The Colosseum

I Haue shewed the Ichnographie of the Romish Colisco, in foure sorts, euen like as the building is of foure sorts or orders: now I must shew the Profill thereof, by the which a man may conceaue a great part of the inward things: therefore the Figure following sheweth the whole building aboue yᵉ earth, as if it were cut through in the middle. In which Figure, first you sée all the degrées whereon the Spectators sate: there also you may perceiue how many wayes the goings vp were, which (in truth) were very easte to go vp & downe, so that in short time the Amphitheater was filled with a great number of men, without hindrance one of another. You may also sée in the outward part, how the thicknes of the Pilasters, and the walles vpwards lessened, which on the inside are drawne in, and being so drawne in, giueth the building great strength: and to shew it to be true, you may sée there, at this day, some part of the Facies without, yet whole, from the top to the bottome, and yet the inward parts are decayed, and that hath the drawing inward of the Centrée dens, which made the worke slighter, taking, as it were, a forme of a Piramides. But this is not obserued in the common building in Venice, but rather the contrary, because the walles without are in Perpendicular maner, and lessen inwards: and this they doe (for want of ground) to get the more space vpwards, but that which helpeth such buildings, is, that there are no Arches in it, nor Roofes, of any maner, that force the walles to giue out, but the number of Bea• & which are layd and fastned in the walles, bind the walles and the roomes of the house together, and so such buildings stand fast so long as the Beames indure, which men from time to time renue: neuerthelesse, these kinds of buildings last not so long as the ancient buildings did, made in such order as you sée in the Colisco, whereof I will speake agayne. And withall, (as I sayd) the innermost part being so ruinous, that men sée no part of the innermost worke, which is cut off by the line that hath Shafts or Arrowheads at the ends: and for that you sée no parts thereof at all, whether that the vppermost parts of the highest steps, vpwards to the top, were all couered with double Galleries, or that the Porticus was alone, and the other left open: therefore I haue made it in two maner of wayes: the one is (as you see in the same Profill) ioyned with all the worke: and the other maner is, which standeth without the degrées or steps, which order also agréeth with the other, if you set it so, that the two Lists in the Pedestals méete each with the other: but for that you sée some remaynders of the crossed Roofes, which yet hang within on the walles, as the fourth ground sheweth, the which, I iudge, was onely a Porticus, and that the other part was vncouered to receiue the people, and being so, must receiue them better then if the Galleries had béene double: Now to turne to the beginning of the degrées or steps, that I leaue nothing vntouched, as néere as I can, I say, by meanes of the ruines, and filling vp with matter fallen, the playne, or the place in the middle is so filled vp, that a man cannot marke how high the first degrées of the playne were eleuated: but by the instructions of those that haue séene the end, the first degrée was so high, that the wild and vntamed Beasts could not hurt the beholders: and there was also a Borstwering, and other stréetes, of a reasonable bredth to go round about, as it is shewed where it is marked with C. The two open places, the least and the greatest Arch, were to bring in light. The places standing vp about the degrées or steps which are couered and marked A. are D•res, whereby men went without, vp the Stayres to the Theater.

THE outward part, that is, the Orthographie of the Romish Coliscco, is made of foure stories: and the first story next aboue the ground, is made after the manner of Dorica: and although there are in the Freese neither Tr•gliphes nor Metophes, nor yet guts in the Epistolie or Architraue; neither Fulmines and guts vnder the crowne, yet it may be called Dorica. The second Order, is after the manner of Ionica: and although the Columnes be not fluited, yet in effect they may be called Ionica. The third Story, is after the manner of Corinthia, but firme worke without cutting, vnlesse it be the Capitals, the which with their height are not exquisitely made. The fourth Story, is Composita; other call it Latina, because it was inuented by the Romanes: some others call it Italica. But it may well be called Composita, were it but for the mutiles which stand in the Fréese, for that no other Story haue their mutiles in the Fréese, but that. Many men aske why the Romanes made this Building of foure Orders, and made it not all of one forme or order as many others are, as that of Verona, which is all of rusticall worke, and that of Pola also. A man may answere thereunto, that the old Romanes, as rulers ouer al, & especially of those people, from whence the thrée former Orders had their beginning, would set those 3. generations one aboue another: & aboue all those orders, the Composita, as found by themselues; thereby signifying, that they as tryumphers ouer those people, would also tryumph with their workes, placing and mingling them at their pleasures. But omitting these reasons, we will procéed to the measures of the outtermost parts and Orthographie. This Building was eleuated from the earth two degrées: the second degrée was fiue Palmes broad, and the first two Palms; the height was little lesse then a Palme: the Base of the Columne was not two Palmes, no more is the Dorica: the Columne is foure Palmes thicke and two minutes: the height is 38. Palms and 5. minutes, with Base and Capitall: the height of the Capitall is about two Palmes: the Pilasters on eyther side of the Columnes, are thrée Palmes and thrée minutes: the widenesse of the Arch is twenty Palmes, and the height is 33. Palmes: from vnder the Arch, to the Architraue, is fiue Palmes and sixe minutes: the height of the Architraue is two Palmes and eyght minutes: the height of the Fréese is thrée Palmes and two minutes: the Cornice as much. The Pedestall of the second Order, is eyght Palmes and ten minutes high: the height of the Columnes, with Bases and Capitals, is fiue and thirty Palmes, the thicknesse is foure Palmes: the Pilasters and Arches are like those beneath: but the height of the Arch is thirty Palmes: from vnder the Arch, to vnder the Architraue, is fiue Palmes and sixe minutes: the height of the Architraue is thrée Palmes: the height of the Fréese, is two Palmes and nine minutes: the height of the Cornice, is thrée Palmes and nine minutes. The Pedestall of the fourth Order, called, Composita, (héere our Author hath forgotten the third Order, but howsoeuer, it differeth not much from the Ionica) the Pedestall of the Composita, is twelue Palmes high: the vnder-Base thereof, is foure Palmes: the height of the Pillars, with Bases and Capitals, is thirty eyght Palmes and sixe minutes: the height of the Architraue, Fréese, and Cornice, is about ten Palmes, deuided in thrée, one part for the Cornice, the second for the Fréese, wherein the Mutiles stand, and the third for the Architraue. But for what cause, or reason, the workeman set the Mutiles in the Fréese, (things, which, peraduenture, before that time were neuer made) I haue deliuered my opinion thereof in my fourth Booke, in the beginning of the Order of Composita. The Pillars of the fourth Order are flat, and rise but a little: all therest are round Columnes, (that is to say) thrée fourth parts, rising out of the Pilasters: the Mutiles aboue the windowes vpheld some beames, the which are boared through with holes for men to draw cords to couer the hole Amphitheater, as well against the Sunne as the rayne: for what cause the Columnes are all of one thicknesse, and lessen not one more then the other (as it séemeth they should; and as Vitruuius would) as the second Order are lessened a fourth part, I haue also declared my opinion in the fourth Booke, and the ninth Chapter. In the treatise of making Columnes, longer or shorter; and that the particular members may also be noted, I haue marked them also by the Orthographie of the Colisceo, which are proportioned according to the principall, together with their Caracters whereunto they are likened.