Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              not only in laying the Foundations of Cities
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              and Towns, but alſo in marking out Camps
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              for the Armies, to inſpect the Entrails of the
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              Beaſt that grazed upon the Place, and to ob­
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              ſerve both their Condition and Colour. </s>
              <s>In
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              which if they chanced to find any Defect, they
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              avoided that Place as unhealthy.
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              Varro
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              in­
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              forms us of his own Knowledge, that in ſome
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              Places the Air was full of minute Animalcules
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              as ſmall as Atoms, which being received toge­
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              ther with the Breath into the Lungs, faſtened
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              upon the Inteſtines, and gnawing upon them,
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              cauſed dreadful raging Diſeaſes, and at length
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              Plagues and Death. </s>
              <s>Nor ought we to forget
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              that there are ſome Places, which, though in
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              their own Nature, they are ſubject to no In­
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              convenience or Miſchief whatſoever, yet are ſo
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              ſituated, that by the Arrival of Foreigners they
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              will often be infected with peſtilential Diſtem­
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              pers. </s>
              <s>And this ſhall happen, not only by
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              Means of Armies of Enemies endeavouring to
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              do you all the Miſchief they can, as befals thoſe
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              Nations which are expoſed to inhuman Barba­
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              rians; but by a friendly Reception and Enter­
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              tainment of them you ſhall expoſe yourſelf to
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              extreme Calamities. </s>
              <s>Others by having Neigh­
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              bours deſirous of Innovations, have by their
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              Broils and Deſtruction fallen into great Dangers
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              themſelves.
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              Pera
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              a City upon the
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              Pontus,
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              a
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              Colony of the
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              Genoeſe,
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              is continually afflicted
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              with the Plague, by their giving daily Admiſ­
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              ſion to Slaves, both infirm in Mind, and almoſt
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              quste rotten and worn away with mere Filth
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              and Naſtineſs. </s>
              <s>Some likewiſe will have it, that
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              it is the Part of a prudent and wiſe Man to en­
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              quire by Augury and the Obſervation of the
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              Heavens, what Fortune he ſhall have in ſuch
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              a Place. </s>
              <s>Which Arts, provided they are not
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              incompatiable with our Religion, I own I do
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              not diſpiſe. </s>
              <s>Who can deny that what they
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              call Fortune, whatever ſhe be, has a very great
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              Power over human Affairs? </s>
              <s>Can we venture
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              to affirm, that the publick Fortune of
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              Rome
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              had
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              not a great Share in the Enlargement of the
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              Empire? </s>
              <s>The City of
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              Iolaus
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              in
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              Sardinia,
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              built
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              by a Grandſon of
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              Hercules,
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              though oſten at­
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              tacked both by the
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              Carthaginians
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              and the
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              Ro­
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              mans,
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              yet as
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              Diodorus
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              writes, always preſerved
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              its Liberty. </s>
              <s>Can we ſuppoſe that the Temple
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              at
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              Delphos,
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              firſt burnt by
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              Flegias,
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              ſhould after­
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              wards in
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              Sylla
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              's Time be conſumed by Fire,
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              the third Time, without the particular ill For­
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              tune of that Place? </s>
              <s>What ſhall we ſay of the
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              Capitol? </s>
              <s>How often has that been in Flames?
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              </s>
              <s>The City of the
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              Sybarites,
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              after repeated Cala­
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              mities, often deſerted and often reſtored, at
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              length quite ruined, was utterly abandoned;
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              nay, thoſe who fled from it were purſued by ill
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              Fortune, nor could they, by removing their
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              Dwellings and leaving the ancient Name of
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              their City, ever ſave themſelves from Miſery
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              and Deſtruction: For new Inhabitants coming
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              in upon them, all their moſt ancient and prin­
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              cipal Families, their ſacred Edifices and their
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              whole City, were utterly laid waſte and de­
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              ſtroyed with Fire and Sword. </s>
              <s>But we need
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              not dwell upon theſe Things which Hiſtorians
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              are full of. </s>
              <s>Our whole Deſign is to ſhew, that
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              it is the Part of a wiſe Man to do every thing
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              which may make him ſecure, that the Trouble
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              and Expence of his Building ſhall not be in
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              vain, and that his Work itſelf may be perma­
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              nent. </s>
              <s>And certainly to omit no Precaution
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              which may effect ſo great a Deſign, is the Bu­
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              ſineſs of every prudent Man. </s>
              <s>Or will you ſay,
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              that it is not of the utmoſt Importance both to
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              you and yours to execute an Undertaking, that
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              brings with it Health, Dignity and Pleaſure,
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              and recommends your Name with Reputation
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              to Poſterity? </s>
              <s>Here you are to apply yourſelves
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              to your Studies, here you are to breed
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              your dear Children and live with your Fa­
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              mily, here you are to ſpend your Days both
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              of Labour and Reſt, here all the Schemes of
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              your whole Life are to be executed; ſo that
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              I do not think any Thing in the World can be
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              named, except Virtue, which can deſerve more
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              Care and Application, than to fix a good and
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              convenient Habitation for yourſelf and Family.
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              </s>
              <s>And who can be ſure of having ſuch a one,
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              who deſpiſes the Precautions before-mention­
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              ed? </s>
              <s>but of theſe enough. </s>
              <s>Come we now to
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              the Seat or Platform.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. VII.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
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              Of the Seat or Platform, and of the ſeveral Sorts of Lines.
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              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>In chuſing the Platform, we ought to ob­
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              ſerve all the ſame Rules that we have laid
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              down about the Region; for as the Region is
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              a determinate and ſelect Part of the whole </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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