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tially conftituting an order, fuch as capital, baft, entabla- 

 txnii, &c. 



Attic or Jltticurgk B.-fi. Vitr'iviijs, lib. iii. cap. 3. 

 fpcaking of the bafes of columna, fays, " This done, the 

 bafcs are fixed in their places, and art fo proportioned that 

 iiichiding their plinth, they have in hcicrht half the thlckiiefs 

 of the column ; and in projcftion, wjiich the Greeks call 

 fxjofxv, they fhould have one quarter of the thickncfs of the 

 column ; fo that their breadth and length will be once and a 

 half the thicknefs of the column. Their height, if thc-y 

 are to be in the Attic mode, is fo divided, that the upper 

 part is one third of the thicknefs of the column, and tlie 

 remainder is left for the plinth. The plinth being excluded, 

 the remaining part is divided into four parts, and the upper 

 torus has one of them ; the remaining three parts are equally 

 halved, and one half makes the lower toru.s, and the 

 other the fcotia, which the Greeks call -zp-j^fiM, with its 

 fquares.^' 



This kind of bafe is frequently found in the ancient ex- 

 amples of the Ionic and Corinthian orders, -both Greek and 

 Roman, but the proportion of its parts varies in almoft 

 every dilTerent example. We fonictimes alio meet with 

 aftragals between the torufes and fillets, and all its mouldings 

 are, in Roman architefture, frequently covered with orna- 

 ments. This bafe is extremely beautiful, and has been 

 much employed by modern architefls, who have, though 

 veiy improperU', applied it alfo to the Doric order, or rather 

 to the order which has long been called Doric by tlie mo- 

 derns. See Doric Order. 



For an example of the Attic bafe we refer the reader to 

 Plate XVI. of Architecture. 



Attic or ylttuurgic Door. Vitruvius, lib. iv. cap. 6. 

 fays, in fpcaking of doors, that " they are of three kinds, 

 Doric, Ionic, and Attic." And he afterwards proceeds to 

 defcribe the manner of forming the Attic door, concluding 

 with this remarkable pafiage, " Thele rules, which are prac- 

 tifed in the compofition of Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian 

 temples, 1 have explained as well as I have been able, ac- 

 cording to the approved methods ;" intimating thereby, that 

 he has applied the term Attic only as relating to the Corin- 

 thian order. 



Attic Tear. See Year. 



ATTICA, in Ancient Geography, one of the eight di- 

 ftritts into which Achaia was divided, anciently called Acle, 

 Aclea, zud Altkis. Plin.l. iv. c. 7. Paufan. in Attic, c. 11. 

 Mela, 1. ii. c. 3. This country is a kind of peninfula of a 

 triangular form, bounded on the north by Boeotia and the 

 gulf of Euripus, on the weft by Megaris, on the fouth by 

 the Saronic gulf, and on the call by part of the jEgean 

 fea ; and extending from north-wefl to fouth-eall about 

 eighty miles with decreafing breadth, but at an average about 

 fiftv miles, fo that its area is confiderably Icfs than that of 

 Yo'rkfhi.-e. This little country, every where interfectcd with 

 rocks and mountains, is by nature extremely barren. The 

 fterihty of the foil requiring affiduous induftry to produce 

 the common necefTaries of life, rendered the territory iiuieh 

 lefs inviting to plundering or conquering invaders than tiie 

 fruitful lands in other parts of Greece. Hence Thucydides. 

 obferves, in his Introduclion to his Hiilory, that a much 

 greater portion of its inhabitants was aboriginal than thofe 

 of neighbouring divifions. The phyfical deficiencies of At- 

 tica tended to invigorate the intelleftual and moral energies 

 of the people ; and a political eftablidinient happily adapted 

 to the circumJIances and charaders of the citizens, che- 

 riihed and improved the genius and fpirit from which it 

 fprung. A region lefs extenfive and naturally produdtive 

 ihau North Wales, was traufcendeiit in the arts of war and 



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of peace, and repelled the chofen myrinds of the mod potent 

 monarch, liifpirited by freedom, tliii little body made the 

 gigantic defpot of the Eall tremble on his tlirone, and left 

 monuments of military atchievcments fpringing from liberty 

 and patriotifm, and guided by wifdom, which have only been 

 furpaffed by the tranquil and pacific cft'orts f its genius in 

 the various departments of the arts, Utcrature, and philo- 

 fophy. 



Though in the early periods of their hiftory, they were lit- 

 tle fubject to foreign invafions that fought to difpoffcfs them 

 of their habitations, their maritime cxpofure opened the way 

 to emigrations of fea-faring advenlurcrj who fought efta- 

 hliflimtnts, not by exterminating and cnflaving the natives, 

 but by conciliating them through an interehangc of benefits. 

 The firil navigators recorded in hiftorj' to have vifited the 

 Autochtiiones, or aboriginal podefrors of Attica, came from 

 the mother country of erudition and fcicnce. Cccrops, an 

 Egyptian (B. C. 1556), led a colony of his countrymen into 

 Greece. (SceStrabo, lib. ix.) Tlie colony of Cecrops de- 

 rived its origin from the city of Sais, in Egypt. The ad- 

 venturers who compofed it had quitted the banks of the 

 Nile, to vvitiidraw themfelves from tlie tyranny of an inex- 

 orable conqueror ; and after a tedious voyage, reached tiie 

 (horcs of Attica, at all times inhabited by a people whom 

 the fierce nations of Greece had difdained to bring under 

 the yoke. Their llerilt fields cfl'ertd no plunder, nor could 

 their wcaknefs iufpire any dread. Habituated to the en- 

 joyments of peace, free without knowing the value of iu- 

 dtpendtnce, rude rather than barbarous, they mull have 

 united themfelves without difficulty to ftmngers inilruAcd 

 by misfortune. In a fhort time, the Egyptians and the in- 

 habitants of Attica formed but one people : the former, 

 however, afiumed over the latter tliat afccndaiicy which 

 fooner or later invariably attends fuptriority of knowledge; 

 and Cecrops, placed at the heae^ of the united people, con- 

 ceived the HLjble defign of bei(owing happinefson his adopted 

 country. 



The ancient poffefiors of thefe lands yearly faw a regular 

 fucceffion of the wild fruits of the oak, and relied on nature 

 for a reproduftion which fecurcd their annual fubfiftence. 

 Cecrops firll engaged the wandering hunters or (hepherds ot 

 Attica to unite in villages of hulbandnien. Com, wine, 

 and oil, rewarded their nfcful labours ; and thefe production* 

 being acquired by common toil, were regarded, with the 

 ground itklf, as a common property. Tiie idea of an ex- 

 clufive and permanent right to all the ufcs of a piece of 

 land, whether belonging to communities or to individuals, 

 is one of the moll interelling Heps in the progrefs of fo- 

 ciety. In Attica, this invaluable right was immediately 

 followed by fucli inftitutions as tended to Iccure its eniny. 

 ment, and to check the iiijuftice of man, who is leldom 

 willing to acquire by flow labour what he can ravilli by 

 fudden violence. The fitlutarj' intluence of religion was cm- 

 ployed on this important occafion. With agricultural pro- 

 perty rehgious rites were introduced, and Cecrops inllitut<.d 

 Sacrifices to the attributes of wifdom and of power under 

 the names and fenfible rcprefentations of Minen-a and Ju- 

 piter. He is alfo by fome hiilorians faid to have taught 

 his fubjedls the art of navigation ; to have inllituted the 

 areopagus, and to the iullitution of civil rights to have 

 added the punifliment of crimes. Aware of the advantages 

 which might be derived from union of effort, Cecrops pro- 

 pofed to lacilitate it by contiguity of refidence ; he induced 

 his fubjeds to colled and fccure themfelves within a wall, 

 and laid the foundation of Athens. He placed this new 

 city on a hill in the midll of a large plain, and built the 

 citadel on the rock in which the hill tcmunated; thia 

 J prince 



