Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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Temple by the Prieſt, filled every Creature
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with Terror and Dread on whatever Side it was
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turned; and that no Eye durſt look towards
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it, for Fear. </
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>Theſe miraculous Accounts we
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have inſerted only by way of Amuſement. </
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<
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>As
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to other Particulars which may help to make
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the Situation beautiful, conſidered in a general
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View, ſuch as the Circumference, the Space
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round about it, its Elevation, Levelling,
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Strengthening, and the like, I have nothing
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more to ſay here, but to refer you for Inſtruc
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tions to the firſt and third Books. </
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<
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>The chief
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Qualities requiſite in a Situation or Platform
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(as we have there obſerved) are to be perfectly
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dry, even, and ſolid, as alſo convenient and
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ſuitable to the Purpoſe of the Building; and
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it will be a very great Help to it, to ſtrengthen
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it with a good Bottom made of baked Earth,
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in the Manner which we ſhall teach when we
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come to treat of the Wall. </
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<
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>We muſt not here
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omit an Obſervation made by
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Plato,
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that it
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will be a great Addition to the Dignity of the
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Place, if you give it ſome great Name; and
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this we find the Emperor
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Adrian
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was very
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fond of doing, when he gave the Names of
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Lycus, Canopeis, Academia, Tempe
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and other
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great Titles to the ſeveral Parts of his
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Villa
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at
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Tivoli.
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<
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>CHAP. V.</
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A ſhort Recapitulation of the Compartition, and of the juſt Compoſition and
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adorning the Wall and Covering.
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<
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>Though we have already ſaid almoſt
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as much as was neceſſary of the Com
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partition in the firſt Book, yet we ſhall take a
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brief Review of it again here. </
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>The chief and
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firſt Ornament of any Thing is to be free from
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all Improprieties. </
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>It will therefore be a juſt
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and proper Compartition, if it is neither con
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fuſed nor interrupted, neither too rambling nor
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compoſed of unſuitable Parts, and if the Mem
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bers be neither too many nor too few, neither
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too ſmall nor too large, nor miſ-matcht nor un
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ſightly, nor as it were ſeparate and divided
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from the Reſt of the Body: But every Thing
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ſo diſpoſed according to Nature and Conveni
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ence, and the Uſes for which the Structure is
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intended, with ſuch Order, Number, Size, Si
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tuation and Form, that we may be ſatisfied
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there is nothing throughout the whole Fabrick,
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but what was contrived for ſome Uſe or Con
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venience, and with the handſomeſt Compact
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neſs of all the Parts. </
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<
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>If the Compartition
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anſwers in all theſe Reſpects, the Beauty and
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Richneſs of any Ornaments will ſit well upon
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it; if not, it is impoſſible it ſhould have any
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Air of Dignity at all. </
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>The whole Compoſiti
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on of the Members therefore ſhould ſeem to be
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made and directed entirely by Neceſſity and
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Conveniency; ſo that you may not be ſo much
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pleaſed that there are ſuch or ſuch Parts in
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the Building, as that they are diſpoſed and laid
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out in ſuch a Situation, Order and Connection.
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<
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>In adorning the Wall and Covering, you will
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have ſufficient Room to diſplay the fineſt Ma
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terials produced by Nature, and the moſt curi
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ous Contrivance and Skill of the Artificer. </
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<
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>If
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it were in your Power to imitate the ancient
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Oſiris,
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who, we are told, built two Temples of
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Gold, one to the Heavenly, the other to the
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Royal
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Jupiter;
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or if you could raiſe ſome vaſt
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Stone, almoſt beyond humane Belief, like that
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which
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Semiramis
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brought from the Mountains
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of
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Arabia,
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which was twenty Cubits broad
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every Way, and an hundred and fifty long;
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or if you had ſuch large Stone, that you could
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make ſome Part of the Work all of one Piece,
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like a Chapel in
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Latona's
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Temple in
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Ægypt,
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forty Cubits wide in Front, and hollowed in
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one ſingle Stone, and ſo alſo covered with an
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other: This no doubt would create a vaſt deal
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of Admiration in the Beholders, and eſpecially
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if the Stone was a foreign one, and brought
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through difficult Ways, like that which
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Hero
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dotus
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relates to have been brought from the City
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of
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Elephantis,
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which was about twenty Cubits
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broad, and fifteen high, and was carried as far
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as
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Suſa
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in twenty Days. </
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<
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>It will alſo add great
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ly to the Ornament and Wonder of the Work,
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if ſuch an extraordinary Stone be ſet in a re
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markable and honourable Place. </
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<
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>Thus the
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little Temple at
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Chemmis,
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an Iſland in
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Ægypt,
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is not ſo ſurprizing upon Account of being co
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vered with one ſingle Stone, as upon Account
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of ſuch a huge Stone's being raiſed to ſo great a
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Height. </
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<
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>The Rarity and Beauty of the Stone
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itſelf will alſo add greatly to the Ornament; as
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for Inſtance, if it is that ſort of Marble, with </
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