ARCHITECTURE. 



and although his most general method of 

 demonstrating the relations of curved fi- 

 gures to straight ones be by inscribing 

 polygons in them, yet, to determine those 

 relations, he does not increase the num- 

 ber, and diminish the magnitude, of the 

 sides of the polygon adinfinitwn ; but from 

 this plain fundamental principle, allowed 

 in Euclid's Elements, (viz. that any quan- 

 tity may be so often multiplied, or added 

 to itself, as that the result shall exceed 

 any proposed finite quantity of the same 

 kind,) he proves, that to deny his figures 

 to have the proposed relations would in- 

 volve an absurdity. And when he de- 

 monstrated many geometrical properties, 

 particularly in the parabola, by means of 

 certain progressions of numbers, whose 

 terms are similar to the inscribed figures, 

 this was still done without considering 

 such series as continued ad infinitum, and 

 then collecting or summing up the terms 

 of such infinite series. 

 There have been various editions of 



the existing writings of Archimedes. But 

 the most complete of any is the magnifi- 

 cent edition, in folio, lately printed at the 

 Clarendon press, Oxford, 1792. This 

 edition was prepared ready for the press 

 by the learned Joseph Torelli, of Verona, 

 and in that state presented to the Univer- 

 sity of Oxford. The Latin translation is 

 a new one. Torelli also wrote a preface, 

 a commentary on some of the pieces, and 

 notes on the whole. An account of the 

 life and writings of Torelli is prefixed, by 

 Clemens Sibiliati. And at the end a 

 large appendix is added, in two parts ; 

 the first being a Commentary on Archi- 

 medes's paper upon bodies that float on 

 fluids, by the Rev. Adam Robertson, of 

 Christ Church College ; and the latter 

 is a large collection of various readings 

 in the manuscript works of Archimedes, 

 found in the library of the late king of 

 France, and of another at Florence, as 

 collated with the Basil edition above 

 mentioned. 



ARCHITECTURE. 



General observations on the history and prac- 

 tice of Civil Architecture. 



All the variety of edifices appropriated 

 to the purposes of civil life is denominat- 

 ed Civil Architecture. 



It is a very difficult matter for us at this 

 day to trace the earliest stage of this art, 

 so indispensable to our comfort and pro- 

 tection in a natural or civilized state, un- 

 til we find its permanence of construction 

 fixed on the basis of science and propor- 

 tion. 



The subterraneous cavern was without 

 doubt the first habitation of man. Who 

 cannot but contemplate with astonish- 

 ment the variety of massy shapes, sup- 

 porting arched roofs, decorated with in- 

 numerable surfaces of crystallized forms, 

 excelling in splendour of design and ar- 

 rangement the most magnificent produc- 

 tions of human art ? 



All our impressions of wisdom, strength 

 and beauty, are derived from the exami- 

 nation of the works of the God of nature : 

 All our energy in art, is employed to de- 

 duce from these works the proximity of 

 man to his Creator, and all our perfection 

 a humble acknowledgment of our im- 

 perfection. 



In sculpture and painting, the closest 

 imitation of a model in nature at once 

 constitutes the excellence of the artist. 



In architecture, invention is employed 

 in the search of form and proportion, that 

 is not so immediately obvious, owing to 

 the whimsicality in matters of taste, 

 which is perhaps very justly regulated by 

 antique proportion. 



History furnishes us with very vague 

 and unsatisfactory accounts of the rise or 

 progress of this science ; although a va- 

 riety of speculation has been indulged, to 

 locate and fix its origin and aera of con- 

 struction in India and Egypt, we are at 

 this late day left to doubt, whether the 

 eastern quarter of the world has any de- 

 cided claim to originality over that of 

 Egypt. 



The splendid excavations that consti- 

 tute the temples or sacred edifices of the 

 Hindoos, particularly the cave at Ele- 

 phanta, which is sculptured out of the 

 solid rock, exhibits a very early know- 

 ledge of the art with this barbarous peo- 

 ple. The cave is 120 feet square, and 

 contains four rows of mass\ pillars, re- 

 sembling a fluted ballusti-ade, resting on a 

 long right angular plinth ; the whole pil- 

 lar is surmounted by a broad projecting 1 

 capital in form of a fla^ vuse, richly and 

 highly decorated Colossal statues and 

 busts in alto relievo protrude from the 

 sides of the cavern, some with four, and 

 some with six arms, beoring sceptres, tro- 

 phies, and symbols of their mythology, 



