Romulus in the capitol, by its thatched roof, clearly ma¬ 
nifests the simple manners and habits of the ancients. 
It is from such specimens we are enabled to form just 
ideas of the early method of building. Daily practice 
made the original builders more skilful, and experience 
increased their confidence ; those who took more delight 
in the science making it their exclusive profession. Thus 
man, who, in addition to the senses which other ani¬ 
mals enjoy in common with him, is gifted by nature with 
such powers of thought and understanding, that no sub¬ 
ject is too difficult for his apprebension, and the brute 
creation are subject to him from his superiority of in¬ 
tellect, proceeded by degrees to a knowledge of the other 
arts and sciences, and passed from a savage state of life 
to one of civilization. From the courage which his 
gradual success naturally excited, and his engagement 
in those various speculations with which the arts are 
connected, his ideas expanded; and from building huts 
he soon proceeded to the erection of houses constructed 
with brick walls or with stones, whose roofs were of tim- 
ber covered with tiles. Thus by experience and obser¬ 
vation the knowledge of certain proportions was attained, 
which in the beginning were fluctuating and uncertain; 
and advantage being taken of the bounty of nature, in 
her supply of timber and other building materials, the 
rising art was so cultivated that by the help of other arts 
mere necessity was lost sight of ; and by attending to the 
comforts and luxuries of civilized society, it was carried 
to the highest degree of perfection. I shall now, to the 
best of my ability, proceed to treat of those materials 
which are used in building, their quality, and use. Lest 
any one object that the order of my treatise on the matters