_Of the Original of Architecture._
[Sidenote: _Lib. 2. Chap. 1._]
It's related by Historians, That Men, who in former times inhabited
Woods and Caverns like wild Beasts, first assembled themselves to make
Houses and Cities, which was occasioned by a Forest that was set on
fire, which drew all the Inhabitants together by its novelty and
surprizing effects; so that many Men meeting together in the same place,
they found out means, by helping one another, to harbour themselves more
conveniently, than in Caves and under Trees; so that it is pretended,
that Architecture was the Beginning and Original of all other Arts. For
Men seeing that they had success in Building, which necessity made them
invent, they had the Thoughts and Courage of seeking out other Arts, and
applying themselves to them.
[Sidenote: _Lib. 4. Chap. 2._]
Now even as they took Trees, Rocks and other Things that Nature her self
furnished Beasts to harbour themselves under, which were made use of as
Models for the first Houses, which at first were only made of green Turf
and broken Branches of Trees, they made use of them afterwards, in the
same manner, to arrive at something more perfect. For passing from the
Imitation of the Natural to that of Artificial, they invented all the
Ornaments of Edifices that were most curiously wrought, in giving them
the Form and Shape of those things that are simply necessary to the most
natural Buildings: And the Pieces of Timber of which the Roofs and
Floors of Houses are made, were the Original of _Pillars_,
_Architraves_, _Frises_, _Triglyphs_, _Mutils_, _Brackets_, _Corniches_,
_Frontons_ or _Piediments_, which are made of Stone or Marble.
The Pillars which are to be smaller at top than at bottom, were made in
Imitation of the Boles or Trunks of Trees, and their use was taken from
the Carpenters' Posts that are made to support the Building. The
_Architraves_ which are laid across many _Pillars_, represent _Summers_
that join many _Posts_ together. The _Frises_ imitate the _Muring_ that
is raised upon the _Summers_ betwixt the ends of the Beams that are laid
directly upon the _Pillars_. The _Triglyphs_ represent the Ceiling or
Joyner's work which was made upon the ends of the Beams to conserve
them. The _Corniches_ are as it were the extream parts of the _Joists_.
The _Modillions_ represent the ends of the Sheers, and the _Dentels_
represent the ends of the principal _Rafter_. The _Frontons_ are made in
imitation of the _Firms_ or _Girders_, upon which is laid the Roof of
the House.
[Sidenote: _Lib. 4. Chap. 2._]
There is likewise another Original of Architecture, which is taken from
the Inventers of the several Orders, and those that added the Ornaments
to embellish them. For it's the common Opinion, that the first Fabrick
that was made, according to any of the Orders, was the Temple that King
_Dorus_ built in Honour of _Juno_ in the City _Argos_. And it obtained
the name of the _Dorick_ Order, when _Ion_ the Conducter of a Colony,
which he established in _Asia_, made many Temples be built according to
the Model of the Temple built by _Dorus_ in _Greece_.
But the _Ionians_ having changed some of the Proportions and Ornaments
of the _Dorick_ Order, were the Authors of another Order, which was
called the _Ionick_, according to which, they built a Temple in Honour
of _Diana_. The reason of this change was, that this Temple being
dedicated to a Divinity, which they represented under the Shape of a
Young Lady, they thought it was proper to make their Pillars more
tapering, the better to represent the airy Stature of this Goddess, and
for this reason they adorned it more delicately, adding Bases which
represent the Buskin'd Ornaments of the Legs and Feet, according to the
Mode of that time; and Made the _Channellings_ deeper to represent the
Foldings and Plaits of a fine light Garment. They put likewise _Volutes_
or _Scrowls_ upon the _Capital_, pretending that they imitated the
Head-Dress of a Young Lady, whose Hair Beautifully descending from the
top of her Head, was folded up under each Ear.
Afterwards _Calimachus_ an _Athenian_, embellished the Capitals of the
Pillars, adding to them more Beautiful _Volutes_ or _Scrowls_, and more
in number, enriching them with the Leaves of _Brank Ursine_ and Roses.
It's said, That this Capital, which, according to _Vitruvius_, makes all
the Distinction betwixt the _Corinthian_ and _Ionick_ Order, was
invented by this ingenious Artisan upon this occasion. Having seen the
Leaves of the above-mentioned Plant grow round about a Basket which was
set upon the Tomb of a Young _Corinthian_ Lady, and which, as it
happened, was set upon the middle of the Plant. He represented the
Basket by the _Tambour_ or _Vase_ of the Capital, to which he made an
_Abacus_ to imitate the Tile with which the Basket was covered, and that
he represented the Stalks of the Herb by the _Volutes_ or _Scrowls_,
which were ever after placed upon the _Corinthian_ Capital. See Table
the IXth.
This great Artist likewise invented other Ornaments, as those we call
_Eggs_, because of the _Ovals_ in the _Relief_ which are in the
Mouldings of the _Corniches_ and are like _Eggs_. The Ancients called
this Ornament _Echinus_, which signifies the sharp prickly shell of
Chestnuts, because they found these Ovals represented a Chestnut half
open, as it is when it's ripe.
[Sidenote: _Lib. 3. Chap. 2._]
He likewise makes mention of another Famous Author, who found out the
proportion of all the Parts of a Fabrick, which was _Hermogenes_; to
whom he attributes the Invention of the _Eustyle_, _Pseudodiptere_, and
of all that is beautiful and excellent in Architecture.