Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="main">
              <s>
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              That they be firm, ſolid, durable, in a Man­
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              ner eternal, as to Stability: And as to Grace­
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              fulneſs and Beauty, delicately and juſtly adorn­
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              ed, and ſet off in all their Parts. </s>
              <s>Having laid
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              down theſe Principles as the Foundations of
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              what we are to write, we proceed to our Subject.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. III.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
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              Of the Region, of the Climate or Air, of the Sun and Winds, which affect the Air.
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              </s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>The Ancients uſed the utmoſt Caution
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              to ſix upon a Region that had in it
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              nothing noxious, and was furniſhed with all
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              Conveniences; and eſpecially they took parti­
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              cular Care that the Air was not unwholeſome
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              or intemperate; in which they ſhewed a great
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              Deal of Prudence; for they knew that if the
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              Earth or Water had any Defect in them, Art
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              and Induſtry might correct it; but they affirm­
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              ed, that neither Contrivance nor Multitude of
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              Hands was able ſufficiently to correct and a­
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              mend the Air. </s>
              <s>And it muſt be allowed, that,
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              as what we breathe is ſo conducive to the
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              Nouriſhment and Support of Life, the purer
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              it is, the more it muſt preſerve and main­
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              tain our Health. </s>
              <s>Beſides, how great an In­
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              fluence the Air has in the Generation, Pro­
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              duction, Aliment, and Preſervation of Things,
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              is unknown to nobody. </s>
              <s>It is even obſerved,
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              that they who draw a pure Air, have better
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              Underſtandings than thoſe who breathe a heavy
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              moiſt one: Which is ſuppoſed to be the Rea­
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              ſon that the
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              Athenians
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              had much ſharper Wits
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              than the
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              Thebans.
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              </s>
              <s> We know that the Air,
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              according to the different Situation and Poſiti­
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              on of Places, affects us ſometimes in one Man­
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              ner, and ſometimes in another. </s>
              <s>Some of the
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              Cauſes of this Variety we imagine we under­
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              ſtand; others by the Obſcurity of their Natures
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              are altogether hidden and unknown to us. </s>
              <s>We
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              ſhall firſt ſpeak of the manifeſt Cauſes, and
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              conſider afterwards of the more occult; that
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              we may know how to chuſe a Region com­
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              modious and healthful. </s>
              <s>The Ancient Theo­
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              logiſts called the Air
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              Pallas. </s>
              <s>Homer
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              makes
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              her a Goddeſs, and names her
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              Glaucopis,
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              which
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              ſignifies an Air naturally clear and tranſparent.
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              </s>
              <s>And it is certain, that Air is the moſt healthy,
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              which is the moſt purged and purified, and
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              which may moſt eaſily be pierced by the Sight,
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              the cleareſt and lighteſt, and the leaſt Subject
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              to Variations. </s>
              <s>And on the contrary we af­
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              firm the Air to be peſtiferous, where there is a
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              continued Collection of thick Clouds and ſtink­
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              ing Vapours, and which always hangs like a
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              great Weight upon the Eyes, and obſtructs
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              the Sight. </s>
              <s>The Occaſion of this Difference
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              proceeds from ſeveral Cauſes, but chiefly I
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              take it, from the Sun and Winds. </s>
              <s>But we are
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              not here to ſpend Time in theſe phyſical En­
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              quiries, how the Vapours by the Power of the
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              Sun are raiſed from the moſt profound and
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              hidden Parts of the Earth, and drawn up to
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              the Sky, where gathering themſelves together
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              in vaſt Bodies in the immenſe Spaces of the
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              Air, either by their own huge Weight, or by
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              receiving the Rays of the Sun upon their rari­
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              fied Parts, they fall and thereby preſs upon the
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              Air and occaſion the Winds; and being after­
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              wards carried to the Ocean by their Drought,
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              they plunge, and having bathed and impregna­
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              ted themſelves with Moiſture from the Sea,
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              they once more aſcend through the Air, where
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              being preſſed by the Winds, and as it were
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              ſqueezed like a Sponge, they diſcharge their
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              Burthen of Water in Rains, which again
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              create new Vapours. </s>
              <s>Whether theſe Conjec­
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              tures be true, or whether the Wind be occaſi­
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              oned by a dry Fumoſity of the Earth, or a hot
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              Evaporation ſtirred by the Preſſure of the Cold;
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              or that it be, as we may call it, the Breath of
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              the Air; or nothing but the Air itſelf put into
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              Agitation by the Motion of the World, or by
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              the Courſe and Radiation of the Stars; or by
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              the generating Spirit of all Things in its own
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              Nature active, or ſomething elſe not of a ſepa­
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              rate Exiſtence, but conſiſting in the Air itſelf
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              acted upon and inflamed by the Heat of the
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              higher Air; or whatever other Opinion or
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              Way of accounting for theſe Things be truer
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              or more ancient, I ſhall paſs it over as not
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              making to my Purpoſe. </s>
              <s>However, unleſs I am
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              miſtaken, we may conceive from what has been
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              ſaid already, why ſome Countries in the World
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              enjoy a pleaſant chearful Air, while others,
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              cloſe adjoyning to them, and as it were laid
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              by Nature in the ſame Lap, are ſtupified and
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              afflicted with a heavy and diſmal Climate.
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              </s>
              <s>For I ſuppoſe, that this happens from no other
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              Cauſe, but their being ill diſpoſed for the O­
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              peration of the Sun and Winds.
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              Cicero
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              tells
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              us, that
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              Syracuſe
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              was ſo placed, that the Inha­
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              bitants never miſſed ſeeing the Sun every Day
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              in the Year; a Situation very ſeldom to be met </s>
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