Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>But let
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              us return to our Subject.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. III.</s>
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              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              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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              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>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? </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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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              </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>The
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Samians
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              boaſted of having the biggeſt Temple
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              in the World. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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 </s>
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