Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755
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              the Amphitheatre is formed of two Theatres
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              with their Horns joined together, and the
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              Rows of Seats continued quite round; and
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              the chief Difference between them is, that a
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              Theatre is properly an half Amphitheatre,
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              with this further Variation too, that the Am­
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              phitheatre has its middle Area quite clear from
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              any Thing of a Stage or Scenes; but in all
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              other reſpects, and particularly in the Seats,
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              Porticoes, Entrances and the like, they exactly
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              agree. </s>
              <s>I am inclined to believe, that the Am­
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              phitheatre was at firſt contrived chiefly for
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              Hunting, and that for this Reaſon it was made
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              round, to the Intent that the wild Beaſts
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              which were encloſed and baited in it, not
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              having any Nook or Corner to fly to, might
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              be the ſooner obliged to defend themſelves
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              againſt their Aſſailants, who were extremely
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              bold and dextrous at engaging with the fier­
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              ceſt wild Beaſts. </s>
              <s>Some armed only with a
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              Javelin, would with the Help of that leap
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              over a wild Bull that was making at him full
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              Speed, and ſo elude his Blow. </s>
              <s>Others having
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              put on a Kind of Armour, compoſed of no­
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              thing but thick Thorns and Prickles, would
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              ſuffer themſelves to be rowled about and
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              mumbled by a Bear. </s>
              <s>Others encloſed in a
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              Kind of wooden Cage, teazed and provoked a
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              Lion, and fome with nothing but a Cloak
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              about their left Arm, and a ſmall Ax or Mal­
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              let in their right Hand would attack him
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              openly. </s>
              <s>In a Word, if any Man had either
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              Dexterity to deceive, or Courage and Strength
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              to cope with wild Beaſts, he offered himſelf as
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              a Champion, either merely for the Sake of Ho­
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              nour, or for Reward. </s>
              <s>We read too, that both
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              in the Theatres and Amphitheatres, the great
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              Men uſed to throw Apples, or let fly little Birds
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              among the Mob, for the Pleaſure of ſeeing
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              them ſcramble for them. </s>
              <s>The middle Area
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              of the Amphitheatre, though it is ſurrounded
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              by two Theatres joined together, yet muſt not
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              be made ſolong as two compleat Theatres would
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              make it, if their Horns both pretended to meet
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              each other: But its Length muſt bear a cer­
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              tain Proportion to its Breadth. </s>
              <s>Some among
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              the Ancients made the Length eight, and the
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              Breadth ſeven Parts, and ſome made the
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              Breadth three fourths of the Length. </s>
              <s>In other
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              Particulars it agrees with the Theatre: It muſt
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              have Porticoes on the Outſide, and one at the
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              Top within, over the higheſt Seat, which we
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              have called the Circumvallation. </s>
              <s>We are next
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              to treat of the Circus. </s>
              <s>Some tell us, that this
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              was built in Imitation of the heavenly Bodies;
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              for as the Heavens have twelve Houſes, ſo the
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              Circus has twelve Gates for Entrance; and as
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              there are ſeven Planets, ſo this has ſeven Goals,
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              lying from Eaſt to Weſt at a good Diſtance one
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              from the other, that through them the con­
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              tending Chariots may hold their Courſe, as the
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              Sun and Moon do through the Zodiac; which
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              they did four-and-twenty Times, in Imitati­
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              on of the four-and-twenty Hours. </s>
              <s>The Con­
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              currents were alſo divided into four Squadrons,
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              each of which was diſtinguiſhed by its particu­
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              lar Colour; the one was cloathed in Green, in
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              Repreſentation of the verdant Spring; another
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              to denote the flaming Summer in Red; the
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              third in White, in Imitation of the pale Au­
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              tumn; and the fourth in dusky Brown for the
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              gloomy Winter. </s>
              <s>The middle Area of the Cir­
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              cus was neither clear nor open like the Am­
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              phitheatre, nor taken up with a Stage like the
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              Theatre, but it was divided Lengthways into
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              two Courſes by the Goals or Terms which
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              were ſet up at proper Diſtances, about which
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              the Horſes or Men performed their Races. </s>
              <s>Of
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              theſe Goals there were three principal ones,
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              whereof the Middlemoſt was the chief of all,
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              and this was a Pile of Stone tapering up to the
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              Top, upon account of which regular Diminu­
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              tion, it was called an Obelisk. </s>
              <s>The other two
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              principal Goals were either coloſſal Statues, or
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              lofty Piles of Stones in the Nature of Trophies,
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              deſigned aſter the Workman's Fancy, ſo as
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              they were only great and beautiſul. </s>
              <s>Between
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              theſe principal Goals were two others on each
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              Side, either Columns or Obelisks leſs than the
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              former, which made up the Number of Seven.
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              </s>
              <s>We read in Hiſtorians, that the Circus Maxi­
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              mus at
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              Rome
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              was three Furlongs in Length,
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              and one in Breadth. </s>
              <s>Now indeed it is entire­
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              ly deſtroyed, and there are not the leaſt Foot­
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              ſteps remaining by which we can form a Judg­
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              ment of its ancient Structure: But by an actual
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              Survey of other Works of this Nature I find the
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              Manner of them was as follows: The Anci­
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              ents uſed to make the middle Area of the Cir­
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              cus in Breadth at leaſt threeſcore Cubits, or
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              ninety Foot, and in Length ſeven Times that
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              Breadth. </s>
              <s>The Breadth was divided into two
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              equal Parts or Courſes by a Line drawn the
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              Length of the Circus, on which Line the Goals
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              or Terms were placed according to the follow­
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              ing Method: The whole Length being divided
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              into ſeven Parts, one of thoſe Parts was given
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              to a Sweep at each End for the Concurrents to
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              turn out of the right Courſe into the left, and
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              the Remainder was allowed for the Goals, which
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              </s>
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