Art Out-of-Doors 



the course of thousands of years. ^^In the 

 magnificent city of Ephesus/' wrote Vitru- 

 viuSj nearly nineteen centuries ago, there 

 was an ancient law, hard indeed, but equi- 

 table, to the effect that when an architect 

 was entrusted with the execution of a pub- 

 lic work, an estimate thereof being lodged 

 in the hands of a magistrate, his property 

 was held as security until the work was fin- 

 ished. If, when finished, the expense did 

 not exceed the estimate, he was compli- 

 mented with degrees and honors. So when 

 the excess did not amount to more than one- 

 fourth of the estimate, no punishment was 

 inflicted. But when the excess was greater 

 than this amount the aixhitect was required 

 to pay it out of his own pocket. Would 

 that such a law existed among the Roman 

 people, not only in respect of their public, 

 but also of their private buildings, for then 

 unskilful architects would not commit their 

 depredations with impunity, and only those 

 who were the most skilful in the intricacies 

 of the art would practise it. Proprietors 

 would not be led into ruin through extrava- 

 gant expenditure. Architects themselves 



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