Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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1by the Inſults and Treachery of thoſe who
were concerned with it; and they were of Opi­
nion that a City, either through the Negli­
gence of its own People, or the Envy of its
Neighbours, was continually expoſed to Dangers
and Accidents; juſt as a Ship is which is toſſed
on the Sea.
And upon this Account I ſuppoſe,
they fabled that Saturn, out of his Care of hu­
man Affairs, appointed Semi-Gods and Heroes
to be Guardians over Cities and to protect them
by their Wiſdom; ſince indeed we are not to
truſt wholly to Walls for our Defence, but
ſtand in need beſides of the Favour of Heaven.
And the Reaſon they gave for Saturn's ſo do­
ing was this, that as we do not ſet one of the
Beaſts themſelves to take Care of a Flock or
Herd, but a Shepherd; ſo it was reaſonable
that the Guardians appointed over Men, ſhould
be ſome other Kind of Beings of ſuperior Wiſ­
dom and greater Virtue than common Men;
and therefore they dedicated their Walls to the
Gods.
Others ſay, that it is ſo ordered by the
Providence of the great and good God, that as
the Minds of Men have their fatal Genii, ſo
have Cities alſo.
It is no Wonder therefore
that the Walls within which the Citizens were
to be aſſociated and defended, were accounted
holy; and that the Ancients, whenever they
were about to lay Siege to any Town, leſt they
ſhould ſeem to offer any Inſult to Religion,
uſed to invoke, and with ſacred Hymns en­
deavoured to appeaſe the Gods that were
Guardians of the Place, beſeeching them to
paſs willingly over to them.
As for the Tem­
ple, who can doubt that to be ſacred, as well
for other Reaſons, as chiefly becauſe we there
pay the due Reverence and Honour to God
for thoſe infinite Obligations which Mankind
has towards him?
Piety is one of the Princi­
pal Parts of Juſtice, and who can doubt that
Juſtice is a Preſent from Heaven?
Another
Part of Juſtice which has a very near Relation
to the preceding, and is of the greateſt Excel­
lence and Dignity, and extremely grateful to
the divine Being, and conſequently highly
ſacred, it is that which is diſpenſed between
Man and Man for the Maintenance of Peace
and Tranquillity, and giving to every one his
due Deſerts: For this Reaſon the Places ſet
apart for the Adminiſtration of Juſtice, ſhould
always be looked upon as ſacred to Religion.
What ſhall we ſay of the Monuments of great
Actions and Events which are dedicated to
Eternity, and left to future Ages?
Surely we
may venture to affirm, that all theſe have ſome
Relation to Juſtice and Religion.
We are
now therefore to treat of the Walls, Temples,
Places for the Adminiſtration of Juſtice, and
Monuments of great Events; unleſs it may be
firſt thought neceſſary to ſet down ſome Ob­
ſervations concerning Cities in general, which
ought not to be omitted.
A large Number of
Edifices well diſtributed, and diſpoſed in their
proper Places, cannot fail of giving a City a
great Air of Magnificence. Plato was for di­
viding the whole Area of a City into twelve
Parts, allotting to each its particular Temples
and Chapels, To theſe I would add particu­
lar Courts of Judicature for each Diſtrict, to­
gether with Places for other inferior Magi­
ſtrates, Fortreſſes, Spaces for publick Races,
Exerciſes and Games, and every Thing elſe of
this Nature, provided there be a ſufficient
Number of Houſes to be allotted to every Diſ­
trict: For of Cities, ſome are large, others
ſmall; ſuch as are generally fortified Towns,
and Places deſigned chiefly for Strength.
The
ancient Writers were of Opinion that the Cities
which ſtood in Plains were not very ancient,
and therefore could not pretend to much Au­
thority; believing that ſuch could not be built
till long after the Deluge.
But, indeed, Cities
in large open Plains, and Caſtles in Places of
ſteep and difficult Acceſs, are beſt ſituated
both for Pleaſure and Convenience: But ſtill
in each of theſe I would always have this Dif­
ference, that the Town which ſtands in a Plain
ſhould riſe upon a gentle Slope, for the Re­
moval of Dirt and Filth; and that which is on
a Hill, ſhould be built upon a level and even
Area, for the greater Beauty of the Streets and
Buildings. Cicero was of Opinion, that Capua
was preferable to Rome, becauſe it neither hung
upon Hills, nor was broken by Vallies, but lay
open and level. Alexander deſiſted from com­
pleating the Town he had begun to build in
the Iſland of Pharos, though otherwiſe a Place
of great Strength and many Conveniences, be­
cauſe he found it would not have Room enough
to enlarge itſelf, as in all Probability it would
have Occaſion to do.
Nor ſhould we omit to
take Notice here, that the greateſt Ornament
of a City is the Multitude of her Citizens.
We
read that Tigranes, when he built the City of
Tigranocerta, conſtrained a vaſt Number of the
Richeſt and moſt Honourable of his Subjects,
to remove thither with all their Wealth to in­
habit it, publiſhing an Edict, that whatever
Effects they did not carry with them, but left
elſewhere, ſhould be forfeited to the publick

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