Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/684

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SCAVENGERS, two Officers chofe yearly in each Pariih in London^ and the Suburbs, whole Bufinefs it is to hire Perfbns called Rakers, and Carts to cleanfe the Streers, and carry away the Dirt and Filth thereof. The Word is derived from the 1)mch Schaven s to fcrape or fhave away. The Germans call them c Dreck-[imo>ns i from one Simon a famed Scavenger of Marpmg. The Scavengers are much the fame with what were anciently called Street-wards.

SCENE, in the ancient Drama, in its general Senfe, was the Theatre whereon Dramatic Pieces, and other pub- lick Shews, were reprefented. See Theatre. In its pro- per Senfe, the ancient Scene was the Decoration of the Theatre. In the Extremity of the Theatre, were three large Gates or Openings, wherein appeared feveral pcr- ipeclive Decorations, viz. A Palace for Tragedies, Houfes and Streets for Comedies, and Forefis for Paltorals. Thefe Decorations were all versatile, i. e. either they turn'd on Pivots, as defcribed by Vitniviu$ % or trufile, j, e. Hided along Grooves, as thofe in our Theatres j and as this or that Side, or Representation, was turned towards the Spectators, the Scene was called a Tragic, iCo?'/tic, or a 'Paftoral Scene. See Stage, Vitruvius ob- ierves, That rhe Seem was properly a large Face or Front of Building, adorned with Columns and Statues, among which were three large Apertures for perlpective Repre- fentations. See feveral curious Remarks on the ancient Scene in M. 'Perrault's Notes on fftruvius, lib. 5. cap. 6* According to Rvfinus, the Scene, in its proper and original Senfe, is a Series of Trees difpofed againft each other, fo as to form a continued Arch, and Shade, skia, to defend thofe underneath it from the Injuries of the Weather : For in fuch Places it was, that, in ancient Times, e'er Theatres were built, they acted their Plays. Thus alio Cajjiodorus derives the Word Scene, from the dofe Shade of the Grove, where, in the Spring Time, rhe ancient Shepherds uied to Sing and Play.

Scene is alio ufed for the Place thus reprefented, or that where the Action is conceived to have pafled. See Action- One of the grand Laws of the Drama, is, To obierve the Unity of the Scene, which we more ufually all ibtVmty of 'Place. See Unity. In Effect, to keep dole to Nature and Probability, the Scene fhould never be fliifted from Place to Place, in the Courfe of the Play. The Ancients were pretty ievere in this Refpect, parti- cularly -Terence : In ibme of bis Plays, the Scene never fhifts at all, but the Whole is traniacted before the Door of an old Man's Houfe, whither, with inimitable Art, he brings all his Actors, occasionally. The French too are lay flrict in this Refpect : But the Englift plead for a Diipenfatior from the Rule, which they think confines them to too narrow Bounds, and precludes them from that Variety of Adventures and Intrigues, which our ling- lip Audiences will never be Satisfied without. However, the more judicious and accurate of our Writers are very moderate in the Ule of this Licence, and take Care not to deviate too far from Probability, by (hifting the Scene, between the Acts, much farther than the Per Ions con- cerned may be fuppofed to have patTed in rhe Interval. Hence they ieldom carry the Scene out of the lame Town : But others, who own no Subjection to the ancient Rules, take othergulie Liberties. With Ibme of thefe 'tis no- thing to skip at once from Covent-Garden to Tern. The great Shakeffear is exceedingly faulty in this Refpect, in almoft all his Plays.

Scene is alfo a Part or Divifion, of a Dramatick Poem, determined by a new Actor's entering. Plays are divided into Acts, and Acts lub-divided into Scenes. See Act. In moll of our printed Plays, a new Scene is never cxprefTed to begin, but when the Place is fuppoftd to be changed by fhifting, or drawing, the moveable Scene $ but this muft be efieemed as an Overfight. On our Siage, the Scene is, properly, the Perfons prcfent to, or concern'd in the Action on the Stage at fuch Time. Whenever, therefore, a new Actor appears, or an old one difappears, the Action is changed into other Hands, and therefore a new Scene then commences.

'Tis one of the Laws of the Stage, That the Scenes fe well connetled: that is, that one fucceed another, in luch Manner, as that the Soene is never quite empty till ( ta End of the Act. The Ancients did not allow of above Three Perfons on the Stage at the lame Time, excepting in the Chorus's, where the Number was not limited. The Moderns have but little regard to this Reflection.

SCENIC GAMES, or Representations. Ludi Scenici, &nong the Ancients, were Entertainments exhibited on g%J, of all Kinds, with Dancing, and other Theatrical fe fformances. The Romans were 400. Years without any &emc Gaines at all. Lhy obferves, That tbey were firft inftituted in the Year of Rome 392, under the Confulate jf C. Sulpitim Posticus, and C. Licimus Stolon. But the Sticks have obferved a Trip here in Zivy j the Confu-
 * ta Scene, or Theatres, including what we now call

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late of thofe Perfohs falling in the Year 389, which, therefore, is held the Mr a of the Introduaion of Scenic: Games. For at the Beginning, fome AHors were fent for out of Retrnria ; who, without reciting any Thing, danced! about to the Sound of luftruments ; lo that thus far was no more than a Ball, or rather what the French call a ISallet. At length they began to rehearfe Verle : thus, by degrees, growing more and more perfecf, they were at laft reprefented with a Jullnels, and Magnificence, be- yond any Thing the World ever few, See Theatre. The Fathers, in their Writings, cry out loudly againft thefe Games.

SCENOGRAPHY, in Perfneaive, a Rcpreftntatiori of a Body on a peripeclive Plane; or, a Deicriptiori Thereof in all its Dimenfions ; iuch as it appears to the Eye. See Perspective. The Ichncgraphy of a Build- ing; CJf. reprefents the Plan, or Ground work of the Building. See Ichnography. The Orthcgraphy, the Front, or Upright, thereof. See Orthography. And the Scenography, the whole Building, Front, Sides, the Heigh th and all. The Word is formed from the Greek <rxim) Scene, and ypyqtti Deicriprion.

So exhibit the Scenography of any Body.

1°. Lay down the Balis, Ground-plot, or Plan cf the Body, in the perfpeaive/rfergr^jj'.according to the Method laid down under the Article Perspective. 2 . Upon the le- veral Points of the Plan raife the Perlpective Heights : Thus will fche Scenography of the Body be compleated,; excepting that a proper Shade is to be added. The Me- thod of railing the Heighrs is as follows.

On any "Point given as C, (Tab. Perfpect. Fig. 1.) tf raife a 'PerfpeBroe Altitude, anfxerable to an Objetlive Altitude P Q_ On the Terreflrial Line raife a Perpendi- cular P O^ equal to the given objective Altitude. Frorri P and Q_, to any Poinr, as T, draw right Lines P T and Q^Ti From the given Point C draw a right Line C K, parallel to the Terreltrial Line D E, meeting the right Line O T in K. In the Point K, upon the Line K C, erect a Perpendicular I K. This I K is the Scencgraphio Altitude required. The Application of this general Me- thod of drawing the Scenography of a Body, is not fo obvious, in every Cafe, but that it may be necelTary tp illuftrate it a little by a few Examples,

So exhibit the Scenography cf a Cube, viewed by an Angle.

i°. As the Balis ofa Cube viewed by an Angle, Handing on a Geometrical Plane, is a Square viewed by an Angle j Draw a Square, viewed Angular wife, on the Perlpective Table.or Plane. 2°Raife the Side H If.Fig.2O of the Square perpendicularly on each Point of the Terreftnal Line \J E 5 and to any Point, as V, of the Horizontal Line HR, draw the right Line'V I and V H. 3°. From the Angles d, b and c, draw c 1, d 2, ££?c. Parallel to the Terreflrial Line D E. 4. From the Points 1 and 2, raife L i, and M 2. perpendicular to the fame. Laflly, Since H I is the Height to be railed in a, L 1 in c and b, and M 2 in d: In a raife the Line f a perpendicular to f a ; in b and c, raife b g and c e perpendicular to b c 1 ; and Lallly, Raife <1 h, perpendicular to d 2 : And make a f = HI, b g = e c = L i, and h d = M. 2 : If then the Parts g h, e f be connected by right Lines, the Scenography will be eompleat.

•So exhibit the Scenography of a BbUciu Qum- quangular Prilin.

10. Since the Bale of a hollow guinquangular 'prifm. Handing on a Geometrical Plane, is a Pentagon, with a Limb or Breadth of a certain Dimenfipn ; find the Ap- pearance of this Pentagon on a Table, or Plane. See Per- spective. 2°. On any Point, as H, of the Terreflrial Line D E (Fig. 3.) raife a perpendicular H I, equal to the objective Altitude ; and to any Point, as V, of the Horizontal Line H R, draw the Lines H V and I V. 3°. From the feveral Angles, a, b, d, e, c, of the Per- fpeaive Ichnography, both the Internal and External ones, -draw right Lines, as b 2, d 3, CJo. parallel to the Terreflrial Line ; and from the Points 1, 2, 3, raife Per- pendiculars to- the fame, as L i, M 2 m 2, N 3 n 3.. If thefe, then, be raifed in the correfppndent Points of the Ichnography, as in the preceding Article, the Sceno- graphy will be eompleat.

So exhibit the Scenography of a Cylinder.

»•. Since the Bafe of i Cylinder, (landing .on a Geome- trical Plane, is a Circle ; feek the Appearance of a Cir- cle. In the Points, a. b, d, f, h, g, c, c, (Fig. 4.) raife [ H J the