Sebastiano Serlio · Third Book: Of Antiquities
The Baths of Diocletian
FOr that (as I sayd) the ground of Dioclesians Therme, being placed in so small a forme, can hardly be measured from part to part; therefore I haue made a part thereof in greater forme, which standeth hereunder, and is like the middle thereof, as the letter A. sheweth: and the liue in the middle thereof, is also 100. Palmes, like the other, whereby a diligent workeman •ay al•ost find all the measures thereof with a payre of Compasses.
THe Therme made by Dioclesian, was vsed for diuers comman and open sports, and specially to bathe in; whereunto it behoueth to haue great quantitie of water, which was brought by Pipes a great way off; and it was kept in certaine Cesternes, which stood in the Thermes of Dioclesian, in this manner as is hereunder set downe: it was made with Pilasters, and aboue it was crosse roofed, with walles about them, of very good stuffe; which was so firme, •at at this day it is yet to be séene: the thickenesse of the Pilasters is of each side foure foote: betwéene each two Pilasters is 12. foote of the old Romane foot, although the sayd Therme is measured with Palmes: and this line hereunder is halfe an olde foote.
Public-domain text (London, printed for Robert Peake, 1611; STC 22235). Transcribed by the Text Creation Partnership (EEBO-TCP, phase 2, no. A11922) from the Early English Books Online images of the copy reproduced there, and dedicated by the TCP to the public domain (CC0 1.0). Peake’s spelling, capitals and punctuation are kept, with u and v, i and j as printed; the long s is printed s, VV is printed W, line-end hyphens are joined, and letters or words the transcribers could not read are shown •. Serlio’s numbering of the chapters runs on from book to book, as in the original. The woodcuts are not reproduced: the labels and short captions cut in them are left out, but passages of text printed inside a woodcut are kept. The Latin inscriptions are given line by line.