[ 22 | 
account given to the public of any ancient theatre, it may not 
be an unacceptable prefent to the Academy to lay before 
them the plan and fe€tion of that theatre, taken with all the 
accuracy that the ruins would permit in the year 1784, together 
‘ with fome obfervations on the defcription of it given by Dean 
Marti in the gth letter of his 4th book, which is as follows: 
cs 
o 
“ THE theatre of Saguntum is placed in a moft convenient and 
healthy fituation, for it opens toward the north and rifing fun, 
hanging over a pleafant valley through which runs a river, 
with a view of the fea to the eaft. It is defended from the 
fouth and weftern winds by the intervention of the mountain 
which encircles it; fo that it only admits the falutary north and 
eaft, fecured from the other noxious blafts. Such is the advice 
of Vitruvius in the conftruction of theatres. 
, 
“ Tue circuit of the femicircle is five hundred and fixty-four 
of our palms*, each palm being three-fourths of a Roman 
foot: the diameter, by a line drawn from each angle, is. three 
hundred and thirty palms: the height of the theatre, from the 
orcheftra to the fumma cavea, one hundred and_ thirty-three 
palms and an half, but to the top of the remaining wall one 
hundred and forty-four palms and an half: the diameter of 
the orcheftra is ninety-fix palms; from which place we will 
begin the defcription as frem the centre. In that moft diftin- 
gifhed place fat the praetor in the, fuggeftum, the remains of 
« which 
Y; 
* The Valencian palm is nine inches; and thirty-fix Valencian inches are equal 
io thirty-three inches Englifh. 
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