An Abridgment of the Architecture of Vitruvius

The Proportion that the Alley which was in the middle between the Pillars, had with the Wings, was different according to the Magnitude of the Vestibule or Entry, for the greater they were or the lesser, the Wings had a proportionable breadth with the Alley in the middle; So that if the Vestibule or Entry was 100 Foot long, the Wings had only for their breadth the 50th. part of the length; and when it was but 30 Foot long, they had only the 3d. part.

ART. III.

Of Halls

THE Ancients had three Sorts of Halls; Viz. The Corinthian, the Ægyptian, and the Cyzican.

The Corinthian had Pillars round about against the Wall, and these Pillars supported the Floor made in form of a Vault. Surbaissee.

The Ægyptian Halls had their Pillars distant from the Wall in the manner of the Peristyle, and they supported only an Architrave without a Frise and without a Cornice; upon this Architrave there was another row of Pillars, between which were the Windows. The Floor which reached from the Pillars to the Wall, served for a Terrasse without.

The Cyzican Halls had this in particular, that they were turned to the North, and had a Prospect of the Gardens; they were principally made Lib. 6.

Chap. 6. use of by the Greeks; the Proportion of these Halls was as follows, Their length was double their breadth, and as to their height, this Rule was observed to have the height of all Sorts of Apartments that are not so broad as long, they added their length to their breadth, and took half of the sum for their height. The Apartments which were no longer than broad, had in height their breadth, and half their breadth.

ART. IV

Of the Distribution of the Apartments among the Ancients

Lib. 6.

Chap. 10.

Lib. 6.

Chap. 3, 4. THE Romans and the Greeks ordered and distributed differently their Apartments; for the Romans had their Courts and Entries magnificent: but the Greeks had only a narrow Entrance, through which they passed into a Peristyle; this Entry had of one Side a Porter’s Lodge, on the other Side the Stables.

The Apartments of these two Nations differed in this, the Apartments of the Women were separate from the Apartments of the Men among the Greeks; insomuch that they Dined apart. They had likewise particular Rooms reserved for Strangers apart, where they only gave them Lodging, and never treated them above one Day.

CHAP. III

Of things that equally appertain to Publick and Private Buildings

ARTICLE I.

Of Agueducts

IN Order to the bringing of Waters to Towns and Cities, the Level must be exactly taken; to the end, it may be known whether the Waters can be brought thither or no. The Ancients to this end made Lib. 8

Chap. 6. use of an Instrument called Corobates, which was directed by a Lead, and by Water, when the Wind hindered them from making use of the Lead.

They brought their Water three several ways; viz. by Aqueducts, by Pipes of Lead, and Pipes baked in a Potter’s Furnace. They allowed for the Channels or Sewers of the Aqueducts, for every 100 Foot, half a Foot of Declination or Sloping; and if any Hills were in their way, they dug through them, making Vents to give Air at convenient Distances.

The Pipes of Lead were at least 9 Foot long; they made them of bended Sheets or Plates, and of different thicknesses, according to the Proportion of the greatness of the Pipes; these Pipes had likewise their necessary Declination or Sloping, and if any Valley was in the way, they made it equal to the Level with a Wall; they likewise made many Vents, to give the Water Air, and to know where to mend the Pipes.

The Pipes of Potter’s-Work, were two Inches thick; they were joyned together with Mortar mixed with Oil, and when they had Conde or Joynt to make, they made use of a red Free Stone which they pierced through, to receive the two Ends of the Pipes.

ART. II

Of Wells and Cisterns

IT being remarkt oftentimes that the Water which is under the Earth hath many bad Qualities, and exhales vapours, which often stifles those which work in the Wells, after that they are dug, & the Water begins to gather together. The Ancients had this Precaution, to let a Lamp gently down into it, and if it extinguished it, they took it for an Infallible sign that the Water was bad.

The Cisterns were made to receive Rain Water in great Conservatories under Ground, whose Walls on all Sides, and at the bottom were built with Mortar of strong Lime, and Sand, and Pebbles, all well beaten together. They made several Conservatories, and the Water passed from one to another, to the end it might leave all the Dirt in the first and second; They likewise put Salt in their Cistern-Water to make it more subtile.

ART. III.

Of Machines for carrying and lifting up great Stones and Burthens

CTesiphon and his Son Metagenes, Architects of the Temple of Ephesus, invented Machines to carry great Stones, out of which Pillars and Architraves were to be made. That Lib. 10.

Chap. 6. which was made to draw the Pillars, was but a sort of a Frame as long as the Pillars, in the end of which were fastned Pins of Iron, which entred into the ends of the Frame, and served instead of an Axle-tree, the Pillar it self serving for a Wheel: And this had the desired Effect, because of the disposition of the place through which these Stones were to be drawn, which was a flat and level Country.

The other Machine for drawing of Architraves, was the same Frame which had two Wheels at each end, which supported the Architrave; which served instead of an Axle-tree.

Lib. 10.

Chap. 2. For the raising of great Weights, they had three sorts of Machines. The first was composed of three pieces of Wood, which were joyned together at top by a Pin which went through them all; so that there were two of these pieces which were on one side, a little distance one from the other, and the third was opposite to them; The two which were together on the one side, had a Hand-Mill which drew a Rope, which passed within a Truckle with three Pullies, of which that part which had the two Pullies was fastned to the top of the Machine, and that which had but one, was fastned to the VVeight to be drawn up.

Lib. 10.

Chap. 2. The second Machine was stronger than the first, because the Moulin had more Pullies, and instead of a Moulin or Hand-Mill, it had a great Wheel, whose Axle-tree drew a Rope which passed through these Pullies, and upon the Wheel there was another Rope twisted, which was drawn by a Wind-glass; sometimes the great Wheel was hollow, so that Men could walk within it, and so turn it.

The third had but one long and strong piece of Wood, which was kept up and stayed by Shrowds, as the Mast of a Ship is. By the help of these Shrowds, they bended and turned this piece of Wood where they pleased, drawing the Shrowds fast on the one side, and loosening them on the other. The Moufl’s Crane as well those which were fastned to this piece of Wood, as those which were fastned to the Weight which was to be drawn up, had each of them three ranks of Pullies, which had three in every rank, that three Ropes might go through them, which were not drawn by Hand-Mills, nor by VVheels, but by Men who pulled several at one time at the same Rope: And that this might be done with the more ease, the three Ropes or Cables after having passed the last Pullies of that part of the Moufle which was at the top of the Machine; they descended down below, each upon one Pully, which vvas but the height of the Men: this Machine quickly povverfully lifted up the greatest VVeights.

ART. IV

Of Machines for Elevating of Waters

THESE Machines were of four sorts.

Lib. 10. The first was the Tympan, of which there were two sorts; The first elevated a great deal of Water, but not very high, for it only mounted to the Axle-tree of the Tympan, which was a great Wheel made of Planks which made two bottoms divided into eight from the Center to the Circumference, each Separation, having an opening half a Foot wide near the Circumference to draw the Water, which being elevated upon the Axle-tree, ran through the Cavities which were hollowed in each Separation.

The Second Machine, was a Wheel which elevated the Water as high as its Circumference, by the help of several Boxes which were fastned round about, and which poured out the Water into a Reeve as the Wheel, having mounted, began to descend.

Lib. 10.

Chap. 2. The Third Machine was a Chain with Buckets, as the one mounted, the other descended, being drawn by the Axle-tree.

The Fourth Machine was the Vice or Skrew, which is attributed to Archimedes, though Vitruvius makes no mention of the Inventor. This Vice was made of a piece of VVood, long sixteen times its Diameter: about this piece of Wood was put Obliquely a Hoop of Willow Hoop of Willow VVood besmeared with Pitch, and it was Conducted by turning from one end of the piece of the Wood to the other: Upon this Hoop others were put so that they were like the Vaulting of a Stair-Case whose ascent goes turning. This being done, this Vice was fastned and strengthned with Planks, which were pitched within, and covered with Iron Rings and Plates without: At the two ends of the piece of Wood, were Pins, which entring into the Suckets, made the Machine capable of Motion. This Vice or Skrew was placed according to the bent or sloping of the Triangle Rectangle of Pythagoras. This Machine elevated easily a great quantity of Water, but it could not carry it high.

The Fifth Machine, was the Pump Lib. 10.

Chap. 2. of Ctesibius; it was composed of two Bodies of Pumps, in which the Suckets having drawn the VVater when they were pulled up, they both pressed it violently into a Pipe which was fastned at the bottom of the Body of the Pump when they went down. For the VVater by the Impulsion of the Sucket, was forced to enter into these Pipes, because it could not go out by the Openings by which it entred, because of the Suckets which stopped them, these two Pipes were joyned together in a Tambour, which had likewise its Suckets, which hindred the VVater from descending into the Bodies of the Pumps, after it had been pressed into the Tambour, or Vase, which had another Pipe, through which the VVater was forced as high as they pleased, by Impulsion of the Suckets.

Lib. 10.

Chap. 10. All these Machines were either moved by Strength of Men, or by VVater-Mills, according to the convenience of the place.