Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              of Stones? </s>
              <s>the greater it is, the more we blame
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              the Folly of the Expence, and condemn the
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              Builder's inconſiderate Luſt of heaping up Stone
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              upon Stone without Contrivance. </s>
              <s>The having
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              ſatisfied Neceſſity is a very ſmall Matter, and
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              the having provided for Conveniency affords
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              no Manner of Pleaſure, where you are ſhocked
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              by the Deformity of the Work. </s>
              <s>Add to this,
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              that the very Thing we ſpeak of is itſelf no
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              ſmall help to Conveniency and Duration: For
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              who will deny that it is much more convenient
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              to be lodged in a neat handſome Structure,
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              than in a naſty ill-contrived Hole? </s>
              <s>or can any
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              Building be made ſo ſtrong by all the Contri­
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              vance of Art, as to be ſafe from Violence and
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              Force? </s>
              <s>But Beauty will have ſuch an Effect
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              even upon an enraged Enemy, that it will diſ­
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              arm his Anger, and prevent him from offering
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              it any Injury: Inſomuch that I will be bold to
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              ſay, there can be no greater Security to any
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              Work againſt Violence and Injury, than Beau­
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              ty and Dignity. </s>
              <s>Your whole Care, Diligence
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              and Expence, therefore ſhould all tend to this,
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              that whatever you build may be not only uſe­
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              ful and convenient, but alſo handſomely
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              adorned, and by that means delightful to the
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              Sight, that whoever views it may own the Ex­
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              pence could never have been better beſtowed.
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              </s>
              <s>But what Beauty and Ornament are in them­
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              ſelves, and what Difference there is between
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              them, may perhaps be eaſier for the Reader to
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              conceive in his Mind, than for me to explain
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              by Words. </s>
              <s>In order therefore to be as brief
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              as poſſible, I ſhall define Beauty to be a Har­
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              mony of all the Parts, in whatſoever Subject it
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              appears, fitted together with ſuch Proportion
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              and Connection, that nothing could be added,
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              diminiſhed or altered, but for the Worſe. </s>
              <s>A
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              Quality ſo Noble and Divine, that the whole
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              Force of Wit and Art has been ſpent to pro­
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              cure it; and it is but very rarely granted to any
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              one, or even to Nature herſelf, to produce any
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              Thing every Way perfect and compleat. </s>
              <s>How
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              extraordinary a Thing (ſays the Perſon intro­
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              duced in
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              Tully
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              ) is a handſome Youth in
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              Athens!
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              This Critick in Beauty found that there was
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              ſomething deficient or ſuperfluous, in the Per­
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              ſons he diſliked, which was not compatible
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              with the Perfection of Beauty, which I imagine
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              might have been obtained by Means of Orna­
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              ment, by painting and concealing any Thing
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              that was deformed, and trimming and poliſhing
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              what was handſome; ſo that the unſightly
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              Parts might have given leſs Offence, and the
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              more lovely more Delight. </s>
              <s>If this be grant­
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              ed we may define Ornament to be a Kind of
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              an auxiliary Brightneſs and Improvement to
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              Beauty. </s>
              <s>So that then Beauty is ſomewhat
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              lovely which is proper and innate, and diffuſed
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              over the whole Body, and Ornament ſome­
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              what added or faſtened on, rather than proper
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              and innate. </s>
              <s>To return therefore where we
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              leſt off. </s>
              <s>Whoever would build ſo as to have
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              their Building commended, which every rea­
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              ſonable Man would deſire, muſt build accord­
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              ing to a Juſtneſs of Proportion, and this Juſt­
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              neſs of Proportion muſt be owing to Art. </s>
              <s>Who
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              therefore will affirm, that a handſome and juſt
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              Structure can be raiſed any otherwiſe than by
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              the Means of Art? </s>
              <s>and conſequently this Part
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              of Building, which relates to Beauty and Orna­
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              ment, being the Chief of all the Reſt, muſt
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              without doubt be directed by ſome ſure Rules
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              of Art and Proportion, which whoever ne­
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              glects will make himſelf ridiculous. </s>
              <s>But there
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              are ſome who will by no means allow of this,
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              and ſay that Men are guided by a Variety of
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              Opinions in their Judgment of Beauty and of
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              Buildings; and that the Forms of Structures
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              muſt vary according to every Man's particular
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              Taſte and Fancy, and not be tied down to any
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              Rules of Art. </s>
              <s>A common Thing with the
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              Ignorant, to deſpiſe what they do not under­
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              ſtand! It may not therefore be amiſs to confute
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              this Error; not that I think it neceſſary to
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              enter into a long Diſcuſſion about the Origin
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              of Arts, from what Principles they were de­
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              duced, and by what Methods improved. </s>
              <s>I
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              ſhall only take Notice that all Arts were begot
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              by Chance and Obſervation, and nurſed by
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              Uſe and Experience, and improved and per­
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              fected by Reaſon and Study. </s>
              <s>Thus we are
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              told that Phyſick was invented in a thouſand
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              Years by a thouſand thouſand Men; and ſo too
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              the Art of Navigation; as, indeed, all other
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              Arts have grown up by Degrees from the ſmall­
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              eſt Beginnings.</s>
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