STYLES OF ARCHITECTURE.

182. It is generally acknowledged that the various styles in architecture, were originated in accordance with the different pursuits of the early inhabitants of the earth; and were brought by their descendants to their present state of perfection, through the propensity for imitation and desire of emulation which are found more or less among all nations. Those that followed agricultural pursuits, from being employed constantly upon the same piece of land, needed a permanent residence, and the wooden hut was the offspring of their wants; while the shepherd, who followed his flocks and was compelled to traverse large tracts of country for pasture, found the tent to be the most portable habitation; again, the man devoted to hunting and fishing—an idle and vagabond way of living-is naturally supposed to have been content with the cavern as a place of shelter. The latter is said to have been the origin of the Egyptian style; while the curved roof of Chinese structures gives a strong indication of their having had the tent for their model; and the simplicity of the original style of the Greeks, (the Doric,) shows quite conclusively, as is generally conceded, that its original was of wood. The modern-Gothic, or pointed style, which was most generally confined to ecclesiastica. structures, is said by some to have originated in an attempt to imitate the bower, or grove of trees, in which the ancients performed their idol-worship.

183. There are numerous styles, or orders, in architecture, and a knowledge of the peculiarities of each is important to the student in the art. An ORDER, in architecture, is composed of three principal parts, viz: the Stylobate, the Column and the Entablature.

184. The STYLOBATE is the substructure, or basement, upon which the columns of an order are arranged. In Roman architecture especially in the interior of an edifice-it frequently occurs that each column has a separate substructure; this is

called a pedestal. If possible, the pedestal should be avoided in all cases; because it gives to the column, the appearance of having been originally designed for a small building, and after wards pieced-out to make it long enough for a larger one.

185. The COLUMN is composed of the base, shaft and capital. 186.-The ENTABLATURE, above and supported by the columns, is horizontal; and is composed of the architrave, frieze and cornice. These principal parts are again divided into various members and mouldings. (See Sect. III.)

187.-The BASE of a column is so called from basis, a foundation, or footing.

188.-The SHAFT, the upright part of a column standing upon the base and crowned with the capital, is from shafto, to dig—in the manner of a well, whose inside is not unlike the form of a column.

189.-The CAPITAL, from kephale or caput, the head, is the uppermost and crowning part of the column.

190.-The ARCHITRAVE, from archi, chief or principal, and trahs, a beam, is that part of the entablature which lies in immediate connection with the column.

191.-The FRIEZE, from fibron, a fringe or border, is that part of the entablature which is immediately above the architrave and beneath the cornice. It was called by some of the ancients, zophorus, because it was usually enriched with sculptured animals.

192. The CORNICE, from corona, a crown, is the upper and projecting part of the entablature-being also the uppermost and crowning part of the whole order.

193.-The PEDIMENT, above the entablature, is the triangular portion which is formed by the inclined edges of the roof at the end of the building. In Gothic architecture, the pediment is called, a gable.

194.-The TYMPANUM is the perpendicular triangular surface which is enclosed by the cornice of the pediment.

195.-The ATTIC is a small order, consisting of pilasters and entablature, raised above a larger order, instead of a pediment. An attic story is the upper story, its windows being usually

square.

196.—An order, in architecture, has its several parts and members proportioned to one another by a scale of 60 equal parts, which are called minutes. If the height of buildings were always the same, the scale of equal parts would be a fixed quantity—an exact number of feet and inches. But as buildings are erected of different heights, the column and its accompaniments are required to be of different dimensions. To ascertain the scale of equal parts, it is necessary to know the height to which the whole order is to be erected. This must be divided by the number of diameters which is directed for the order under consideration. Then the quotient obtained by such division, is the length of the scale of equal parts-and is, also, the diameter of the column next above the base. For instance, in the Grecian Doric order the whole height, includ ing column and entablature, is 8 diameters. Suppose now it were desirable to construct an example of this order, forty feet high. Then 40 feet divided by 8, gives 5 feet for the length of the scale; and this being divided by 60, the scale is completed. The upright columns of figures, marked H and P, by the side of the drawings illustrating the orders, designate the height and the projection of the members. The projection of each member is reckoned from a line passing through the axis of the column, and extending above it to the top of the entablature. The figures represent minutes, or 60ths, of the major diameter of the shaft of the column.

197.-GRECIAN STYLES. The original method of building among the Greeks, was in what is called the Doric order: to this were afterwards added the Ionic and the Corinthian. These three were the only styles known among them. Each is distinguished from the other two, by not only a peculiarity of

some one or more of its principal parts, but also by a particular destination. The character of the Doric is robust, manly and Herculean-like; that of the Ionic is more delicate, feminine, matronly; while that of the Corinthian is extremely delicate, youthful and virgin-like. However they may differ in their general character, they are alike famous for grace and dignity, elegance and grandeur, to a high degree of perfection.

198.-The DORIC ORDER, (Fig. 120,) is so ancient that its origin is unknown-although some have pretended to have discovered it. But the most general opinion is, that it is an improvement upon the original wooden buildings of the Grecians. These no doubt were very rude, and perhaps not unlike the following figure.

The trunks of trees, set perpendicularly to support the roof, may be taken for columns; the tree laid upon the tops of the perpendicular ones, the architrave; the ends of the cross-beams which rest upon the architrave, the triglyphs; the tree laid on the cross-beams as a support for the ends of the rafters, the bed-moulding of the cornice; the ends of the rafters which project beyond the bed-moulding, the mutules; and perhaps the projection of the roof in front, to screen the entrance from the weather, gave origin to the portico.

The peculiarities of the Doric order are the triglyphs-those parts of the frieze which have perpendicular channels cut in