coB ARCH! T 
afide; that is, they made it about three feet wide, and fix 
feet high, or twice as high as broad ; which proportion, 
being become habitual, was preferred to any other, and 
obferved, even when the fize of the entrance was confide- 
rably augmented, and other proportions would have been 
equally convenient. But, though thefe proportions are 
generally adopted in mod; private houfes, yet in palaces, 
or capital manfions, where much company reforts, the 
doors even of the common apartments fliould not be lefs 
than feven feet high, elfe a tall man with a hat, ora lady 
with feathers, cannot pafs without Hooping. And in the 
Hate apartments, where all the doors are frequently thrown 
open for the reception of company, they fliould be four, 
five, or fix, feet wide, with folding leaves, which fall 
back into the thicknefs of the party-wall, and afford a free 
and open paffage from one room to another through the 
whole fuite of apartments. Infide doors, leading from halls, 
veftibules, or autichambers, either to the principal apart¬ 
ments, or even to the inferior ones, fhould be in the mid¬ 
dle of the room, if poffible, and facing a window. Thofe 
that lead to galleries, or any other long rooms, fhould open 
in the centre of one of the ends ; and, in general, the open¬ 
ing of all doors fhould be fo contrived, as to offer to view, 
at the firft glance, the mod magnificent and extenfive prof- 
peft of the place they open into. The doors of commu¬ 
nication from one room to another fhould be at leafl two 
feet diflant from the front or back walls, that the tables, 
chairs, and other furniture, may not Hand in the way of 
thofe who pafs. In bed-rooms care fhould be taken to 
make no doors on the fame fide with the bed, unlefs to a 
water-clofet, wardrobe, bath, or other conveniency of that 
kind. Neither ought doors to be placed near chimneys, 
as the opening them would always diffurb thofe who fit by 
the fire. 
The common method of adorning doors, is with an ar¬ 
chitrave f urrounding the Tides and top of the aperture, on 
which are placed a regular frieze and cornice. Sometimes 
the cornice is fupported by a couple of confoles, placed 
one on each fide of the door; and fometimes, befides an 
architrave, the aperture is adorned with columns, pilaHers, 
caryatides, or terms, fupportinga regular entablature, with 
a pediment, or with fome other termination either of ar¬ 
chitecture or fculpture. Front doors, that have any of 
the orders for their embellifhment, fliould not be lefs than 
three feet fix inches wide; the height fliould be twice the 
width and one-fixtli part more, which might alfo be the 
height of the column; then the abacus will be taken out 
of that diinenfion, to feparate the door from the fan-light. 
With regard to windows, the firH confiderations are, 
their number, and their fize ; which mud be finch as nei¬ 
ther to admit more nor lefs light than is requifite. In the 
the determination of this objeCt, regard mud be had to the 
climate, the afpeCt, the extent and elevation of the build¬ 
ing, &nd its deftination, and, in a certain degree, to the 
thicknefs of the walls in which the windows are made, as 
on that circumfiance will in fomemeafure depend the great¬ 
er or lefs quantity of light admitted through the fame. In 
hot countries, where the fun is feldom clouded, and where 
its rays dart more intenfely upon the earth, the light is 
Hronger than in thofe which are temperate or cold ; there¬ 
fore a fmaller quantity of it will fuffice; and more than 
fufficient fliould not be admitted, as the confequence is the 
admiffion of heat likewife. The fame is the cafe with a 
foiithern afpect, which receives more heat, and confe- 
quently more light, than a northern, or even an eafiern or 
weflern, one. A large lofty fpace requires a greater quan¬ 
tity of light than one circumfcribed in its dimenfions; and 
art demands, that the quantity introduced fliould be fo re¬ 
gulated, that it may excite gay, cheerful, or folemn, fen- 
fations in the mind of a fpeCtator, according to the nature 
and purpofes for which the flruCture is intended. 
Wherever funfhihe predominates, light muff be admit¬ 
ted and diftributed with caution; for, when there is an ex¬ 
cels, its confiant attendant heat becomes infufferably in¬ 
commodious to the inhabitant. In Italy, and fome other 
E C T U R E. 
hot countries, although the windows be lefs in general 
than burs, their apartments cannot be made habitable but 
by keeping the window-flutters almoH clofed, while the 
fun appears above the horizon. But in regions where 
clouds prevail eight months of the year, it will always be 
right to admit a fufficiency of light to counteract the gloom 
of wet and cloudy feafons, and have recourfe to blinds or 
Hunters whenever the appearance of the fun renders it too 
abundant. ' 
The proportions of the apertures of windows depend 
upon their fituation. Their width in all the dories mud 
be the fame: but tire different heights of the apartments 
make it neceffary to vary the height of the windows like¬ 
wife. In the principal floor, it may be from two and one- 
eighth of the width to two and one-third, according as the 
rooms have more or lei's elevation. In the ground (lory, 
where the apartments are lower, the apertures of the win¬ 
dows feldom exceed a double fquare ; and, when they are 
in a nidic bafement, they are frequently made much low¬ 
er. The height of the windows of the fecond floor may 
be from one and a half of their width, to one and four- 
fifths ; and Attics and Mezzanines may be either a perfect 
fquare, or fomewhat lower. 
The windows of the principal floor are generally mod 
enriched. The fimpled method of adorning them is, with 
an architrave furrounding the aperture, and crowned with 
a frieze and cornice. The windows of the ground-floor 
are fometimes left entirely plain, without any ornament; 
and at others they are furrounded with rudics, or a regular 
architrave with a frieze and cornice. Thofe of the fecond 
floor have generally an architrave carried entirely round 
the aperture; and the fame is the method of adorning 
Attic and Mezzanine windows : but the two lad have fel¬ 
dom either frieze or cornice; whereas the fecond-floor 
windows are often crowned with both. The breads of all 
the windows on the fame floor fliould be on the fame level, 
and raifed above the floor from two feet nine inches to 
three feet fix inches at the very mod. When the walls are 
thick, the breads fhould be reduced under the apertures, 
for the conveniency of looking out. When the building 
is furrounded with gardens, lawns, or other beautiful ob¬ 
jects, the French method of continuing the windows quite 
down to the floor renders the rooms exceeding pleafant. 
The interval between the apertures of windows depends 
in a great meafure on their enrichments. The breadth of 
the aperture is the lead didance that can Be between them; 
and twice that breadth fhould be the larged in dwelling- 
houfes; otherwife the rooms will not be fufficiently lighted. 
The windows in all the dories of the fame afpedt mud be 
placed exafUy above one another. The mathematical rule 
of apportioning light to rooms, is as follows : Multiply the 
length of the room by the breadth, and multiply the height 
by the product of the length and breadth ; and out of that 
product extract the fquare root, which is the light requi¬ 
red. For example, Suppofe a room to be forty feet by 
thirty, and the height fixteen feet; the fquare root will be 
138 feet four inches, which may be divided into four win¬ 
dows, and each window will contain thirty-fix feet fuper- 
ficial. The height of each of thefe windows will be nine 
feet, and the width four feet. 
Suppofe a room to be thirty-fix feet by twenty-four, and 
fifteen feet in height; the fquare root will be 113 feet, 
which divided into four parts, or windows, will give twen¬ 
ty-eight feet three inches to each window. The height 
of thefe windows will be eight feet fix inches, and the 
width three feet four inches; and fo for any others by the 
fame rule of proportion. 
Of CEILINGS. 
Ceilings are either flat, or coved in different manners. 
The fimpled of the flat kind are thofe adorned with large 
compartments, furrounded with one or feveral mouldings, 
or borders, either let into the ceiling, or projecting beyond 
its furface: and when the mouldings that form the com¬ 
partments are enriched, and fome of the compartments 
adorned 
