_Of the great Merits of_ Vitruvius, _and the Excellencies
of his Works_.
There are so many things in the Works of _Vitruvius_ that do not
directly appertain to Architecture, that one would think they were less
fitted to Instruct those that have a design to learn the Precepts of
this Art, than to perswade the World that the Author was the most
knowing Architect that ever was, and a Person of the greatest Merit: He
had the Honour to serve _Julius Caesar_ and _Augustus_, the two Greatest
and most Magnificent Princes of the World, in an Age when all things
were come to the highest degree of Perfection.
[Sidenote: _Lib. 6. Preface._]
For one may see in reading his Works, which are full of a wonderful
variety of Matters, which he treats of with a singular Erudition, that
this great Man had acquired that Profound Knowledge which is necessary
for his Profession by more excellent Methods, and more capable of
producing something excellent, than the bare exercise and ordinary
practice of a Mechanical Art could possibly do; being compleat in all
the Liberal Arts and Sciences, and his great Wit being accustomed, even
from his Cradle, to understand the most difficult Matters: He had
acquired a certain Facility which meer Artizans have not, of penetrating
the deepest Secrets, and all the difficulties of so vast an Art, as that
of Architecture.
[Sidenote: _Lib. 2. Pref._]
[Sidenote: _Lib. 6. Pref._]
Now as it's true that in the Practice and Exercise of Arts, one does not
always easily distinguish the Abilities of those that work in them. The
great Capacity of _Vitruvius_ before the publishing of his Book, which
he Composed when he was in Years, had not all the Esteem it deserved;
which he complains of in his Preface, and in the Age he lived; though it
was full of the most refined Wits, yet he had the fortune of others, to
find few to defend him from the Surprizes and Attacks of false
Reasoning, and from the injustice that prejudice creates, to those who
apply themselves more to cultivate the Talents they possess, than to
make parade of them.
[Sidenote: _Lib. 2. Pref._]
[Sidenote: _Lib. 6. Pref._]
[Sidenote: _Lib. 3. pref_.]
[Sidenote: _Lib. 3. Pref_.]
[Sidenote: _Lib. 6. Pref_.]
_Vitruvius_ was a Man, who, as to the exteriour, made a small Figure,
and who had not heaped up great Riches by the practice of his
Profession; and having, as it were, buried himself in study, and wholly
given himself over to the Contemplation of Sciences, understood little
of the Arts of the Court, or the Crafty Slights of pushing on his
Fortune and making himself considerable; for though he was bestowed
upon, and recommended to _Augustus_, by the Princess _Octavia_ his
Sister, we cannot find that he was employed in any Works of great
Importance. The Noblest Edifice that we can learn that _Augustus_ caused
to be built, was, the Theatre of _Marcellus_; and this was done by
another Architect: And the only Fabrick we can find he was employed in
was not at _Rome_, but at _Fano_, a very little City; insomuch, that the
greatest part of the Architects of that Age, who had gained the general
Vogue, being so ignorant, that they did not know even (as himself is
forced to declare) the first Principles of their Art: The Quality of a
mere Architect was become so Contemptible, that if his Books had not
carried all the Marks of an extraordinary Knowledge, and rare abilities,
and undeceived the World by taking away the prejudice that his small
employ created him, the Precepts he has left us would have wanted that
Authority that was necessary to support them.
For Architecture being an Art that has scarce any other Rule to walk by,
in performing all those Excellencies her Works are capable of, than what
we call a Good Fancy, which truly distinguishes that which is Beautiful
and Good from that which is not so; it's absolutely necessary that one
be perswaded that the Fancy he follows is better than any other; to the
end, that this Perswasion insinuating it self into them that study this
Art, it may form in them a Correct and Regular Idea, which without this
Perswasion, would be always floating and uncertain; so that to establish
this Good Fancy, it's necessary to have one to whom we give great
deference, and who has merited great Credit by the Learning that is
found in his Writings; and is believed to have had sufficient abilities
of chusing well among all Antiquity, that which is most solid and
capable of founding the Precepts of Architecture.
The Veneration we have for the first Inventers of Arts, is not only
Natural, but it's founded upon Reason; which makes us judge, that he
that had the first Thought, and first invented any Thing, must needs
have had a fitter Genius, and a better Capacity for it, than all those
that afterwards laboured to bring it to its utmost Perfection. The
_Greeks_, who were the Inventers of Architecture, as well as of other
Sciences, having left many Works behind them as well in Building as in
Books, which were looked upon in the time of _Vitruvius_, as the Models
of what was perfect and accomplished in this Art, _Vitruvius_ chiefly
followed and imitated them; and in the Composition of his Book, gathered
from them all that was to be found Excellent and Rare in all their
Works; which makes us believe, that he has omitted nothing that was
necessary, to form the General Idea of Good and Beautiful, since there
is not the least probability that any thing could escape so Rare a Wit,
Illuminated with so many different Lights.
But because at present the Reputation of _Vitruvius_ is so generally
established, that all Ages have placed him in the first Rank of great
Wits, and that there is nothing necessary to recommend the Precepts of
Architecture, but to prove they were drawn out of his Works: We having
here designed to make only an Abridgment of his Works, we thought it
would be necessary to cut off many things that this Famous Author has
drawn out of an infinity of Writers, whose Works are now lost, and only
gives a short Account of the Contents of every Book, in the beginning of
this Abridgment; handling only in this Book, those Things that directly
belong to Architecture; disposing the Matter in a different Method from
that of _Vitruvius_, who often leaves off the Matter he is treating of,
and takes it up again in another place.
The Order we have proposed to our selves in this Abstract, is, That
after having given an Account in few words of what is contained in the
whole Book; we Explain more particularly what we judge may be
serviceable to those that study Architecture. This Treatise is divided
into Two Parts; The First contains the Maxims and Precepts that may be
accommodated to _Modern_ Architecture; the Second contains all that
appertains to the _Ancient_ and _Antique_ Architectures; which, though
often affected, have little that's now made use of, may yet nevertheless
serve to form the Judgment, and regulate the Fancy, and serve for
Examples of things that may be useful.
I make a Distinction between the _Ancient_ Architecture, and the
_Antique_ Architecture, and the _Modern_; for we call that Architecture
_Ancient_ of which _Vitruvius_ has writ, and of which we may as yet see
many Examples in the Fabricks that remain in _Greece_. The Architecture
which we call _Antique_, is that which may be found in the Famous
Edifices, which, since the Time of _Vitruvius_, were built at _Rome_,
_Constantinople_, and many other places. The _Modern_, is that which
being more accommodated to the present use, or for other Reasons, has
changed some of the Dispositions and Proportions which were observed by
the _Ancient_ and _Antique_ Architects.