ROMAN ARCHITECTURE—BAGGALLAY. 667 
row and dark as those in the worst of medizval cities. The stories 
overhung one another, and, in addition, balconies projected so far 
that in some cases at least it was possible to shake hands across the 
street. [Even after Nero had enacted that all external walls were to be 
of fireproof materials the upper stories continued to be of wood, and 
were so badly built that they frequently fell. One writer declares 
that people were driven out of Rome by the fear of falling houses. 
Many speak of the danger of tiles slipping from the roofs or thrown 
by persons in the upper stories. Of course bad fires were frequent. 
A very old law directed that two and a half feet should be left clear 
between the buildings,* but it fell into abeyance and does not seem to 
have been observed even after it had been reenacted by Nero.” Prob- 
ably “ vested interests” were too strong by that time to be overcome. ° 
T will only add an apology for referring so often to Vitruvius, a 
writer who seems to me to receive less attention and respect than he 
deserves; from scholars, because he wrote indifferent, or at any rate, 
rather obscure Latin, and from architects, because, unfortunately, 
few show any profound curiosity to know what he says, and conse- 
quently do not find out how interesting he really is. 
4A law of ‘‘ The twelve tables.”’ See Festus, pp. 5, 11, M. 
bTac. Ann., XV, 43. 
