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PREFACE

TO THIS

TRANSLATION.

OTWITHSTANDING the Art of PERSPECTIVE mut be acknowledg'd o highly and indipenfably requiite in the Practice of Painting, Architecture, and Sculpture; that in the Firt of thee epecially, nothing commendable can be performed without its Aitance: Yet uch have been the Difficulties and Obcurities met with in the firt Attempts, and o great the Perplexity and Confuion of Lines in the Practice thereof; that the bet Intructions, hitherto made Englih, have invited very few to uch a Proecution of this Study, as might render their Performances of this kind, truly valuable.

'Tis omething unaccountable, that, among o many learned Perons as have handled this Subject, Priets, Architects, and Painters; very few, if any of them, have given Directions proper for hunning that Diorder and Confuion of Lines, which, in mot Intances, mut necearily attend the Execution of their Rules: In all or mot of which the whole Space for the Performance is confin'd between the Lines of the Plan and Horizon; which, where the Scale is mall, and the Height of the Eye not very much advanc'd, renders the Work exceedingly confus'd; and where thoe Lines are coincident, (which frequently happens) the Method becomes utterly impracticable.

Author's great Experience in the Practice of Perpective, having furnih'd him with excellent RULES for Shortning the Work, and Obviating the foremention'd Difficulties; he has here very generouly imparted them, and epecially the latter, in the Tenth and Eleventh Figures. And tho on Perual of the firt three or four Plates, this Method may poibly eem the ame that ome others have before made ue of; yet whoever hall diligently oberve and copy the Rules and Examples of the ucceeding Figures, mut necearily acknowledge the great Advantage this has in a Perpective-Plan and Upright, clear and ditinct; whence the finih'd Piece is deduc'd, without the leat Incumbrance of the Work. The Explanations of the Rules here given, are hort and intructive 5 and the Architectonical Deigns produc'd to exemplify them, Noble and Magnificent.

The Manner of Deigning, where the Perpective is drawn on everal Ranges of Frames one behind the other, and uch Scenes of Theaters whoe Grooves lie oblique Rh