architecture. 
almost entirely out of the soffit of the coro- 
na, or recessed upwards, and consequently 
its elevation is almost concealed. The 
height of the cornice from the top oi the 
sima to the lower edge of the dentils is 
equal, or very nearly so, to that of the archi- 
trave. The altitude of the frize without its 
eymatium, or upper mouldings, may be sup- 
posed to be about a fourth part of the whole 
entablature ; for if higher than this, the en- 
tablature would be too great a portion of 
the columns for any analogy we are ac- 
quainted with. In point of beautiful pro- 
portions and elegant decorations, the enta- 
blatures of these two last examples exceed 
every other remain ; and though their pro- 
portions are very different from those re- 
maining at Athens, yet they are still pleasing. 
In all the Grecian Ionics there seems to 
be a constant ratio between the upper part 
of the cornice, from the lower edge of the 
corona upwards, and the height of the en- 
tablature : this is nearly as two to nine. If 
these members were regulated in any other 
manner, their breadths would be so variable 
as sometimes to be so diminutive that their 
forms could not be perceived, and at other 
times so enlarged, as to overload the whole 
when viewed from a proper station. Indeed 
the great recess of the mouldings under the 
corona makes this a very distinct division, 
aud on this account we never think the cor- 
nice too clumsy, though the whole denticu- 
lated band and eymatium of the frize are 
introduced below the cornice, which seems 
to be the reason of so great an apparent dif- 
ference between the Asiatic and Attic 
Ionics. This order, as found in the Ionian 
territory, is complete ; but those at Athens 
arc deficient, from their want of the den- 
til band, though beautiful in many other 
respects. 
Moderns have added a diameter to the 
height of the Ionic column, making it nine 
instead of eight. The shaft is generally stri- 
ated into twenty-four flutes, and as many 
fillets. The height of the entablature in ge- 
neral may be two diameters; but where 
grandeur as well as elegance is required it 
should not be less than a fourth. The base 
employed in the Athenian Ionics consists of 
two tori, and a scotia or trochihis between 
them, and two fillets, each separating the 
Scotia from the torus above and below : the 
fillet above the torus generally projects 
as far as the extremity of the upper torus, 
and the lower fillet beyond the upper torus : 
the scotia is very flat, aud its section an 
elliptic curve joining the fillet on each side: 
the tori and scotia are nearly of equal 
heights : in the Ionic temple on the Ilyssus a 
bead and filletare employed above the upper 
torus, joining the fillet to the scape of the 
column : the upper torus of the basis of the 
same temple, and that of the basis of the 
temple of Erechteus, are both fluted, pre- 
serving the lower part that joins the upper 
surface of the fillet above the scotia entire. 
The upper scotia of the temple of Minerva 
Polias is enriched with a beautiful guilloche. 
The lower torus of the base of the anta; of 
the temple of Erectheus is receded, and 
that of the base of the anta: of the temple of 
Minerva Polias is channelled with flutes, 
separated from each other by two small cy- 
lindric mouldings of a quadrantal section, 
having their convexities joining each other. 
This form of a base is by Vitruvius very 
properly called the Attic base, being 
invented and employed by the Athenians 
in all their Ionics. It was also adopted by 
the Romans, and seems to have been their 
most favourite base ; for it is not only em- 
ployed in all the examples of this order at 
Rome, but most frequently in the Corinthian 
and Composite orders also. However, the 
proportions of the Attic base as employed 
by the Romans are different from that em- 
ployed by the Greeks, the upper torus of 
the former being always of a less height than 
the lower one, both tori plain, and the scotia 
containing a much deeper cavity. The pro- 
portion of the bases of the Ionic and Corin- 
thian orders on the Coliseum, the Ionic on 
the theatre of Marcellus, and that on the 
temple of Fortuna Virilis at Rome, have 
nearly that assigned by Vitruvius. The 
Ionic bases, as employed in the temple of 
Minerva Polias at Priene, and in that of 
Apollo Dedymaeus near Miletus, consist of 
a large torus, three pair of astragals, and two 
scotia', inverted in respect of each other. 
The upper pair of astragals is disposed be- 
low the torus, and the scotia separate each 
pair of astragals from each other. In the 
temple of Minerva Polias an astragal is em- 
ployed above the torus, separating it from 
the shaft ; the torus itself is formed ellipti- 
cally, and the under part of it is fluted : it 
has also a flute cut in the upper part near 
to the bead. In the temple of Apollo De- 
dymreus the upper torus is of a semicircular 
section and plain, and each bead of every 
pair is separated by a narrow fitlet. The 
base of the Asiatic Ionics differs little from 
that which Vitruvius appropriates to this 
