Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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the City flouriſhed, was covered with Straw
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and Reeds, the
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Romans
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ſtill adhering to the an
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cient Parſimony of their Forefathers. </
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>But when
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the great Wealth of their Kings and of many
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of their Citizens brought them to think of ho
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nouring themſelves and their City by the State
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lineſs of their Edifices, they looked upon it to
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be a Shame that the Habitations of the Gods
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ſhould not be made handſomer than the Houſes
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of Men; and this Humour in a ſhort Time
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made ſo great a Progreſs, that only in the
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Foundation of one ſingle Temple, while the
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City was yet extremely frugal, King
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Numa
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laid out four thouſand Pounds Weight of Sil
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ver: And I highly commend that Prince for
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this Act of Generoſity, as it was done out of
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Regard to the Dignity of the City, and to the
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Reverence which is due to the Gods, to whom
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we owe all Things: Though it has been the
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Opinion of ſome, who have had the Reputati
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on of Wiſdom, that it is very improper to de
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dicate or build any Temples at all to the Gods,
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and we are told, that it was in this Perſuaſion
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that
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Xerxes
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burnt down the Temples in
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Greece,
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thinking it an impious Thing to ſhut up the
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Gods between Walls, to whom all Things
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ought to be open, and to whom the whole
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World ought to ſerve as a Temple. </
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<
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>But let
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us return to our Subject.</
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>CHAP. III.</
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With how much Thought, Care and Diligence we ought to lay out and adorn
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our Temples; to what Gods and in what Places we ſhould build them, and
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of the various Kinds of Sacrifices.
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>In the whole Compaſs of the Art of Build
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ing, there is nothing in which we ought to
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employ more Thought, Care and Diligence
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than in the laying out and adorning a Tem
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ple; becauſe, not to mention that a Temple
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well built and handſomely adorned is the great
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eſt and nobleſt Ornament a City can have; it
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is moreover the Habitation of the Gods: And
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if we adorn and beautify the Houſe where a
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King or any great Man is to dwell, with all the
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Art we are Maſters of, what ought we to do
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to thoſe of the immortal Gods? </
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>Whom we
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expect, when invoked, to be preſent at our Sa
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crifices, and to give Ear to our Prayers. </
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<
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>And
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though the Gods may deſpiſe thoſe periſhable
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Things which we moſt highly value; yet Men
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are moved by the Purity of beautiful Materials,
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and raiſed by them to Reverence and Devoti
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on for the Deity to which they are ſacred. </
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>It
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is certain that Temples may be of great Uſe
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for ſtirring up Men to Piety, by filling their
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Minds with Delight, and Entertaining them
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with Admiration of their Beauty. </
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<
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>The An
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cients were wont to ſay, that Piety was ho
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noured when the Temples were frequented.
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>For this Reaſon I would have the Temple
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made ſo beautiful, that the Imagination ſhould
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not be able to form an Idea of any Place more
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ſo; and I would have every Part ſo contrived
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and adorned, as to fill the Beholders with Awe
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and Amazement, at the Conſideration of ſo
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many noble and excellent Things, and almoſt
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force them to cry out with Aſtoniſhment:
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This Place is certainly worthy of God!
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Strabo
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ſays, that the
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Mileſians
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built their Temple ſo
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large, that they were not able to make a Roof
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to cover it; which I do not approve. </
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<
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>The
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Samians
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boaſted of having the biggeſt Temple
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in the World. </
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>I am not againſt building them
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ſuch, that it ſhould be very hard to make any
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Addition to them. </
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>Ornaments are in a Man
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ner infinite, and even in ſmall Temples there is
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always ſomething which we imagine might
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and ought to be added. </
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>I would have the
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Temple as large as the Bigneſs of the City re
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quires, but not unmeaſurably huge. </
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>What I
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ſhould chiefly deſire in a Temple, would be
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this, that every Thing which you behold ſhould
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be ſuch; that you ſhould be at a Stand which
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moſt to commend, the Genius and Skill of the
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Workmen, or the Zeal and Generoſity of the
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Citizens in procuring and dedicating ſuch rare
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and beautiful Materials to this Service; and
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be doubtful whether thoſe very Materials con
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duce moſt to Beauty and Statelineſs, or to Du
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ration, which, as in all other Buildings both
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publick and private, ſo chiefly in the Structure
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of Temples, ought to be very carefully con
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ſulted; in as much as it is in the higheſt De
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gree reaſonable that ſuch a great Expence
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ſhould be well ſecured from being loſt by means
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of any Accidents, beſides that Antiquity gives </
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