Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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1Town, there are but few Pleaſures, but thoſe
of Luxury and the Night.
It is ſufficient there­
fore if in Town they can have an Abode that
does not want any Conveniencies for living
with Health, Dignity and Politeneſs: But yet,
as far as the Want of Room and Proſpect will
admit, our Habitation in Town ſhould not be
without any of the Delicacies of that in the
Country.
We ſhould be ſure to have a good
Court-yard, Portico, Places for Exerciſe, and
ſome Garden.
If you are crampt for Room,
and cannot make all your Conveniencies upon
one Floor, make ſeveral Stories, by which
means you may make the Members of your
Houſe as large as is neceſſary; and if the Na­
ture of your Foundation will allow it, dig
Places under Ground for your Wines, Oil, Wood,
and even ſome Part of your Family, and ſuch
a Baſement will add Majeſty to your whole
Structure.
Thus you may build as many Stories
as you pleaſe, till you have fully provided for
all the Occaſions of your Family.
The prin­
cipal Parts may be allotted to the principal Oc­
caſions; and the moſt Honourable, to the moſt
Honourable.
No Store-rooms ſhould be want­
ing for laying up Corn, Fruits, and all Manner
of Tools, Implements and Houſhold-ſtuff;
nor Places for divine Worſhip; nor Wardrobes
for the Women.
Nor muſt you be without
convenient Store-rooms for laying up Cloaths
deſigned for your Family to wear only on Ho­
lidays, and Arms both deſenſive and offenſive,
Implements for all Sorts of Works in Wool,
Preparations for the Entertainment of Gueſts,
and all Manner of Neceſſaries for any extraor­
dinary Occaſions.
There ſhould be different
Places for thoſe Things that are not wanted
above once a Month, or perhaps once a Year,
and for thoſe that are in Uſe every Day.
Every
one of which, though they cannot be always
kept lockt up in Store-rooms, ought however
to be kept in ſome Place where they may be
conſtantly in Sight; and eſpecially ſuch Things
as are ſeldomeſt in Uſe; becauſe thoſe Things
which are moſt in Sight, are leaſt in Danger
of Thieves.
The Habitations of middling Peo­
ple ought to reſemble the Delicacy of thoſe of
the richer Sort, in Proportion to their Circum­
ſtances; ſtill imitating them with ſuch Mode­
ration, as not to run into a greater Expence
than they can well ſupport.
The Country
Houſes for theſe, therefore, ſhould be contrived
with little leſs Regard to their Flocks and
Herds, than to their Wives.
Their Dove­
houſe, Fiſh-ponds, and the like ſhould be leſs
for Pleaſure, than for Proſit: But yet their
Country Houſe ſhould be built in ſuch a Man­
ner, that the Wife may like the Abode, and
look after her Buſineſs in it with Pleaſure; nor
ſhould we have our Eye ſo entirely upon Pro­
fit, as to neglect the Health of the Inhabitants.
Whenever we have Occaſion for Change of
Air, Celſus adviſes us to take it in Winter; for
our Bodies will grow accuſtomed to Winter
Colds, with leſs Danger of our Health than to
Summer Heats.
But we, on the Contrary, are
fond of going to our Country Houſes chiefly
in Summer; we ought therefore to take Care
to have that the moſt Healthy.
As for the
Town Houſe for a Tradeſman, more Regard
muſt be had to the Conveniency of his Shop,
from whence his Gain and Livelihood is to
ariſe than to the Beauty of his Parlour; the
beſt Situation for this is, in Croſs-ways, at a
Corner; in a Market-place or Square, in the
Middle of the Place; in a High-ſtreet, ſome
remarkable jutting out; inaſmuch as his chief
Deſign is to draw the Eyes of Cuſtomers.
In
the middle Parts of his Houſe he need have no
Partitions but of unbaked Bricks and common
Plaiſter; but in the Front and Sides, as he can­
not always be ſure of having honeſt Neighbours,
he muſt make his Walls ſtronger againſt the
Aſſaults both of Men and Weather.
He ſhould
alſo build his Houſe either at ſuch a proper
Diſtance from his next Neighbour's, that there
may be room for the Air to dry the Walls af­
ter any Rain; or ſo cloſe, that the Water may
run off from both in the ſame Gutter; and let
the Top of the Houſe, and the Gutters parti­
cularly, have a very good Slope, that the Rain
may neither lie ſoaking too long, nor daſh back
into the Houſe; but be carried away as quick
and as clear as poſſible.
There remains no­
thing now but to recollect ſome few Rules laid
down in the firſt Book, and which ſeem to be­
long to this Head.
Let thoſe Parts of the
Building which are to be particularly ſecure
againſt Fire, and the Injuries of the Weather,
or which are to be cloſer or freer from Noiſe,
be all vaulted; ſo likewiſe ſhould all Places un­
der Ground: But for Rooms above Ground,
flat Ceilings are wholeſomer.
Thoſe which
require the cleareſt Light, ſuch as the common
Parlour, the Portico, and eſpecially the Library,
ſhould be ſituated full Eaſt?
Thoſe Things
which are injured by Moths, Ruſt or Milldew,
ſuch as Cloaths, Books, Arms, and all Manner

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