſue from the Center, in the ſame Man
ner as a Ball is beat back from a Wall againſt
which it is thrown, by which means thoſe Cir
cles are made cloſer and ſtronger: For this
Reaſon the Ancients built their Theatres cir
cular; and that the Voice might meet with no
Obſtacle to ſtop its free Aſcent to the very
higheſt Part of the Theatre, they placed their
Seats in ſuch a Manner, that all the Angles of
them lay in one exact Line, and upon the
higheſt Seat, which was no ſmall Help, they
raiſed Porticoes facing the middle Area of the
Theatre, the Front of which Porticoes were as
open and free as poſſible, but the Back of them
was entirely ſhut up with a continued Wall.
Under this Portico they raiſed a low Wall,
which not only ſerved for a Pedeſtal to the
Columns, but alſo helped to collect the ſwelling
Orbs of the Voice, and to throw it gently into
the Portico itſelf, where being received into a
thicker Air, it was not reverberated from thence
too violently, but returned clear and a little
more ſtrengthened. And over all this, as a
Cieling to the Theatre, both to keep off the
Weather, and to retain the Voice, they ſpread
a Sail all ſtrewed over with Stars, which they
could remove at Pleaſure, and which ſhaded
the middle Area, the Seats, and all the Specta
tors. The upper Portico was built with a
great deal of Art; for in order to ſupport it,
there were other Porticoes and Colonades at
the Back of the Theatre, out to the Street, and
in the larger Theatres, theſe Porticoes were
made double, that if any violent Rain or Storm
obliged the Spectators to fly for Shelter, it
might not drive in upon them. Theſe Porti
coes and Colonades, thus placed under the up
per Portico, were not like thoſe which we have
deſcribed for Temples or Baſiliques, but built
of ſtrong Pilaſters, and in Imitation of tri
umphal Arches. We ſhall firſt therefore treat
of theſe under Porticoes, as being built for the
Sake of that above. The Rule for the Aper
tures of theſe Porticoes is, that to every Paſſage
into the middle Area of the Theatre, there
ought to be one of them, and each of theſe
Apertures ſhould be accompanied with others
in certain Proportions, anſwering exactly one to
the other in Height, Breadth, Deſign and Or
naments. The Breadth of the Area for walk
ing in theſe Porticoes, ſhould be equal to the
Aperture between Pilaſter and Pilaſter, and the
Breadth of each Pilaſter ſhould be equal to half
that Aperture: All which Rules muſt be ob
ſerved with the greateſt Care and Exactneſs.
Laſtly, againſt theſe Pilaſters we muſt not ſet
Columns entirely inſulate, as in triumphal
Arches, but only three quarter Columns with
Pedeſtals under them, in Height one ſixth of
the Column itſelf. The other Ornaments muſt
be the ſame as thoſe in Temples. The Height
of theſe three quarter Columns, with their
whole Entablature, muſt be equal to half the
perpendicular Height of the Seats within, ſo
that on the Outſide there muſt be two Orders
of Columns one over the other, the ſecond of
which muſt be juſt even with the Top of thoſe
Seats, and over this we muſt lay the Pavement
for the upper Portico, which as we ſhewed be
fore, muſt look into the middle Area of the
Theatre, in Shape reſembling a Horſe-ſhoe.
This Subſtructure being laid, we are to raiſe
our upper Portico, the Front and Colonade
whereof is not to receive its Light from with
out, like thoſe before deſcribed, but is to be
open to the Middle of the Theatre, as we have
already obſerved. This Work being raiſed in
order to prevent the Voice from being loſt and
diſperſed, may be called the Circumvallation.
Its Height ſhould be the whole Height of the
outer Portico, with the Addition of one half,
and its Parts are theſe. The low Wall under
the Columns, which we may call a continued
Pedeſtal. This Wall of the whole Height of
phers, that the Air, by the Percuſſion of the
Voice, and the Force of Sound, was put into a
circular Motion, in the ſame Manner as Water
is when any thing is ſuddenly plunged into it,
and that, as for Inſtance, in a Lute, or in a
Valley, between two Hills, eſpecially if the
Place be woody, the Sound and Voice are ren
dered much more clear and ſtrong, becauſe the
ſwelling Circles of the Air meet with ſome
thing which beats back the Rays of the Voice
that iſſue from the Center, in the ſame Man
ner as a Ball is beat back from a Wall againſt
which it is thrown, by which means thoſe Cir
cles are made cloſer and ſtronger: For this
Reaſon the Ancients built their Theatres cir
cular; and that the Voice might meet with no
Obſtacle to ſtop its free Aſcent to the very
higheſt Part of the Theatre, they placed their
Seats in ſuch a Manner, that all the Angles of
them lay in one exact Line, and upon the
higheſt Seat, which was no ſmall Help, they
raiſed Porticoes facing the middle Area of the
Theatre, the Front of which Porticoes were as
open and free as poſſible, but the Back of them
was entirely ſhut up with a continued Wall.
Under this Portico they raiſed a low Wall,
which not only ſerved for a Pedeſtal to the
Columns, but alſo helped to collect the ſwelling
Orbs of the Voice, and to throw it gently into
the Portico itſelf, where being received into a
thicker Air, it was not reverberated from thence
too violently, but returned clear and a little
more ſtrengthened. And over all this, as a
Cieling to the Theatre, both to keep off the
Weather, and to retain the Voice, they ſpread
a Sail all ſtrewed over with Stars, which they
could remove at Pleaſure, and which ſhaded
the middle Area, the Seats, and all the Specta
tors. The upper Portico was built with a
great deal of Art; for in order to ſupport it,
there were other Porticoes and Colonades at
the Back of the Theatre, out to the Street, and
in the larger Theatres, theſe Porticoes were
made double, that if any violent Rain or Storm
obliged the Spectators to fly for Shelter, it
might not drive in upon them. Theſe Porti
coes and Colonades, thus placed under the up
per Portico, were not like thoſe which we have
deſcribed for Temples or Baſiliques, but built
of ſtrong Pilaſters, and in Imitation of tri
umphal Arches. We ſhall firſt therefore treat
of theſe under Porticoes, as being built for the
Sake of that above. The Rule for the Aper
tures of theſe Porticoes is, that to every Paſſage
into the middle Area of the Theatre, there
ought to be one of them, and each of theſe
Apertures ſhould be accompanied with others
in certain Proportions, anſwering exactly one to
the other in Height, Breadth, Deſign and Or
naments. The Breadth of the Area for walk
ing in theſe Porticoes, ſhould be equal to the
Aperture between Pilaſter and Pilaſter, and the
Breadth of each Pilaſter ſhould be equal to half
that Aperture: All which Rules muſt be ob
ſerved with the greateſt Care and Exactneſs.
Laſtly, againſt theſe Pilaſters we muſt not ſet
Columns entirely inſulate, as in triumphal
Arches, but only three quarter Columns with
Pedeſtals under them, in Height one ſixth of
the Column itſelf. The other Ornaments muſt
be the ſame as thoſe in Temples. The Height
of theſe three quarter Columns, with their
whole Entablature, muſt be equal to half the
perpendicular Height of the Seats within, ſo
that on the Outſide there muſt be two Orders
of Columns one over the other, the ſecond of
which muſt be juſt even with the Top of thoſe
Seats, and over this we muſt lay the Pavement
for the upper Portico, which as we ſhewed be
fore, muſt look into the middle Area of the
Theatre, in Shape reſembling a Horſe-ſhoe.
This Subſtructure being laid, we are to raiſe
our upper Portico, the Front and Colonade
whereof is not to receive its Light from with
out, like thoſe before deſcribed, but is to be
open to the Middle of the Theatre, as we have
already obſerved. This Work being raiſed in
order to prevent the Voice from being loſt and
diſperſed, may be called the Circumvallation.
Its Height ſhould be the whole Height of the
outer Portico, with the Addition of one half,
and its Parts are theſe. The low Wall under
the Columns, which we may call a continued
Pedeſtal. This Wall of the whole Height of