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                                                                      	2.   The Capital:  We have seen that the back section of th
                                                                      shaft is cylindrical.  But the best section of the abacus
                                                                      of the capital, whose purpose is to receive the cross
                                                                      lintol 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 abacus downw[a]ards;  or by making the
                                                                      bell of the capital entirely circular, leaving the four
                                                                      angles of the abacus projecting beyond it.  In iehter of
                                                                      these cases however, the effect of the capital mainly
                                                                      depends on the relations and proportions of the lines of
                                                                      the pure profile, a b b c c d to each other to the diametor
                                                                      of the shafts, a a and to its height  And first it is to
                                                                      observed that the relations of these important lines
                                                                      may be considered almost without reference to the height
                                                                      of the shaft.  It is indeed true that a very flattened
                                                                      capital, such as fig 2 would only be wisely used on a short
                                                                      shaft;  but after the true height of the capital h. h.
                                                                      has once become equal to a greater than its diameter
                                                                       c d such a capital may be used indifferently at the top
                                                                      of a shaft five - ten - twenty - fifty times its  ehgith
                                                                      height h h - and 

[Version 0.05: May 2008]