Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Page concordance

< >
Scan Original
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
< >
page |< < of 320 > >|
    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/104.jpg" pagenum="86"/>
              Time ſee any Commotion in the City. </s>
              <s>In theſe
                <lb/>
              Particulars the Palace of a King and of a Ty­
                <lb/>
              rant agree; but then they differ in theſe
                <lb/>
              other. </s>
              <s>The Palace of a King ſhould ſtand in
                <lb/>
              the Heart of a City, it ſhould be eaſy of Acceſs,
                <lb/>
              beautiſully adorned, and rather delicate and
                <lb/>
              polite than proud or ſtately: But a Tyrant
                <lb/>
              ſhould have rather a Caſtle than a Palace, and
                <lb/>
              it ſhould ſtand in a Manner out of the City and
                <lb/>
              in it at the ſame Time. </s>
              <s>It looks noble to have
                <lb/>
              the Palace of a King be near adjoyning to the
                <lb/>
              Theatre, the Temple, and ſome Noblemens
                <lb/>
              handſome Houſes: The Tyrant muſt have his
                <lb/>
              Caſtle entirely ſeparated from all other Build­
                <lb/>
              ings. </s>
              <s>Both ſhould be built in a handſome and
                <lb/>
              noble Manner, but yet ſo that the Palace may
                <lb/>
              not be ſo large and rambling as to be not eaſily
                <lb/>
              defended againſt any Inſult; nor the Caſtle ſo
                <lb/>
              cloſe and ſo crampt up, as to look more like a
                <lb/>
              Jail than the Reſidence of a great Prince.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>We ſhould not omit one Contrivance very con­
                <lb/>
              venient for a Tyrant, which is to have ſome
                <lb/>
              private Pipes concealed within the Body of the
                <lb/>
              Wall, by which he may ſecretly hear every
                <lb/>
              Thing that is ſaid either by Strangers or Ser­
                <lb/>
              vants. </s>
              <s>But as a Royal Houſe is different from
                <lb/>
              a Fortreſs in almoſt all Reſpects, and eſpecial­
                <lb/>
              ly in the main Ones, the beſt Way is to let the
                <lb/>
              Palace join to the Fortreſs. </s>
              <s>The Ancients
                <lb/>
              uſed to build their Fortreſs in the City, that to
                <lb/>
              they or their King might have a Place to fly
                <lb/>
              to in any Time of Adverſity, and where the Vir­
                <lb/>
              tue of their Virgins and Matrons might be
                <lb/>
              protected by the Holineſs of a Sanctuary: For
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Feſtus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              tells us, that the Ancients uſed to con­
                <lb/>
              ſecrate their Fortreſſes to Religion, upon which
                <lb/>
              Account they were called
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Auguriales,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              and that
                <lb/>
              in them a certain Sacrifice uſed to be perform­
                <lb/>
              ed by Virgins, which was extremely ſecret and
                <lb/>
              entirely remote from the Knowledge of the
                <lb/>
              Vulgar. </s>
              <s>Accordingly you ſeldom meet with
                <lb/>
              an ancient Fortreſs without its Temple. </s>
              <s>But
                <lb/>
              Tyrants afterwards uſurped the Fortreſs to
                <lb/>
              themſelves, and overthrew the Piety and Reli­
                <lb/>
              gion of the Place, converting it to their cruel
                <lb/>
              and wicked Purpoſes, and ſo made what was
                <lb/>
              deſigned as a Refuge to the Miſerable, a Source
                <lb/>
              of Miſeries. </s>
              <s>But, to return. </s>
              <s>The Fortreſs be­
                <lb/>
              longing to the Temple of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Jupiter Hammon
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              was encompaſſed with three Walls; the firſt
                <lb/>
              Fortification was for the Prince, the ſecond for
                <lb/>
              his Spouſe and her Children, and the laſt was
                <lb/>
              the Poſt of the Soldiers. </s>
              <s>A Stucture very well
                <lb/>
              contrived, only that it was much better adapt­
                <lb/>
              ed for Defence than Offence. </s>
              <s>I muſt confeſs
                <lb/>
              that as I cannot ſay much for the Valour of a
                <lb/>
              Soldier that only knows how to repulſe an E­
                <lb/>
              nemy that aſſaults him, ſo I cannot much
                <lb/>
              commend a Fort that, beſides being able to
                <lb/>
              defend itſelf, is not alſo well diſpoſed for of­
                <lb/>
              fending its Enemies. </s>
              <s>But yet you ſhould con­
                <lb/>
              trive the Matter ſo, that though you have both
                <lb/>
              thoſe Advantages, you ſhould ſeem to have had
                <lb/>
              an Eye only to one of them, namely, your own
                <lb/>
              Defence; that it may be thought the other
                <lb/>
              happened only from the Situation and Nature
                <lb/>
              of the Building.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. IV.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of the proper Situation, Structure and Fortification of a Fortreſs, whether in
                <lb/>
              a Plain, or upon a Hill, its Incloſure, Area, Walls, Ditches, Bridges, and
                <lb/>
              Towers.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>I find that even Men of good Experience in
                <lb/>
              military Affairs, are in Doubt which is the
                <lb/>
              beſt and ſtrongeſt Manner of building a For­
                <lb/>
              treſs, either upon a Hill or Plain. </s>
              <s>There is
                <lb/>
              ſcarce any Hill but what may be either at­
                <lb/>
              tacked or undermined; nor any Plain but
                <lb/>
              what may be ſo well fortified that it ſhall be
                <lb/>
              impoſſible to aſſault it without great Danger.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>But I ſhall not diſpute about this Queſtion.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>Our Buſineſs is to contrive every Thing ſuita­
                <lb/>
              bly to the Nature of the Place; and indeed all
                <lb/>
              the Rules which we have laid down for the
                <lb/>
              building a City, ſhould be obſerved in the
                <lb/>
              building a Fortreſs. </s>
              <s>The Fortreſs particular­
                <lb/>
              ly ſhould be ſure to have even and direct
                <lb/>
              Streets, by which the Garriſon may march to
                <lb/>
              attack an Enemy, or in Caſe of Sedition or
                <lb/>
              Treachery, their own Citizens and Inhabitants,
                <lb/>
              and bring in Succours, either out of their own
                <lb/>
              Country or from Abroad, without Impedi­
                <lb/>
              ment, by Land, River, Lake, or Sea. </s>
              <s>One
                <lb/>
              very good Form for the Area of a Fortreſs, is
                <lb/>
              that of a C joining to all the City Walls as to
                <lb/>
              a round O with bending Horns, but not en­</s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
Impressum