The maner of Composita Building, with the Ornaments thereof, The ninth Chapter

ALthough Vitruuius speaketh of foure maner of Columnes, as Dorica, Ionica, Corinthia and Thuscana, giuing hereby vnto vs almost the first and simple maner of ornaments of Architecture: neuerthelesse, I haue added one to the sayd foure, as (almost) a fift maner of Pillar, composed of the others aforesayd, moued thereunto by the authoritie of Romane worke, which we may see with our eyes. And, in trueth, the workemans foresight ought to be such, that as occasion serueth, he may make many things by the sayd simple and compound worke, respecting both the nature and the subiect. And therewithall the workeman sometimes (to whose iudgement many subiects may be referred) shall be abandoned and left by Vitruuius counsel, that could not conceaue all; whereby he should be brought into a straight, and compelled to do, as he seeth case: (I meane) for that Vitruuius, in my opinion, speaketh not at all of this Composita, by some called, Latina, and by others, Italica; which the old Romanes, peraduenture, being not able to goe beyond the inuention of the Greekes, finders of the Dorica, after the example of men, and of the Ionica, resembled to women, and the Coriothia, after the forme of maydes, of the Ionica and Corinthia made a composition, piecing the Volute of the Ionica, with the Echino in the Capitall Corinthia; and these they vsed more in Arches tryumphant, then in any other things: which they did with good foresight, for that they tryumphed ouer all those countries, frō whence the sayd worke had their beginnings: and so they might well at their pleasures, as commanders ouer them, set these orders together, as they haue done in the great building of the Romish Coliseo. And hauing therein placed the 3. orders one vpon the other, viz. Dorica, Ionica and Corinthia, they placed Composita aboue them all, which, by euery one, is called so: although, as men may perceyue, the Capitals are almost Corinthia. But it was an excellent iudgement, in my opinion, of them, that hauing placed this order in the highest part of the Coliseo, which being farre off from mens sight, men should haue seene, if they had set the Architraue, Freese and Cornice of the Ionica and Corinthia aboue the Columnes, that such worke, by long distance of time, would haue prooued bad: but placing the Mutiles in the Freese, they made the worke rich, and it holpe the Proiecture of the Corona; and withall, it wrought another effect, which was, that the Architraue, Freese, and Cornice, seemed to be one Cornice alone, by meanes of the Modiglions that were set in the Freese, for that they seemed great, obseruing their proportion.

THE height of this Columne, Composita, shall, with Base and Capitall, be of 10. parts: the Base shall be of halfe the •lumne thickenesse; and it shall bee made Corinthia, with the measure set downe by the Corinthia: ar•ts is yet séene in the Gate of the Arch tryumphant of Ti•us, and Vespasian, in Rome. You may make the Columnes chaneled, as you doe the Ionica, and sometime like the Corinthia, make the Volutes somewhat greater then the Caulicoli of Corinthia: which Capitall you sée in the Arch aforesayd, and is set downe here in Figure: for the Architraue, Fréese and Corona, if it stand farre from mens sight, then the Architraue shall bee as high as the Columne is thicke aboue: the Fréese, wherein the Mutiles are, shall bee of the same height, The Cimatie of the Mutiles shall be of a sixt part: the Proiecture of the Mutiles shalbe like the height. The height of the Corona, with her Cimatie, holdeth as much as the Architraue, and that deuided in 2. parts, one shall bee the Corona, the other the Cimatie; the Proiecture thereof, shall be like the height: and this is a common rule, although that in the Figure ensuing, marked C. you may sée the members and measures of that, which is in the Coliseo aforesayd: and for that this Columne is the slenderest of all others, therefore the Pedestall ought to lice séemelier then the rest, following the common rule: the height thereof shalbe a double bredth, that is, slat, and of that height there shall be •yght parts made, one for the Base, and one for the Scima: but of the particular members you may take the example here on the side, in the Figure; which, altogether, are proportioned according to the Pedestals of the aforesayd Arch tryumphant: and so, being a Columne of ten parts, the Pedestall shall also be ten parts in it selfe, proportioned after the Columne. And although men make all Pedestals in Perpendicular, yet in Athens, a most ancient Towne, there are some, that are somewhat lessened in the vpper part, which I discommend not.

FOr that ancient workemen haue vsed diuers mixings of worke, therefore I will not set downe those that are best knowne and composed, for that the workeman may chuse out of them such as he thinketh will serue his turne best. The Capitall hereunder set, marked T. is composed of Dorica, Ionica, and Corinthia: the Abacus and Cimatie is Dorica: the Echine and Strike, is Ionica: the Astragal and Leaues, are Corinthia, as also the Base with the two Thorus, is Dorica: but by the 2. Scoties, and the Astragals, as also, because of the beautifulnesse thereof, it shew•th to be Corinthia; which things are in Tresteuere in Rome: the Capitall X. and also the Base, are of 2. kinds, Dorica and Corinthia. The Abacus of the Capitall, and also the Base, is Dorica; but the Base, by meanes of the liuelinesse of the worke, may be named Corinthia, and so are the Leaues of the Capitall of Corinthia: but for that the Abacus is fouresquare, and all the other members round: therefore you shall cut the Rose vnder the Abacus in the 4. corners, as you sée it in the Figure. The Capitall A. with the monstrous horse, in place of Caulicules, may be called Composit•, and is in the Basilico del foro transitorio. The strikes of the Columne are different from others, as you may see them beside the A. The Base X. is Composita, and is in Rome: the Capitall is méere Corinthia, and is at the 3. Columnes, beside the Colises. The Capitall C. is composed of Ionica and Corinthia; and is in an Arch tryumphant in Verona. The Capitall D. is in the same Arch, on some flat Columnes. The Base Y. is Composita, with the Astragalus, which standeth vpon the vppermost Thorus, and is of Antiquitie in Rome.

YOu sée not many Arches tryumphant made of Composita, and the most part are made of pieces, taken ont of other buildings: neuerthelesse, hauing shewed a generall rule for them; therefore I will not set downe any other inuention of Edifices of that kinde: for the prouident workeman, as necessitie requireth, may helpe himselfe with the inuentions aforesayd, changing them into Composita. But I will shew two orders of Chimneys of each sort of worke, the one within the wall, & the other without. This Chimney, which should stand cleans within the •all, if you will make it in a small place, the height shalbe no higher then to a mans shoulders, that's mans eye and sight may not be hurt by the fires and the widenests;e shalbe according to the bignesse of the place wherein it should bee set. The height by to the Architraue, shalbe deuided in 4. parts, one shalbe the bredth of the Antepagmentum or the Pilaster, wrought in such maner as you sée it heere set downe. And in this Composita, (because it is frée• •en the other) I haue made this Pilaster very much differing from the rest, neuerthelesse, taking a part of this inuention from an ancient stoole, which is at S. Iohn de La•era•ēs in Rome. The Architraue shalbe of halfe the bredth of the Pilasters: the Cimatie of the sixt part: the rest shalbe deuided in 7. whereof 3. parts shalbe for the first Facie, and 4. for the second. The Asteagalus shalbe made of a halfe part, taken betwéene both the Facies. The Fréess, because it is cut, shalbe made the fourth part higher then the Architraue: the Cornice is the height of the Architraue, and there shalbe 7. parts made of it. 2. for the Cimatie vnder the Corona: other 2. for the Cor•a: and one for the Eimatie thereof. The 2. that re•ine, are for the Scima; and the Proiecture of all shalbe like the height. But if you make the Pilaster of the Art part of his height, and the other members duni•ished accordingly, it will be much more séeruely and specially, if the worke bee of small forme. For the ornaments aboue the Cori•ce, you may chuse whether you will maks them or not that i• referred to the workeman.

AMan may make other drnaments of Chimneyes of this Composita worke, & in diuers formes as this, because it is more licentious then the other maner of building: and for a changing of the other forme, you may also make this by this rule. The height of the Architraue being of a reasonable mans stature, you shall deuide the same in 8. parts, whereof one shalbe for the bredth of the Modiglions or Rolles: Vitruuius calleth them Prothyrides. The height of the Pedestals shalbe as high as if they were to sit vpon. The order aboue the Modiglions, which holdeth no rule at all, shalbe two parts and an halfe of the bredth of the Modiglions. And for that also I haue sayd, this maner is without rule, therefore the leaues and other parts, shalbe referred to the workeman. Men may also sometimes set the Dorica and the Ionica, and sometimes the Corinthia aboue the Modiglions: and for that the funnell, which receyueth the smoke, is wyde, therefore you may make the small order aboue it, which will giue it a fayrer forme then the vsuall, which goeth like a Piramides, or sharpe vp.