[M2.17backL]                                                          [M2.17back]									17
                                                                      
                                                                      		a truly graceful and well designed capital of such proportions
                                                                      		can hardly ever be misplaced:  Our principle of
                                                                      (1)		relations is however constant.  The excess of the line cd
                                                                      		over the line a a, may be greater exactly in proportion
                                                                      		to the diminution of the weight, which the shaft a a has
                                                                      		to carry:  For the bearing strength of the capital is of
                                                                      		course greatest when it projects back:  Now we have
This principle must be clearly enunciated in the chapter on shafts.   (2)		already seen that in all good architecture the diminished
                                                                      		weight will be borne by the slender shafts.  Hence it
                                                                      		follows that the excess of c d above a a, may be greater
                                                                      		{(c par)} in proportion to the slenderness of the shaft.
                                                                      		Fig 3 and 4 p 17 represent extreme conditions of right
                                                                      		proportion in the respect and figure 5 and 6 extreme conditions
                                                                      (3) Law 2nd	of wrong.  But also, since the bearing strength of the
                                                                      The excess of	projecting portions of the capital is to be considered
                                                                      cd over aa	not only with respect to the sect proportion of the weight to
                                                                      must be less	{length of} the shaft, but with respect to the absolute
                                                                      in proportion	weight thrown on the line a a be the shaft long or short:
                                                                      to scale of	and to the diffusion of its pressure on the line c d.  Now
                                                                      capital.		exactly in proportion to the Increase of actual scale:
                                                                      		is the relative weakness of the projection of the capital,
                                                                      		because the [?] cohesion whether of the stone or cement
                                                                      		which is enough to keep together the projecting parts
                                                                      		when they are small, [?] cannot be proportionately

[Version 0.05: May 2008]