" Upon the beams, perpendicularly to the capitals, the pike are placed, three feet high and four feet broad, on every side. Over these, other beams, w ell w nought from two timbers, of two feet, are placed around ; upon which, the transtrau and eapreols, being placed coracident with the zophorns, antra, and walls of the uuronaos, sustain one oilmen the whole length of the basilica, and another transversely front the middle over the pronaos of the temple : so that it causes a double dis position of time f'astigium, and gives a handsome appearance to the roof on the outside, and to the lofty testudo wirhin. Also, the omission of the ornaments or the cpistylimn, and of the upper columns and plutei, diminishes the labour of the work, and saves great part of the expense. The columns likewise }Wing carried in one continued height up to the beams of the testudo, increases the magnificence and dignity of the work." Poitou is also used for any place in which the governor of a province convened the people, to give judgment according to the course of the law', Fonust also meant a public standing-place in the city of Home, where eauses were judicially tried, and orations deli vered to the people.
The Roman forra were of two kinds—Fora Civilia and Venalia; the former were for law and political af airs. the latter fin• the purposes of trade. Of the Fora Civilia, there were at first only three. viz., Homanum, Julianum, and Augustuin ; but their number was afterwards increased to six, by the addition of the transitorium, called also palla dium, the Trajanum, and Salusti.
The first and must eminent of these was the forum Roman?, m, called also ,forum reins. In the time of Bomu Ins, this forum was only a large epen space, without buildings or other ornament. It was first enclosed by I lostilius. adorned with porticos by Tarquin the Elder, and at length, by the additions of succeeding kings, eonsu Is, and IthIgistrates, it became one of the must elegant and noble places in the world. It was called Pinn um, or simply forum, by way of a eminence, on account of its in COMparisi in with the other fora, and from its more general use in public ad'mit's. It rolled la rum La tinam, forum magnum, fold old _/bruin. The comitrarn, used some•mes for holding the eranitia, was a part of this fo-um, in which stood the rostra a sort of pulpit, adorned with the beaks of ships taken in a sea-fight fl'oin the inhabitants of Anthill). In this the causes were pleaded, orations were and panegyrics were delivered on the merits of the dead.
A very beautiful restored view of the Forum Romannnt was made by Mr. C. R. Cockerel', and a reduced view was engraved and published, with his permission, in the second volume the " Pompeii," published by the Society for the Diffasion of Useful Knowledge, to which we refer our read ers for an accurate notion of the splendour of the accumu lated architecture of the Forum and the Capitol, and its vicinity.
The Julian forum, called also argot's forum, was built by Julius Caesar with the spoils taken in the Gallic war. Its area alone, according to Suetonios, cost 100.000 sesterees ; and Dio affirms, that it much exceeded the Roman forum.
Augustus's forum, built by Octavius Caesar, was reckoned by Pliny among the wonders of the city. The most rema•k able curiosity it presented was the statues in the two porticos on each side of the main building. In one were all the Latin kings, beginning with ,Eneas. In the other, all the kings of Home. beginning with Bornulus ; most of the eminent persons in the commonwealth, and Augustus himself among the rest, with an inscription upon the pedestal of every statute, descriptive of the chief actions and exploits of the person it represented. This forum was restored by the em peror Adrian.
Nerva's forum was begun by Domitian, but finished and named by the emperor Nerva. In this forum Alexander Severe; set tip the statues of such of the emperors as had been deified, in imitation of what Augustus had done in his fin'llmf. This 1,,r11111 WJ s called transitarium, because it lay
very convenient as a passage to the others, and patio liam, front a statue of Minerva which was set up in it. Sear•ely anything remains of this forum except a decayed arch, which the Italians, by a strange corruption, call Noah's ark, instead of Nerra's arch.
Trajan's fiirum was built by the emperor Trajan with the produce of the spoils taken in his wars. The porticos, which were exceedingly beautiful and iniwnifieent, were covered with brass. and supported by pillars of more than ordinary size. and of exquisite workmanship.
The forum of Pompeii. was constructed in the Greek style. cannot, however, be altogether considered. if we arc guided by the authority of Vitruvius, a truly Greek Agora, which this author states was to be made square ist form. It has, however, many peian forum is or an oblong shape, surrounded on three sides with rows of columns, r inning, with the advanced colutnns or the various buildings, a colonnade or ; this there was a second, if we may judge from the remains of stairs at several places at the back of the colonnade. The fourth side of the thrum is enclosed with two arches placed on each side of a large hyptutral temple, called the temple of Jupiter. On the west side are the prisons and the granary, before these, and the temple of Venus, and the Basilica, is an enclosed court. On the narrow side, opposite the temple of Jupiter, are three buildings, generally considered to be the Curia: and ;Erarium. On the east side is an enclosure, (the use of which has not been determined,) the Chnleidieum, the temp:e of Mercury, the Senaculum, and a building sup posed to he a large eating-house, generally known by the name of the Pantheon, in front of o hich are the Argentarime. The enclosed area of the thrum was paved with large square pieces or marble, and the sides of the area were adorned with statues. Opposite the Curire, and a short way from them, is a stmill triumphal arch. The foram was closed at night with iron-barred gates, and it does not appear that chariots were admitted into it, as the pavement of the streets terminates at the back of the colonnade. The columns of the ambulatory are of the Greek Doric order, and were being restored in the same style, though with better materials. at the time the city was destroyed. The odium's were :Imo isty le, and the architraves were most probably of wood, as we unity inrer from their being destroyed, while the frieze and cornice of stone remain.
The thrum of Constantinople was erected by Constantine when he established the city on the commanding eminence or the second hill, where he pitched his tent during the siege and conquest of Byzantium. The edifice was or an elliptic form ; the two opposite entrances formed triumphal arches; the porticos on e% ery side were filled with statues, and the centre of the edifice was occupied by a lofty column, of which only a mutilated rraginent is now left, and is degraded by the appellation of the burnt pillar. This colunm was erected on a pedestal of white marble. t20 feet high. it was composed of 10 pieces of porphyry, each or which measure;.1 about 10 feet in height, and about 33 in circumference. On the summit of the pillar, :Wove 1•0 feet from the ground, stood a colossal statue of Apollo, of bronze, which had been transported hither front Athens, or from the town of and was supposed to be the work of Phidias. The artist had represented the god of day, or, as it was afterwards interpreted, the emperor Constantine himself, with a sceptre in his right hand, the globe of the world in his left, and a crown of rays glittering on his head. This statue was thrown down in the reign of Alexis Comnenus.