Rudiments of ancient architecture, containing an historical account of the five orders, with their proportions, and examples of each from antiques also, extracts from Vitruvius, Pliny, &c. relative to the buildings of the ancients (London, 1810 (4. Aufl.))

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE. 37

be either Attic or Corinthian: the capital
has seventy minutes in height; the propor-
tion of the members of the entablature, is
the same as in the Tuscan and Ionic orders.
If the entablature is enriched, the shaft of
the column may be fluted, and the flutings
may be filled to one third part of their
height with cabling, which will strengthen
the lower part of the column, and make it
less liable to injury. In very rich interior
decorations, the cabling may be composed
of reeds, ribbands, husks, flowers, &c.
The capital is enriched with olive leaves,
as almost all the antiques at Rome of this
order are; the acanthus is seldom employ-
ed but in the Composite order: the enta-
blature to this order may be reduced to
two ninths, or one fifth of the height of
the column; in which case it is best to use
the Ionic entablature, or reduce the den-
teles of the cornice."

The Composite or Homan order cer-
tainly owes its origin to that constant soli-
citude after novelty, which ever renders
the mind of man restless in an enlightened
and highly cultivated age. The desire of
variety and novelty, either of new inven-