CHAP. VIII.
Some ſhort, but general Obſervations which may be looked upon as Laws in the
Buſineſs of Building and Ornament.
Buſineſs of Building and Ornament.
I shall here put together ſome ſhort and ge
neral Admonitions, which are abſolutely
neceſſary to be obſerved as ſo many Laws, as
well in Point of Ornament or Embelliſhment,
as in all the other Parts of Architecture. And
this may ſerve to acquit us of the Promiſe
which we made of taking a ſhort Review of
the whole Work by Way of Epilogue. Firſt
therefore, as we laid it down for a Rule at the
Beginning, that all Errors which any Ways de
form the Structure were to be avoided princi
pally: We will now ſpeak in the firſt Place of
ſuch Errors, and eſpecially of the greateſt. Er
rors ariſe either from the Judgement, and lie
either in the Deſign or Election; or from the
Hand, and lie in the Workmen's Execution.
The Errors of the Judgment are both in Time
and in their Nature of much the greateſt Im
portance, and when committed, leſs capable of
being remedied. With theſe therefore we ſhall
begin. The firſt Error is to chuſe for your
Structure a Region which is unhealthy, not
peaceable, barren, unfortunate, melancholy, or
afflicted with Calamities, either apparent or
concealed. The next Errors to this are chuſ
ing a Platform not proper or convenient; add
ing one Member to another, without conſtant
Regard to the Accommodation of the Inhabi
tants, and not providing fit and ſuitable Con
veniencies for every Rank and Degree of them,
as well Maſters as Servants, Citizens as Ruſ
ticks, Inmates as Viſitants: Making your Build
ing either too large and ſpacious, or too ſmall
and narrow; too open and naked, or too much
ſhut in and confined; too much crowded, or
too rambling with too many Apartments, or
too few: If there be a Want of Rooms where
you may ſecure yourſelf againſt exceſſive Heats,
or exceſſive Colds, of Places where you may
exerciſe and divert yourſelf when you are in
Health, and of others where you may be ſuf
ficiently ſheltered againſt any Inclemency of
Air when you are ſick: To which add the
Structures not being ſufficiently ſtrong, and as
we may ſay, fortified to be ſafe againſt any ſud
den Attack: If the Wall be either ſo ſlight as
not to be ſufficiently ſtrong to ſupport itſelf
and the Roof, or much thicker than Neceſſity
requires, if the different Roofs beſpatter each
other with their Waters, or throw them againſt
any Part of the Wall, or near the Entrances:
If they be either too low, or too high: If your
Windows be too wide, and admit unwhole
ſome Winds, noxious Dews, or too much burn
ing Sun; or, on the other Hand, if they be ſo
narrow as to occaſion a melancholy Gloom:
If they break into any of the Ribs of the Build
ing: If the Paſſages are any Ways obſtructed,
or lead us to any Object that is offenſive: Or,
in ſhort, if any of thoſe other Inſtructions are
neglected, which we have given in the preced
ing Books. Among the Errors in Ornament,
the Principal, in Architecture as in Nature, is
making any Thing prepoſterous, maimed, ex
ceſſive, or any other Ways unſightly: For if
theſe Things are reckoned defective and mon
ſtrous in Nature herſelf, what muſt we ſay of
an Architect that throws the Parts of his Struc
tures into ſuch improper Forms? And as the
Parts whereof thoſe Forms conſiſt, are Lines,
Angles, Extenſion, and the like, it is certainly
true, that there can be no Error or Deformity
more abſurd and ſhocking, than the mixing
together either Angles or Lines, or Superficies
which are not in Number, Size and Situation
equal to each other, and which are not blended
together with the greateſt Care and Accuracy.
And indeed who can avoid blaming a Man ex
tremely, that without being forced to it by any
Manner of Neceſſity, draws his Wall crooked
and askew, winding this way and that like a
Worm crawling upon the Ground, without
any Rule or Method, with one Side long, and
another ſhort, without any Equality of Angles,
or the leaſt Connection with Regard to each
other; making his Platform with an obtuſe
Angle on one Side, and an acute one on the
other, and doing every Thing with Confuſion,
Abſurdity and at a Venture: It is another
great Error to have raiſed your Structure in
ſuch a Manner, that, though indeed with Re
lation to its Platform, it is not amiſs, yet, not
withſtanding it may be in very great Want of
Ornament, it may be utterly incapable of any
neral Admonitions, which are abſolutely
neceſſary to be obſerved as ſo many Laws, as
well in Point of Ornament or Embelliſhment,
as in all the other Parts of Architecture. And
this may ſerve to acquit us of the Promiſe
which we made of taking a ſhort Review of
the whole Work by Way of Epilogue. Firſt
therefore, as we laid it down for a Rule at the
Beginning, that all Errors which any Ways de
form the Structure were to be avoided princi
pally: We will now ſpeak in the firſt Place of
ſuch Errors, and eſpecially of the greateſt. Er
rors ariſe either from the Judgement, and lie
either in the Deſign or Election; or from the
Hand, and lie in the Workmen's Execution.
The Errors of the Judgment are both in Time
and in their Nature of much the greateſt Im
portance, and when committed, leſs capable of
being remedied. With theſe therefore we ſhall
begin. The firſt Error is to chuſe for your
Structure a Region which is unhealthy, not
peaceable, barren, unfortunate, melancholy, or
afflicted with Calamities, either apparent or
concealed. The next Errors to this are chuſ
ing a Platform not proper or convenient; add
ing one Member to another, without conſtant
Regard to the Accommodation of the Inhabi
tants, and not providing fit and ſuitable Con
veniencies for every Rank and Degree of them,
as well Maſters as Servants, Citizens as Ruſ
ticks, Inmates as Viſitants: Making your Build
ing either too large and ſpacious, or too ſmall
and narrow; too open and naked, or too much
ſhut in and confined; too much crowded, or
too rambling with too many Apartments, or
too few: If there be a Want of Rooms where
you may ſecure yourſelf againſt exceſſive Heats,
or exceſſive Colds, of Places where you may
exerciſe and divert yourſelf when you are in
Health, and of others where you may be ſuf
ficiently ſheltered againſt any Inclemency of
Air when you are ſick: To which add the
Structures not being ſufficiently ſtrong, and as
we may ſay, fortified to be ſafe againſt any ſud
den Attack: If the Wall be either ſo ſlight as
not to be ſufficiently ſtrong to ſupport itſelf
and the Roof, or much thicker than Neceſſity
requires, if the different Roofs beſpatter each
other with their Waters, or throw them againſt
any Part of the Wall, or near the Entrances:
If they be either too low, or too high: If your
Windows be too wide, and admit unwhole
ſome Winds, noxious Dews, or too much burn
ing Sun; or, on the other Hand, if they be ſo
narrow as to occaſion a melancholy Gloom:
If they break into any of the Ribs of the Build
ing: If the Paſſages are any Ways obſtructed,
or lead us to any Object that is offenſive: Or,
in ſhort, if any of thoſe other Inſtructions are
neglected, which we have given in the preced
ing Books. Among the Errors in Ornament,
the Principal, in Architecture as in Nature, is
making any Thing prepoſterous, maimed, ex
ceſſive, or any other Ways unſightly: For if
theſe Things are reckoned defective and mon
ſtrous in Nature herſelf, what muſt we ſay of
an Architect that throws the Parts of his Struc
tures into ſuch improper Forms? And as the
Parts whereof thoſe Forms conſiſt, are Lines,
Angles, Extenſion, and the like, it is certainly
true, that there can be no Error or Deformity
more abſurd and ſhocking, than the mixing
together either Angles or Lines, or Superficies
which are not in Number, Size and Situation
equal to each other, and which are not blended
together with the greateſt Care and Accuracy.
And indeed who can avoid blaming a Man ex
tremely, that without being forced to it by any
Manner of Neceſſity, draws his Wall crooked
and askew, winding this way and that like a
Worm crawling upon the Ground, without
any Rule or Method, with one Side long, and
another ſhort, without any Equality of Angles,
or the leaſt Connection with Regard to each
other; making his Platform with an obtuſe
Angle on one Side, and an acute one on the
other, and doing every Thing with Confuſion,
Abſurdity and at a Venture: It is another
great Error to have raiſed your Structure in
ſuch a Manner, that, though indeed with Re
lation to its Platform, it is not amiſs, yet, not
withſtanding it may be in very great Want of
Ornament, it may be utterly incapable of any