Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

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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. </s>
              <s>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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              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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? </s>
              <s>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? </s>
              <s>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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              </s>
              <s>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? </s>
              <s>Surely we
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              may venture to affirm, that all theſe have ſome
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              Relation to Juſtice and Religion. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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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                <emph type="italics"/>
              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 </s>
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