Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>CHAP. IV.</s>
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              Of the Parts, Forms and Figures of Temples and their Chapels, and how theſe
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              latter ſhould be diſtributed.
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              <s>The Parts of the Temple are two; the
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              Portico and the Inſide: But they differ
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              very much from one another in both theſe Re­
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              ſpects; for ſome Temples are round, ſome
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              ſquare, and others, laſtly, have many Sides. </s>
              <s>It
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              is manifeſt that Nature delights principally in
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              round Figures, ſince we find that moſt Things
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              which are generated, made or directed by Na­
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              ture, are round. </s>
              <s>Why need I inſtance in the
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              Stars, Trees, Animals, the Neſts of Birds, or
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              the like Parts of the Creation, which ſhe has
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              choſen to make generally round? </s>
              <s>We find too
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              that Nature is ſometimes delighted with Figures
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              of ſix Sides; for Bees, Hornets, and all other
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              Kinds of Waſps have learnt no other Figure
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              for building their Cells in their Hives, but the
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              Hexagon. </s>
              <s>The Area for a round Temple
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              ſhould be marked out exactly circular. </s>
              <s>The
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              Ancients, in almoſt all their quadrangular
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              Temples made the Platform half as long again
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              as it was broad. </s>
              <s>Some made it only a third
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              Part of the Breadth longer; and others would
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              have it full thrice the Breadth long. </s>
              <s>But in
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              all theſe quadrangular Platforms the greateſt
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              Blemiſh is for the Corners to be not exactly
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              rectangular. </s>
              <s>The Polygons uſed by the An­
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              cients were either of ſix, eight, or ſometimes
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              ten Sides. </s>
              <s>The Angles of ſuch Platforms
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              ſhould all terminate within a Circle, and indeed
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              from a Circle is the beſt Way of deducing
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              them; for the Semidiameter of the Circle will
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              make one of the ſix Sides which can be con­
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              tained in that Circle. </s>
              <s>And if from the Cen­
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              ter you draw Right-lines to cut each of thoſe
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              ſix Sides exactly in the Middle, you will plainly
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              ſee what Method you are to take to draw a
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              Platform of twelve Sides, and from that of
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              twelve Sides you may make one of four, or
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              eight, as in Fig.
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              B. C.
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              <s> However here is an­
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              other eaſier Way of drawing a Platform of eight
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              Sides. </s>
              <s>Having drawn an equilateral and right­
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              angled Square together with its Diagonals from
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              Corner to Corner; from the Point where thoſe
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              Diagonals interſect each other in the Middle, I
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              turn a Circle, opening the Compaſſes ſo wide
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              as to take in all the Sides of the Square; then
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              I divide one of thoſe Sides into two equal Parts,
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              and through the Point of that Diviſion draw a
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              Line from the Center to the Circumference of
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              the Circle
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              D,
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              and thus from the Point where
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              that Line touches the Circumference to the
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              Angle of the Square, will be exactly one of the
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              eight Sides which that Circle will contain.
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              </s>
              <s>We may alſo draw a Platform of ten Sides by
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              means of a Circle, in the following Manner:
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              Draw two Diameters in the Circle, interſecting
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              each other at Right-angles, and then divide
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              the Half of either of thoſe Diameters into two
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              equal Parts, and from that Diviſion draw a
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              ſtraight Line upwards aſlant to the Head of
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              the other Diameter; and if from this ſlant
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              Line you take off the Quantity of the fourth
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              Part of one of the Diameters, the Remainder of
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              that Line will be one of the ten Sides which
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              can be contained in that Circle, as you may
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              ſee in Letter
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              E.
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              </s>
              <s> To Temples it is uſual to
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              joyn Chapels; to ſome, more; to others fewer.
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              <s>In quadrangular Temples it is very unuſual to
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              make above one, and that is placed at the
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              Head, ſo as to be ſeen immediately by thoſe
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              that come in at the Door. </s>
              <s>If you have a Mind
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              to make more Chapels on the Sides, they will
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              not be amiſs in thoſe quadrangular Temples
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              which are twice as long as broad; and there
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              we ſhould not make more than one in each
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              Side: Though if you do make more, it will
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              be better to make an odd Number on each Side
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              than an even one. </s>
              <s>In round Platforms, and
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              alſo in thoſe of many Faces (if we may ven­
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              ture ſo to call them) we may very conveniently
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              make a greater Number of Chapels, according
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              to the Number of thoſe Faces, one to each, or one
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              with and one without alternately, anſwering to
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              each other. </s>
              <s>In round Platforms ſix Chapels,
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              or even eight will do extremely well. </s>
              <s>In Plat­
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              forms of ſeveral Faces you muſt be ſure to let
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              the Corners be exactly anſwering and ſuiting
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              to one another. </s>
              <s>The Chapels themſelves muſt
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              be made either Parts of a rectangled Square, or
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              of a Circle. </s>
              <s>For the ſingle Chapel at the Head
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              of a Temple, the ſemicircular Form is much
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              the handſomeſt; and next to that is the rect­
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              angular. </s>
              <s>But if you are to make a good Num­
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              ber of Chapels, it will certainly be much more
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              </s>
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