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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