Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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Matters, and ſo neceſſary to Mankind; it would
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be a Shame to neglect any of thoſe Obſervati
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ons which voluntarily offered themſelves to me;
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and I thought it the Duty of an honeſt and
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ſtudious Mind, to endeavour to free this Sci
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ence, for which the moſt Learned among the
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Ancients had always a very great Eſteem, from
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its preſent Ruin and Oppreſſion. </
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<
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>Thus I ſtood
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doubtful, and knew not how to reſolve, whe
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ther I ſhould drop my Deſign, or go on. </
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<
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>At
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length my Love and Inclination for theſe Stu
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dies prevailed; and what I wanted in Capacity,
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I made up in Diligence and Application. </
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<
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>There
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was not the leaſt Remain of any ancient Struc
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ture, that had any Merit in it, but what I went
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and examined, to ſee if any Thing was to be
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learned from it. </
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<
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>Thus I was continually ſearch
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ing, conſidering, meaſuring and making
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Draughts of every Thing I could hear of, till
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ſuch Time as I had made myſelf perfect Ma
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ſter of every Contrivance or Invention that had
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been uſed in thoſe ancient Remains; and thus
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I alleviated the Fatigue of writing, by the
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Thirſt and Pleaſure of gaining Information.
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<
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>And indeed the Collecting together, rehearſing
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without Meanneſs, reducing into a juſt Method,
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writing in an accurate Style, and explaining
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perſpicuouſly ſo many various Matters, ſo un
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equal, ſo diſperſed, and ſo remote from the
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common Uſe and Knowledge of Mankind,
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certainly required a greater Genius, and more
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Learning than I can pretend to. </
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>But ſtill I
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ſhall not repent of my Labour, if I have only
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effected what I chiefly propoſed to myſelf,
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namely, to be clear and intelligible to the
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Reader, rather than Eloquent. </
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<
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>How difficult
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a Thing this is, in handling Subjects of this
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Nature, is better known to thoſe who have
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attempted it, then believed by thoſe who never
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tried it. </
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>And I flatter myſelf, it will at leaſt
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be allowed me, that I have wrote according to
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the Rules of this Language, and in no obſcure
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Style. </
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>We ſhall endeavour to do the ſame in
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the remaining Parts of this Work. </
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<
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>Of the
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three Properties required in all Manner of
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Buildings, namely, that they be accommoda
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ted to their reſpective Purpoſes, ſtout and
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ſtrong for Duration, and pleaſant and delight
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ful to the Sight, we have diſpatched the two
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firſt, and are now to treat of the third, which
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is by much the moſt Noble of all, and very
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neceſſary beſides.</
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>CHAP. II.</
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Of Beauty and Ornament, their Effects and Difference, that they are owing
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to Art and Exactneſs of Proportion; as alſo of the Birth and Progreſs
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of Arts.
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<
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>It is generally allowed, that the Pleaſure and
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Delight which we feel on the View of any
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Building, ariſe from nothing elſe but Beauty
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and Ornament, ſince there is hardly any Man
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ſo melancholy or ſtupid, ſo rough or unpoliſh
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ed, but what is very much pleaſed with what
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is beautiful, and purſues thoſe Things which
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are moſt adorned, and rejects the unadorned
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and neglected; and if in any Thing that he
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Views he perceives any Ornament is wanting,
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he declares that there is ſomething deficient
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which would make the Work more delightful
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and noble. </
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>We ſhould therefore conſult Beauty
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as one of the main and principal Requiſites in
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any Thing which we have a Mind ſhould pleaſe
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others. </
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<
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>How neceſſary our Forefathers, Men
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remarkable for their Wiſdom, looked upon this
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to be, appears, as indeed from almoſt every
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thing they did, ſo particularly from their Laws,
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their Militia, their ſacred and all other pub
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lick Ceremonies; which it is almoſt incredible
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what Pains they took to adorn; inſomuch that
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one would almoſt imagine they had a Mind to
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have it thought, that all theſe Things (ſo ab
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ſolutely neceſſary to the Life of Mankind) if
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ſtript of their Pomp and Ornament, would be
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ſomewhat ſtupid and inſipid. </
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<
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>When we lift
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up our Eyes to Heaven, and view the wonder
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ful Works of God, we admire him more for
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the Beauties which we ſee, than for the Con
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veniencies which we feel and derive from
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them. </
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<
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>But what Occaſion is there to inſiſt upon
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this? </
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<
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>When weſee that Nature conſults Beauty
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in a Manner to exceſs, in every Thing ſhe does,
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even in painting the Flowers of the Field. </
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<
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>If
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Beauty therefore is neceſſary in any Thing, it
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is ſo particularly in Building, which can never
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be without it, without giving Offence both to
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the Skilful and the Ignorant. </
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<
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>How are we
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moved by a huge ſhapeleſs ill-contrived Pile </
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