Chapter VIII. Of the temple of Nerva Trajanus

NEAR the said temple built by Augustus, the vestigia are to be seen of the temple of Nerva Trajan, the aspect of which is the prostilos; its manner is thick of columns. The portico, together with the cell, is in length somewhat less than two squares.

The floor of this temple is raised from the ground with a basement that goes round the whole fabrick, and forms the sides of the stairs by which one ascends to the portico. In the extream parts of those sides there are two statues, that is, one on each head of the basement,

THE base of the columns js Attick, different in this from what Vitryvrus teaches, and from what I have f2id in the first book, that there are in it two tondino’s more, the one ug-der the cavetto, and the other under the cimbia,

THE tongues of the capital are carved in the form of olive leaves, and those leaves are disposed by fives, as are the fingers in the hands of men. I have observed, that all the an. tint capitals are made in this manner, and succeed better, and hae more grace than those in which the said leaves are made by fours,

In the architrave are very beautiful carved works, intaglio’s, that divide one fascia from the other; and thee intaglio’s, and these divisions are on the sides of the temple only, because the architrave in the front, and the frize were made all even, that the inscription might conveniently be put there; of which these few letters are still to be seen, although jagged and spoilt by time,

IMP ATOR NERVA VA CAESAR AVG, PONT, MAX, - TRIB. POT. I. IMPERATOR 11. PROCESS,

THE cornice is very well carved, and has very beautiful, and very convenient projections. The architrave, the frize, and the cornice are, all together, the fourth part of the length of the columns, The walls are made of peperino, and were coated with marble, In the cell along the wall T have put tabernacles with statues, as by the ruins it should seem there have been,

Beror: this temple there was a piazza, in the middle of which the statue of the fig emperor was placed: And writers say, that so many and fr wonderful were ir ofuaments, that they astonithed those that beheld them, as not thinking them the work of men, but of giants,

Hence the emperor Constantius when he came first to Rome, was (truck with the rare structure of this edifice; then turning to his architect, (aid, that he would in Constant;-eple make a horse like that of Nerva, to his own memory. To whom Ormisipa answere (so was that architect's name) that it was first necessary to make him such another table, shewing him this piazza,

THE columns that are round it have no pedestals, but rise from the ground; and it wag very reasonable, that the temple should be more eminent than the other parts. These are also of Corinthian work, And upon the cornice directly over them there were small pilasters, upon which statues must have been placed. Nor must any body wonder, that [ have put such a number of statues in these edifices, because one reads that there were in Rome so many, that they seemed there a second people.

OF this edifice T have made six plates.

In the first is half the front of the temple. Plate IN the second is the elevation of the part within, and near i js the plan of the temple, Plate and of the piazza together,

In the third is the upright of the flank of the portico; and by the intercolumniations Plate 13, may be seen the orders of the columns that were round the piazza,

In the fourth there is the half front of the piazza opposite to the temple, Plate 14 In the fifth are the ornaments of the portico of the temple, Plate Aa A, the

IN the sixth are the ornaments that were round the piazza.

1, the frize, which was carved with M, the ornaments of the square doors, that

figures in basso relieve. were in the front of the piazza, opposite