Archimedes Texts

190
lighted, and that it be open to receive a great
deal of Light and Sun, and a sufficient Quan
tity of wholsome Air. Let nothing be within
View that can offend the Eye with a melan
choly Shade. Let all Things smile and seem
to welcome the Arrival of your Guests. Let
those who are already entered be in Doubt
whether they shall for Pleasure continue where
they are, or pass on further to those other Beau
ties which tempt them on. Let them be led
from square Rooms into round ones, and again
from round into square, and so into others
of mixed Lines, neither all round nor all
square; and let the Passage into the very in
nermost Apartments be, if possible, without the
least Ascent or Descent, but all be upon one
even Floor, or at least let the Ascents be as
easy as may be.

That the Parts and Members of a House are different both in Nature and
Species, and that they are to be adorned in various Manners.

But as the Members or Parts of a House
are very different one from the other both
in Nature and Species, it may now be proper
to say something of each, having indeed pur
posely reserved them for this very Place: For
there are many Parts which it matters very
little whether you make round or square, pro
vided they are fit for the Purposes to which they
are intended; but it is not equally indifferent
what Number they are in, and how they are
disposed; and it is necessary that some should
be larger, as the inner Courts, while some re
quire a smaller Area, as the Chambers and all
the private Apartments. Some others must be
in a Medium between the others, as Eating
parlours and the Vestibule. We have already
in another Place given our Thoughts of the
apt Disposition of each Member of a House,
and as to the respective Difference of their
Areas, there is no Occasion to speak here, be
cause they are infinite both from the different
Humours of Men, and the different Ways of
Living in different Places. The Ancients, be
fore their Houses made either a Portico, or at
least a Porch, not always with straight Lines,
but sometimes with curve, after the Manner of
the Theatre. Next to the Portico lay the Ves
tibule, which was almost constantly circular;
behind that was the Passage into the inner Court,
and those other Parts of the House which we
have already spoken of in their proper Places,
whereof to enter upon a fresh Description
would make us too prolix. The Things that
we ought not to omit are these. Where the
Area is round it must be proportioned accord
ing to the Design of the Temple; unless there
be this Difference, that here the Height of the
Walls must be greater than in the Temple, for
Reasons which you shall know shortly. If it
be quadrangular, then in some Particulars it
will differ from those Instructions which we
have given for sacred Edifices, as also for pro
fane ones of a publick Nature; but yet in
some others it will agree with the Council
chambers and Courts. According to the ge
neral Custom of the Ancients, the Breadth of
the Porch was either two thirds of its Length,
or else the Length was one whole Breadth and
two thirds more, or else the Length was one
whole Breadth with the Addition of two fifths.
To each of these Proportions the Ancients seem
always to have allowed the Height of the Wall to
be equal to its whole Length, and one third more.
By taking the actual Dimension of a great many
Structures, I find that square Platforms require
a different Height of Wall where they are to
be covered with vaulted Roofs, from what they
do when their Roof is to be flat: As also that
some Difference is to be made between the
Proportions of a large Building and those of a
small one: Which arises from the different In
terval that there is from the Beholder's Eye,
which must in this Case be considered as the
Center, to the extreme Height which it sur
veys: But of those Things we shall treat else
where. We must Proportion the Areas of our
Apartments to our Roof, and our Roof to the
Length of the Rafters with which it is to be
covered in. I call that a moderate Roof which
may be supported by a Piece of Timber of a
moderate Length. But besides the Proportions
which I have already treated of, there are seve
ral other proper Dimensions and Agreements of
Lines which I shall here endeavour to explain
as clearly and succinctly as possible. If the
Length of the Platform be twice its Breadth;