it the course of both public and private affairs is
directed by the magistrates.

CHAPTER I

THE FORUM AND BASILICA

1. The Greeks lay out their forums in the form of a square surrounded by
very spacious double colonnades, adorn them with columns set rather
closely together, and with entablatures of stone or marble, and
construct walks above in the upper story. But in the cities of Italy the
same method cannot be followed, for the reason that it is a custom
handed down from our ancestors that gladiatorial shows should be given
in the forum.

[Illustration: _From Gsell_

FORUM AT TIMGAD

A, Forum. B, Basilica. C, Curia. C', Official Building. D, Small Temple.
E, Latrina. F, Atrium.]

2. Therefore let the intercolumniations round the show place be pretty
wide; round about in the colonnades put the bankers' offices; and have
balconies on the upper floor properly arranged so as to be convenient,
and to bring in some public revenue.

The size of a forum should be proportionate to the number of
inhabitants, so that it may not be too small a space to be useful, nor
look like a desert waste for lack of population. To determine its
breadth, divide its length into three parts and assign two of them to
the breadth. Its shape will then be oblong, and its ground plan
conveniently suited to the conditions of shows.

3. The columns of the upper tier should be one fourth smaller than those
of the lower, because, for the purpose of bearing the load, what is
below ought to be stronger than what is above, and also, because we
ought to imitate nature as seen in the case of things growing; for
example, in round smooth-stemmed trees, like the fir, cypress, and pine,
every one of which is rather thick just above the roots and then, as it
goes on increasing in height, tapers off naturally and symmetrically in
growing up to the top. Hence, if nature requires this in things growing,
it is the right arrangement that what is above should be less in height
and thickness than what is below.

4. Basilicas should be constructed on a site adjoining the forum and in
the warmest possible quarter, so that in winter business men may gather
in them without being troubled by the weather. In breadth they should be
not less than one third nor more than one half of their length, unless
the site is naturally such as to prevent this and to oblige an
alteration in these proportions. If the length of the site is greater
than necessary, Chalci