Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              long the Flection, Diſtribution, Diſpoſition,
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              and other Things of the like Nature which
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              give Dignity to the Work: To the Hand, the
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              amaſſing, adding, diminiſhing, chipping, po­
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              liſhing, and the like, which make the Work
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              delicate: The Qualities derived from Nature
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              are Heavineſs, Lightneſs, Thickneſs, Clearneſs,
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              Durability,
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              &c.
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              which make the Work wond­
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              erful. </s>
              <s>Theſe three Operations are to be adapt­
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              cd to the ſeveral Parts according to their various
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              Uſes and Offices. </s>
              <s>There are ſeveral Ways of
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              dividing and conſidering the different Parts:
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              But at preſent we ſhall divide all Buildings
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              either according to the Parts in which they
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              generally agree, or to thoſe in which they ge­
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              nerally differ. </s>
              <s>In the firſt Book we ſaw that
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              all Edifices muſt have Region, Situation, Com­
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              partition, Walling, Covering, and Apertures;
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              in theſe Particulars therefore they agree. </s>
              <s>But
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              then in theſe others they differ, namely, that
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              ſome are Sacred, others Profane, ſome Pub­
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              lick, others Private, ſome deſigned for Neceſ­
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              ſity, others for Pleaſure, and ſo on. </s>
              <s>Let us be­
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              gin with thoſe Particulars wherein they agree.
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              </s>
              <s>What the Hand or Wit of Man can add to
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              the Region, either of Beauty or Dignity, is
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              hardly diſcoverable; unleſs we would give in­
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              to thoſe miraculous and ſuperſtitious Accounts
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              which we read of ſome Works. </s>
              <s>Nor are the
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              Undertakers of ſuch Works blamed by pru­
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              dent Men, if their Deſigns anſwer any great
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              Conveniency; but if they take Pains to do
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              what there was no Neceſſity for, they are juſt­
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              ly denied the Praiſe they hunt after. </s>
              <s>For who
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              would be ſo daring as to undertake, like
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              Staſi­
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              crates,
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              (according to
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              Plutarch
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              ) or
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              Dinocrates
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              (according to
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              Vitruvius
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              ) to make Mount
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              Athos
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              into a Statue of
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              Alexander,
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              and in one of the
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              Hands to build a City big enough to contain
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              ten thouſand Men? </s>
              <s>Indeed I ſhould not diſ­
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              commend Queen
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              Nitocris
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              for having forced
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              the River
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              Euphrates,
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              by making vaſt Cuts, to
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              flow three Times round the City of the
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              Aſſy­
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              rians,
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              if ſhe made the Region ſtrong and ſecure
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              by thoſe Trenches, and fruitful by the over­
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              flowing of the Water. </s>
              <s>But let us leave it to
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              mighty Kings to be delighted with ſuch Un­
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              dertakings: Let them join Sea to Sea by cut­
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              ting the Land between them: Let them level
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              Hills: Let them make new Iſlands, or join old
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              ones to the Continent: Let them put it out
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              of the Power of any others to imitate them,
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              and ſo make their Names memorable to Poſte­
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              rity: Still all their waſt Works will be com­
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              mended not ſo much in Proportion to their
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              Greatneſs as their Uſe. </s>
              <s>The Ancients ſome­
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              times added Dignity not only to particular
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              Groves, but even to the whole Region, by
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              Means of Religion. </s>
              <s>We read that all
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              Sicily
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              was conſecrated to
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              Ceres;
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              but theſe are Things
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              not now to be inſiſted upon. </s>
              <s>It will be of great
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              and real Advantages, if the Region be poſſeſſed
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              of ſome rare Quality, no leſs uſeful than extra­
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              ordinary: As for Inſtance, if the Air be more
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              temperate than in any other Place, and always
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              equal and uniform, as we are told it is at
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Moroe,
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              where Men live in a Manner as long as
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              they pleaſe; or if the Region produces ſome­
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              thing not to be found elſewhere and very de­
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              ſirable and wholeſome to Man, as that which
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              produces Amber, Cinnamon, and Balſam; or
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              if it has ſome divine Influence in it, as there is
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              in the Soil of the Iſland
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              Eubœa,
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              where we are
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              told nothing noxious is produced. </s>
              <s>The Situ­
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              ation, being a certain determinate Part of the
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              Region, is adorned by all the ſame Particulars
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              as beautify the Region itſelf. </s>
              <s>But Nature ge­
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              nerally offers more Conveniencies, and thoſe
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              more ready at Hand, for adorning the Situati­
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              on than the Region; for we very frequently
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              meet with Circumſtances extreamly noble and
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              ſurpriſing, ſuch as Promontories, Rocks, brok­
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              en Hills vaſtly high and ſharp, Grottoes, Ca­
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              verns, Springs and the like; near which, if we
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              would have our Situation ſtrike the Beholders
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              with Surprize, we may build to our Hearts
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              deſire. </s>
              <s>Nor ſhould their be wanting in the
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              Proſpect Remains of Antiquity, on which we
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              cannot turn our Eyes without conſidering the
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              various Revolutions of Men and Things, and
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              being filled with Wonder and Admiration. </s>
              <s>I
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              need not mention the Place where
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              Troy
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              once
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              ſtood, or the Plains of
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              Leuctra
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              ſtained with
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              Blood, nor the Fields near
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              Traſumenus,
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              and a
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              thouſand other Places memorable for ſome
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              great Event. </s>
              <s>How the Hand and Wit of Man
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              may add to the Beauty of the Situation, is not
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              ſo eaſily ſhewn. </s>
              <s>I paſs over Things com­
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              monly done; ſuch as Plane-trees brought by
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              Sea to the Iſland of
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              Tremeti
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              to adorn the Situ­
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              ation, or Columns, Obelisks and Trees left by
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              great Men in order to ſtrike Poſterity with Ve­
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              neration; as for Inſtance, the Olive-tree planted
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              by
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              Neptune
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              and
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              Minerva,
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              which flouriſhed for
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              ſo many Ages in the Citadel of
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              Athens:
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              I like­
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              wife paſs over ancient Traditions handed down
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              from Age to Age, as that of the Turpentine­
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              tree near
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              Hebron,
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              which was reported to have
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              ſtood from the Creation of the World to the
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              Days of
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              Joſephus
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              the Hiſtorian. </s>
              <s>Nothing can </s>
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