Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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by the Inſults and Treachery of thoſe who
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were concerned with it; and they were of Opi
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nion that a City, either through the Negli
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gence of its own People, or the Envy of its
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Neighbours, was continually expoſed to Dangers
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and Accidents; juſt as a Ship is which is toſſed
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on the Sea. </
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<
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>And upon this Account I ſuppoſe,
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they fabled that
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Saturn,
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out of his Care of hu
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man Affairs, appointed Semi-Gods and Heroes
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to be Guardians over Cities and to protect them
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by their Wiſdom; ſince indeed we are not to
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truſt wholly to Walls for our Defence, but
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ſtand in need beſides of the Favour of Heaven.
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<
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>And the Reaſon they gave for
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Saturn
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's ſo do
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ing was this, that as we do not ſet one of the
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Beaſts themſelves to take Care of a Flock or
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Herd, but a Shepherd; ſo it was reaſonable
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that the Guardians appointed over Men, ſhould
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be ſome other Kind of Beings of ſuperior Wiſ
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dom and greater Virtue than common Men;
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and therefore they dedicated their Walls to the
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Gods. </
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>Others ſay, that it is ſo ordered by the
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Providence of the great and good God, that as
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the Minds of Men have their fatal
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Genii,
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ſo
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have Cities alſo. </
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>It is no Wonder therefore
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that the Walls within which the Citizens were
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to be aſſociated and defended, were accounted
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holy; and that the Ancients, whenever they
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were about to lay Siege to any Town, leſt they
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ſhould ſeem to offer any Inſult to Religion,
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uſed to invoke, and with ſacred Hymns en
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deavoured to appeaſe the Gods that were
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Guardians of the Place, beſeeching them to
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paſs willingly over to them. </
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>As for the Tem
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ple, who can doubt that to be ſacred, as well
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for other Reaſons, as chiefly becauſe we there
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pay the due Reverence and Honour to God
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for thoſe infinite Obligations which Mankind
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has towards him? </
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>Piety is one of the Princi
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pal Parts of Juſtice, and who can doubt that
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Juſtice is a Preſent from Heaven? </
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<
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>Another
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Part of Juſtice which has a very near Relation
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to the preceding, and is of the greateſt Excel
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lence and Dignity, and extremely grateful to
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the divine Being, and conſequently highly
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ſacred, it is that which is diſpenſed between
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Man and Man for the Maintenance of Peace
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and Tranquillity, and giving to every one his
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due Deſerts: For this Reaſon the Places ſet
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apart for the Adminiſtration of Juſtice, ſhould
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always be looked upon as ſacred to Religion.
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<
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>What ſhall we ſay of the Monuments of great
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Actions and Events which are dedicated to
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Eternity, and left to future Ages? </
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<
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>Surely we
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may venture to affirm, that all theſe have ſome
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Relation to Juſtice and Religion. </
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<
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>We are
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now therefore to treat of the Walls, Temples,
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Places for the Adminiſtration of Juſtice, and
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Monuments of great Events; unleſs it may be
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firſt thought neceſſary to ſet down ſome Ob
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ſervations concerning Cities in general, which
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ought not to be omitted. </
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<
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>A large Number of
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Edifices well diſtributed, and diſpoſed in their
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proper Places, cannot fail of giving a City a
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great Air of Magnificence.
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Plato
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was for di
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viding the whole Area of a City into twelve
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Parts, allotting to each its particular Temples
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and Chapels, To theſe I would add particu
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lar Courts of Judicature for each Diſtrict, to
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gether with Places for other inferior Magi
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ſtrates, Fortreſſes, Spaces for publick Races,
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Exerciſes and Games, and every Thing elſe of
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this Nature, provided there be a ſufficient
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Number of Houſes to be allotted to every Diſ
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trict: For of Cities, ſome are large, others
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ſmall; ſuch as are generally fortified Towns,
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and Places deſigned chiefly for Strength. </
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<
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>The
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ancient Writers were of Opinion that the Cities
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which ſtood in Plains were not very ancient,
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and therefore could not pretend to much Au
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thority; believing that ſuch could not be built
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till long after the Deluge. </
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<
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>But, indeed, Cities
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in large open Plains, and Caſtles in Places of
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ſteep and difficult Acceſs, are beſt ſituated
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both for Pleaſure and Convenience: But ſtill
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in each of theſe I would always have this Dif
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ference, that the Town which ſtands in a Plain
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ſhould riſe upon a gentle Slope, for the Re
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moval of Dirt and Filth; and that which is on
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a Hill, ſhould be built upon a level and even
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Area, for the greater Beauty of the Streets and
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Buildings.
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Cicero
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was of Opinion, that
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Capua
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was preferable to
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Rome,
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becauſe it neither hung
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upon Hills, nor was broken by Vallies, but lay
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open and level.
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Alexander
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deſiſted from com
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pleating the Town he had begun to build in
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the Iſland of
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Pharos,
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though otherwiſe a Place
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of great Strength and many Conveniences, be
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cauſe he found it would not have Room enough
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to enlarge itſelf, as in all Probability it would
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have Occaſion to do. </
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<
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>Nor ſhould we omit to
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take Notice here, that the greateſt Ornament
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of a City is the Multitude of her Citizens. </
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<
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>We
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read that
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Tigranes,
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when he built the City of
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Tigranocerta,
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conſtrained a vaſt Number of the
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Richeſt and moſt Honourable of his Subjects,
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to remove thither with all their Wealth to in
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habit it, publiſhing an Edict, that whatever
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Effects they did not carry with them, but left
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elſewhere, ſhould be forfeited to the publick </
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