Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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1Treaſury. But this is no more than what the
Neighbours
all around, and other Strangers,
will
do willingly and of their own Accord, to
a
Place where they know they can live with
Health
, Pleaſure and Plenty, and among a
People
of a fair and regular Behaviour.
But
the
principal Ornament of the City will ariſe
ſrom
the Diſpoſition of the Streets, Squares and
publick
Edifices, and their being all laid out
and
contrived beautifully and conveniently, ac­
cording
to their ſeveral Uſes; for without Or­
der
, there can be nothing Handſome, Conve­
nient
or Pleaſing.
In a well regulated City,
Plato is of Opinion that the Laws ſhould pre­
vent
the introducing of any foreign Delicacies
or
Corruptions; and, in order thereto ſhould
ſuffer
no Citizen to travel till full forty Years
of
Age; and that ſuch Strangers as ſhould be
admitted
into the City, in order to proſecute
their
Studies, when they had ſufficiently im­
proved
themſelves, ſhould be ſent Home again
to
their own Country.
And this is neceſſary,
becauſe
the Citizens, from the Contagion of
Foreigners
, are apt to fall off daily more and
more
from that Parſimony wherein they were
educated
by their Anceſtors, and to deſpiſe
their
own old Cuſtoms and Uſages; which is
the
chief Reaſon that Cities grow ſo univer­
ſally
corrupted. Plutarch tells us, that the
People
of Epidaurus obſerving that their Citi­
zens
grew vicious by their Intercourſe with the
Illyrians, and knowing that a Depravity of
Manners
is always the Occaſion of continual
Innovations
; in order to prevent it, elected one
Citizen
yearly out of their Number, who was
always
to be a Man of Gravity and Circum­
ſpection
, who ſhould go among the Illyrians,
and
provide and bring them all ſuch Things as
any
of theſe Citizens gave him Commiſſion to
procure
them.
In a Word, all the wiſeſt Men
are
agreed in this, that the greateſt Care and
Precaution
ought to be uſed to keep the City
from
being corrupted by the Intercourſe of
Strangers
who come to it.
Not that I am for imi­
tating
thoſe who are againſt granting Admiſſion
to
any Strangers whatſoever.
Among the Greeks
it
was the ancient Cuſtom never to receive any
People
that were not in League with them,
though
not in Enmity neither, if they had Oc­
caſion
to paſs through their Country in Arms:
Neither
would they drive them away; but
they
uſed to appoint a Market for all Neceſſa­
ries
at ſome little Diſtance without the Walls,
where
the Strangers might refreſh themſelves
with
whatever Conveniencies they wanted, and
the
Citizens might not be expoſed to any
Danger
.
But I, for my Part, am beſt pleaſed
with
the Carthaginians, who, though they
permitted
Strangers to come among them,
would
not ſuffer them to have every Thing
in
common with their own Citizens.
The
Streets
which led to the Market or publick
Place
were open to all Strangers; but the more
private
Parts of the City, ſuch as the Arſenal,
and
the like, they were not allowed ſo much
as
to ſee.
Inſtructed therefore by theſe Ex­
amples
, let us lay out the Platform of our City
in
ſuch a Manner, that not only Strangers may
have
their Habitations ſeparate, convenient for
them
, and not inconvenient to the Citizens;
but
alſo that the Citizens themſelves may con­
verſe
, negociate and dwell together commo­
diouſly
and honourably, according to their ſe­
veral
Ranks and Occaſions.
It will add much
to
the Beauty of the City, if the Shops for par­
ticular
Trades ſtand in particular Streets and
Diſtricts
in the moſt convenient Parts of the
Town
.
Goldſmiths, Silverſmiths and Painters
may
have their Shops in the publick Place, and
ſo
may the Sellers of Drugs, of Habits, and
other
creditable Trades; but all naſty, ſtink­
ing
Occupations ſhould be removed out of the
Way
, eſpecially the offenſive Smells of Tan­
ners
, which ſhould be ſet by themſelves and
towards
the North, becauſe the Winds ſeldom
blow
into the City from that Corner; or, if
they
do, they blow ſo ſtrong that they rather
fly
than paſs over it.
There may perhaps be
ſome
who would like better to have the Ha­
bitations
of the Gentry ſeparate by themſelves,
quite
clear and free from all Mixture with the
meaner
Sort of People.
Others are for having
every
Diſtrict of the City ſo laid out, that each
Part
might be ſupplied at Hand with every
Thing
that it could have Occaſion for, and for
this
Reaſon they are not againſt having the
meaneſt
Trades in the Neighbourhood of the
moſt
honourable Citizens.
But of this Sub­
ject
we have ſaid enough.
Conveniency is one
Thing
, and Dignity another.
Let us now
return
.

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