[M2.16backL]                                                          [M2.16back]									16
                                                                      
[diagrams]                                                            	2.   The Capital:  We have seen that the back form section of the
                                                                      		shaft is cylindrical.  But the best section of the abacus
                                                                      		of the capital, whose purpose is to receive the cross
                                                                      		lintel or other square set masonry will evidently be a
                                                                      		square Hence in a fine typical capital the plan changes
                                                                      		from a circle where it is set on the shaft; to a
                                                                      		square in the abacus; and this in one of two ways, either
                                                                      		by a gradually cutting away and rounding of the angle from
                                                                      		the lower edge of the capit abacus downwards;  or by making the
                                                                      		bell of the capital entirely circular, leaving the four
                                                                      		angles of the abacus projecting beyond it.  In either of
                                                                      		these cases however, the effect of the capital mainly
                                                                      		depends on the relations and proportions of the lines of
                                                                      		the pure profile, ab. bc. cd. to each other to the diameter
                                                                      Relations of	of the shafts, a a and to its height  And first it is to
                                                                      Capital with	observed that the relations of these important lines
                                                                      Shaft		may be considered almost without reference to the height
                                                                      Law 1st.	The excess of	of the shaft.  It is indeed true that a very flattened
                                                                      cd over aa	capital, such as fig 2 would only be wisely used on a short
                                                                      greater in prop.	shaft; but after the true height of the capital h. h.
                                                                      to slenderness	has once become equal to a greater than its diameter
                                                                      of shaft.	hh cd such a capital may be used indifferently at the top
                                                                      		of a shaft five - ten - twenty - fifty times its height h.h. - and

[Version 0.05: May 2008]