A R C H I T 
probably gave the firfl idea of the fwell of the capita!, 
which was further attended with this advantage, that by 
being broader on the top, it was better formed for receiv¬ 
ing the works above. It would be unapt and aukward 
real oiling to continue the companion of a column to the 
human figure, by fuppofing an alluiion of the capital to 
the head of a man. 
The abacus was certainly no more than a tile or done, 
placed with intent to throw off the water, and prevent its 
making into the column, which would have endanged the 
duration of the building. The ajlragals and fillets were 
certainly no more than bandages to bind the columns. The 
architrave we may conceive to be the beams or ties necef- 
f'ary to hold or unite the columns together. The frize was 
an outfide facing-of wood, occupying an height equal to 
the depth of the timbers under the roof; and which, ori¬ 
ginally, perhaps, was nothing more than the external ap¬ 
pearance of thole timbers, either plain or ornamented. 
The cornice, and its ornaments, were the ends or outer edge 
of the timbers, rafters, & c. necelfary to fupport the roof. 
The dentcles, triglyphs, modillions, See. from the above fource 
alfo, were accidental hints improved, when to ufefulnefs 
was wifhed to be added ornament; and which became per¬ 
manent, when the rude and clumfy ftrudhires of wood 
gave place to more elegant and durable ones of (lone. 
To furnifh a more complete idea of the ftate of primi¬ 
tive architedlure, and to fhew its gradual progrefs, from 
the fhady bower or turfed hut of the Indian, to the mod 
fimple and early conflruftion of a (lone building, we have 
added the annexed Plate, the figures of which have been 
felebled from the belt authors on this I object. 
When, therefore, the comforts and conveniences of fub- 
flantial habitations were known to mankind, and the inte- 
refls of fociety became united under regular forms of go¬ 
vernment, the art of building made hafty and rapid (b ides. 
Among the ancient Egyptians, AfTyrians,’ and Perfians, ar¬ 
chitecture was carried to an incredible length. The py¬ 
ramids of Egypt are Inch ftruclures as would almofl ex¬ 
ceed the power of the mod potent monarch toraife at this 
day. The larged of them, according to M. Goguet, is 
near 500 feet high, and contains 313,590 folid fathoms. 
It is compofed of (tones enormoufly large ; many of them 
being thirty feet long, four feet high, and three in breadth ; 
and all this huge mafs of building was coated over with 
marble. The ftruCture called the labyrinth, in the fame 
country, according to Herodotus, who favv it, excelled 
every thing which he could have conceived from the ima¬ 
gination either of himfelf or others. Within the fame 
circuit of walls they had inclofed 3000 halls, twelve of 
which were of a lingular form and beauty ; and of thefe 
half were above,-and half below, ground ; and the whole 
was terminated by a pyramid forty fathoms high. All 
this, prodigious mafs of building was compofed of white 
marble, and the walls were adorned with engravings. The 
obelisks were not lefs aftonilhing : the larged of them being 
entire pieces of granite, no lefs than 1S0 feet high. Near 
Andera, in Upper Egypt, are the ruins of a palace of grey 
granite, the cielings of which are fupported' by columns 
of fuch thicknefs, that four men can fcarcely fathom them. 
The cielings themfelves are compofed of dones of the 
fame kind, fix or (even feet in breadth and eighteen feet 
in length. The grand hall is 112 feet long, fixty high., 
and fifty-eight broad. The roof of the whole edifice is a 
terrace, on which the Arabs formerly built a very large 
village, the ruins of which are dill vifible. Among the 
Babylonians and Perfians, too, fuch immenfe piles of build¬ 
ing have been railed, as appear utterly inconceivable and 
incredible to many, modern authors, where their former 
grandeur is not demonftrable by-ruins vifible at this dsy. 
The ruins of Perfepolis, the ancient capital of Perlia, 
were fo (tupendous in the time of Avicenna the Arab phy- 
fician, that his countrymen could not believe fuch druc- 
tures poflible to be erected but by evil fpirits. Of their 
extraordinary magnificence, indeed, we may have fome 
idea from the account of the flair-cafes belonging to the 
VoL. II. No. 58. 
E C T U R E. • 65 
palace. The remains, fonie time ago, confided of ninety- 
five fteps of white marble, fo broad and flat, that twelve 
horfes might go up abreaft. 
In thefe vatl (truft tires, the nations of whom we fpeak, 
feem to have had it in view to immortalize their name. 
Antiquarians, however, are much divided touching the 
deftination of pyramids; iVE Pauw fuppofes they were 
raifed in honour to the fun ; and this feems partly con¬ 
firmed by the word pyramuc, which, according to Savary, 
fignifies in Arabic the rays of the fun. Be this as it may* 
it is enough for us to know, that they are the nobleft mo¬ 
numents of the fublime in architecture; and that, by the 
correfporidence of their faces with the four cardinal points, 
they prove to a certainty, that the poles of the earth have 
not changed in the courfe of 4000 years. If the kings 
who built the pyramids defigned to immortalize their me¬ 
mories, they certainly could not have fallen upon any thing 
more proper for this purpofe ; yet in this they have failed, 
the names of thofe who ereCted them not being certainly 
known even in the time of Herodotus. It is certain, how¬ 
ever, that neither the ancient AfTyrians nor Babylonians 
knew the method of conftruCting arches. The roofs of 
all their halls were flat, and covered with prodigioufiy- 
large dones, fome of them fo big as to cover a whole room 
fingly. It is remarkable, that improvements in architec¬ 
ture did not take place in Affyria till after the time that 
Jerufalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar. The granded 
buildings ere&ed among the AfTyrians feem to have owed 
their exidence to tills monarch ; and it can fcarcely be 
imagined that he*-\vould not endeavour to imitate the ar¬ 
chitect.ure of Solomon’s temple, to which, by his conqued 
of Jerufalem, he had full accefs. It is alfo remarkable, 
that the dimensions of the two pillars, jachin and Boaz, 
fet up by Solomon, very nearly correfpond with thofe of 
the Doric order ufed by the Greeks, and which originally 
came from their colonies fettled in A(ia Minor. The 
height of Solomon’s pillars, without the chapiter, was 
eighteen cubits ; that of the chapiter itfelf was five cubits; 
the circumference was twelve cubits; from whence, ac¬ 
cording to the Scripture language, we may reckon the dia¬ 
meter to have been exaCtly four cubits’. Had they been 
a (ingle cubit higher, they would have been precifely of 
the fame height with the columns of the original Doric. 
We do not mean to affect, that this famous temple gave a 
model of architecture to the whole world; although it is 
fcarcely conceivable but imitations of it, as far as it could 
be known, mud have taken place among many nations. 
Notwithdanding the deficiency of arches, however, the 
Egyptian buildings had an air of vaft grandeur and. mag¬ 
nificence, if we may credit the description given of one of 
their banqueting-rooms by Vitruvius.- The ufual (ize of 
one of thefe rooms was from ioo to 150 feet in length, 
and its breadth fomewhat more than half its length. At 
the upper end, and along the two fides, they placed rows 
of pillars well proportioned to one another, though not 
of any regular order; and at the lower part they made a 
magnificent and fpacious entrance. 1 hefe’ rows- of co¬ 
lumns were fet at a didance from the wall, forming a no¬ 
ble portico along the two (ides and upper end of the build¬ 
ing. Upon the pillars was laid an architrave ; and from 
this was carried up a continued wall with three 'quarter 
columns, anfwering diietUy to thofe below, and i:i pro¬ 
portion one-fourth fmaiier in all their parts. Between 
tiie(e three quarter columns were placed the w indows for 
enlightening the building. From the tops of the lower 
pillars to the wall was laid a floor : this covered the por¬ 
tico over-head within, and made on the outfide a platform, 
which was furrounded by a corridor with rails and bal'd f- 
ters. This was terraced, and ferved as a plain for people 
to walk on; and from this they could look down through 
the windows into the room below. To this terrace there 
was no covering required, as the Egyptians were in no 
fear of rain, 'i he Egyptians decorated this fort of build¬ 
ing with flatues ; and no kind of ornament could aitf.ver 
it fo well, as the light cannot fall upon ilatues to (uch ad- 
S vantage 
