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Poetry, on the other hand, by its metre, the feet of its
verses, the elegant arrangement of the words, the dia-
logue introduced into it, and the distinct pronunciation of
the lines, delighting the sense of the hearer, leads him to
the close of the subject without fatigue. This cannot be
accomplished in Architectural works, because the terms,
which are unavoidably technical, necessarily throw an
obscurity over the subject. These terms, moreover,
are not of themselves intelligible, nor in common use;
hence if the precepts which are delivered by authors
extend to any length, and are otherwise explained
than in few and perspicuous expressions, the mind of the
reader is bewildered by the quantity and frequent re¬
currence of them. These reasons induce me to be brief
in the explanation of unknown terms, and of the
symmetry of the parts of a work, because the matter
may thereby be more easily committed to and retained
by the memory. I am moreover inclined to be con¬
cise when 1 reflect on the constant occupation of the
citizens in public and private affairs, so that in their
few leisure moments they may read and understand as
much as possible. Pythagoras and his followers wrote
the precepts of their doctrines in cubical arrangement,
the cube containing two hundred and sixteen verses, of
which they thought that not more than three should be
allotted to any one precept. A cube is a solid, with six
equal square faces, which, however it falls, remains
steady and immoveable till removed by force: such are
the dice which are thrown on a table by gamesters. From
this circumstance they seem to have adopted the cube,
since like the cube, this number of verses makes a more
lasting impression on the memory. The Greek comic