Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              ſtanding at equal Diſtances from each other,
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              took up the other ſive ſevenths of the whole
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              Length of the Circus. </s>
              <s>One Goal was joined to
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              the other by a Kind of Breaſt-wall which was
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              never leſs than ſix Foot high, to keep the
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              Horſes that were running from croſſing out of
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              one Courſe into the other. </s>
              <s>On each Side of
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              the Circus were Seats raiſed to the Height of
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              never more than the fifth, nor leſs than the
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              ſixth of the whole Breadth of the middle Area;
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              and theſe Seats began from a Baſement, as in
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              Amphitheatres, that the Spectators might not
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              be within reach of any Hurt from the Beaſts.
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              </s>
              <s>Among publick Works we may reckon thoſe
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              publick Walks, in which the Youth exerciſe
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              themſelves at Tennis, Leaping, or the Uſe of
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              Arms, and where the old Men walk to take
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              the Air, or if they are infirm, are carried about
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              for the Recovery of their Health.
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              Celſus,
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              the
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              Phyſician, ſays, that Exerciſe is much better
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              in the open Air, than under Cover; but that
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              they might exerciſe themſelves more commo­
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              diouſly even in the Shade, they added Porti­
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              coes which encloſed the whole Square. </s>
              <s>The
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              Square itſelf was ſometimes paved with Marble
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              and Moſaick Work, and ſometimes turfed with
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              Graſs, and planted with Myrtles, Juniper,
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg45"/>
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              Cypreſs and Cedar Trees. </s>
              <s>The Porticoes on
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              three Sides were ſingle, and ſo large, that their
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              Proportion was two ninth Parts greater than
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              that of the Forum before treated of in this
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              Book; but on the fourth Side, which fronted
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              the South, the Portico was yet more ſpacious,
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              and double. </s>
              <s>In Froat it had
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              Doric
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              Columns,
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              whoſe Height was equal to the Breadth of the
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              Portico; the Columns behind, which divided
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              the inner Portico from the outward, were
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              higher than the former one fifth Part, for ſup­
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              porting the Cover, and giving a Slope to the
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              Roof; and for this Reaſon they made them of
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              the
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              Ionic
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              Order,
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              Ionic
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              Columns being in their
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              very Nature taller than the
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              Doric:
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              Though I
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              cannot ſee why the Cieling of theſe Porticoes
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              ſhould not have been exactly level, which cer­
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              tainly muſt have been more beautiſul to the
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              Eye. </s>
              <s>In both theſe Colonades, the Diameters
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              of the Columns were as follows: In the
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              Do­
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              ric,
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              the lower Diameter of the Shaft was two
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              fifteenths of the whole Height, including the
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              Baſe and Capital; but in the
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              Ionic
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              and
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              Corin­
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              thian,
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              the lower Diameter of the Shaft was
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              three ſixteenths of the Length of only the Shaft
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              of the Column. </s>
              <s>In other Reſpects they were
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              the ſame as thoſe uſed in Temples. </s>
              <s>To the
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              back Walls of theſe Porticoes, they added hand­
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              ſome Walls or Rooms, where Philoſophers and
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              Men of Knowledge might converſe and diſ­
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              pute upon the nobleſt Subjects; and of theſe
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              Rooms, ſome were proper for Winter, and
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              others for Summer. </s>
              <s>Thoſe which lay any
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              thing to the North, were for Summer, as
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              thoſe to the South, and which were not ex­
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              poſed to any ſharp Winds, were for Winter;
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              beſides that thoſe for Winter were ſhut in with
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              entire Walls, whereas thoſe for Summer were
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              full of Windows, or rather were ſeparated only
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              by a Colonade, and had an open View to­
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              wards the North, with Proſpects of Sea, Hills,
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              Lakes, or ſome other agreeable Landskip, and
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              admitted as much Light as poſſible. </s>
              <s>The Por­
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              ticoes on the Right and Left of theſe Squares,
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              had the ſame Sort of back Rooms, ſhut in
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              from Winds, but open to the Morning and to
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              the Evening Sun, which ſhone in upon them
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              from the middle Area. </s>
              <s>The Plan of theſe
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              retiring Rooms was various, ſometimes they
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              were ſemicircular, ſometimes rectangular, but
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              always in a due Proportion to the Square itſelf,
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              and to the Porticoes which encompaſſed it
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              it. </s>
              <s>The Breadth of the whole Square with its
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              Porticoes, was half its Length, and this Breadth
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              was divided into eight Parts, ſix whereof were
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              given to the open Square, and one to each
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              Portico. </s>
              <s>When the back retiring Rooms were
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              ſemicircular, their Diameter was two fifths of
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              the open Area. </s>
              <s>In the back Wall of the Por­
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              ticoes, were the Apertures for Entrance, and
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              for Light into thoſe Rooms. </s>
              <s>The Height of
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              the ſemicircular Retirements, in the greateſt
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              Proportion, was only equal to their Breadth;
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              but in ſmaller Works, it was one fifth Part
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              more. </s>
              <s>Over the Top of the Roof of the Por­
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              tico, Openings were broke for the Admiſſion
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              of a ſtronger and more chearful Light into the
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              Room. </s>
              <s>If theſe Withdrawing-rooms were ſquare,
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              then their Breadth was twice the Breadth of the
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              Porticoes, and their Length twice their own
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              Breadth. </s>
              <s>That I call Length which runs along
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              with the Portico, ſo that upon entering into thoſe
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              Rooms from the Right, their Length lies to the
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              Left, and entering them from the Left, to the
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              Right. </s>
              <s>Among publick Works, we are alſo to in­
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              clude the Portico for the inferior Judges, which
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              the Ancients uſed to build after the following
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              Manner: Their Bigneſs was according to the
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              Dignity of the City, but rather too large than
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              too ſmall, and along them was a Row of
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              Chamters, contiguous to each other, where
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              petty Conteſts were heard and determined.
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              </s>
              <s>Thoſe Works which I have hitherto deſcribed
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              </s>
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