Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="caption">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/193.jpg" pagenum="150"/>
              Indeed, within the Temple I think detached
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              Pictures do much better than painting upon
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              the Wall itſelf, and in my Mind Statues are
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              handſomer than Pictures. </s>
              <s>unleſs they be ſuch
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              excellent ones as thoſe two, for which
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              Cæſar
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              the Dictator gave ninety Talents, or fourteen
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              hundred of our Crowns, in order to adorn the
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              Temple of
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              Venus
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              his Progenitor; and I look
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              upon a Picture with no leſs Pleaſure (I mean a
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              good one, for ill Painting is a Diſgrace to the
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              Wall) than I read a good Hiſtory. </s>
              <s>They both
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              indeed are Pictures, only the Hiſtorian paints
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              with Words, and the Painter with his Pencil.
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              </s>
              <s>All other Qualifications are common to them
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              both, and they both require the greateſt Genius
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              and Application. </s>
              <s>But I would have nothing
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              either on the Wall or Pavement of the Tem­
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              ple but what ſavours entirely of Philoſophy. </s>
              <s>We
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              read that in the Capitol there were Tables of
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              Braſs whereon were inſcribed the Laws by
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              which the Empire was to be governed; which,
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              when the Temple was deſtroyed by Fire, were
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              reſtored by the Emperor
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              Veſpaſian
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              , to the
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              Number of three Thouſand. </s>
              <s>We are told that
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              at the Entrance of the Temple of
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              Apollo
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              at
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              De­
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              los
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              , there were Verſes engraved, containing ſe­
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              veral Compoſitions of Herbs proper to be uſed
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              as Remedies againſt all Sorts of Poiſon. </s>
              <s>Thus
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              I ſhould think it would be proper among us,
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              by Way of Inſcription, to have ſuch Precepts
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              as may make us more juſt, more modeſt, more
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              uſeful, more adorned with all Virtues, and
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              more acceptable in the Sight of God; ſuch as
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              theſe,
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              Be what you would be thought; Love if
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              you would be beloved
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              , and the like. </s>
              <s>And I would
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              have the Compoſition of the Lines of the
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              Pavement full of muſical and geometrical Pro­
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              portions; to the Intent that which-ſoever Way
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              we may turn our Eyes, we may be ſure to find
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              Employment for our Minds. </s>
              <s>One Method
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              which the Ancients took to adorn their Tem­
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              ples, was to fill them with Things that were
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              uncommon and excellent; as in the Temple of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Hercules
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              , where were to be ſeen ſome Horns
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              of Emmets brought from
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              India
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              ; or like thoſe
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              Crowns made of Cinnamon which
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              Veſpaſian
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              gave to the Capitol; or like that great Root of
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              Cinnamon which
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              Auguſta
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              placed in the prin­
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              cipal Temple of Mount
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              Palatine
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              , in a Cup of
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              Gold. </s>
              <s>At
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              Thermus
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              , a Town in
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              Ætolia
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              plun­
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              dered by
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              Philip
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              , we are told, that in the Por­
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              ticoes of the Temple there were above fifteen
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              thouſand Suits of Armour, and to adorn the
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              Temple itſelf above two thouſand Statues; all
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              which, according to
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              Polybius
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              's Relation, were
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              deſtroyed and broken by
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              Philip
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              , except thoſe
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              which were inſcribed with the Name, or bore
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              the Repreſentation of ſome God; and perhaps
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              Variety is more to be conſulted in ſuch Collec­
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              tions than Number.
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              Solinus
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              informs us, that
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              in
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              Sicily
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              there were ſome Artificers who had
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              the Secret of making Statues of Salt; and
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              Pliny
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              tells us, that there was one made of Glaſs.
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              </s>
              <s>There is no Queſtion but ſuch Things muſt be
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              exceeding rare, and very worthy to raiſe our
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              Admiration of the Work both of Nature and
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              Art. </s>
              <s>But of Statues we ſhall ſpeak in another
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              Place. </s>
              <s>The Walls and Apertures muſt be
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              adorned with Columns; but not like a Porti­
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              co. </s>
              <s>There is one Thing which I have obſerv­
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              ed in the Covering of ſome of the biggeſt
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              Temples, which is, that not having Columns
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              of Height ſufficient to reach to the Spring of
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              their Arches, they heightened the Sides of the
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              Arches themſelves in ſuch a Manner that their
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              Sagitta was a third Part longer than their Se­
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              mi-diameter, which added not a little to the
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              Clearneſs and Beauty of the Work itſelf. </s>
              <s>And
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              here I muſt not omit one Precept, namely, that
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              the Spring of the Arch ſhould have at leaſt ſo
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              much Perpendicular, as to prevent the Projec­
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              ture of the Cornices from taking away any Part
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              of the Arch from the Sight of thoſe that ſtaid
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              below in the Middle of the Temple.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. XI.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Why the Roofs of Temples ought to be arched.
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              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>I am entirely for having the Roofs of Tem­
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              ples arched, as well becauſe it gives them
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              the greater Dignity, as becauſe it makes them
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              more durable. </s>
              <s>And indeed I know not how
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              it happens that we ſhall hardly meet any one
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              Temple whatſoever that has not fallen into the
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              Calamity of Fire. </s>
              <s>We read that
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              Cambyſes
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              burnt
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              all the Temples in
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              Ægypt
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              in general, and re­
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              moved the Treaſure and Ornaments belonging
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              to them to
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              Perſepolis. </s>
              <s>Euſebius
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              relates, that the
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              Oracle of
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              Delphos
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              was burnt three Times by
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              the
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              Thracians
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              , and another Time it took Fire
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              of itſelf, and was rebuilt by
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              Amaſis
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              , as we are
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              informed by
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              Herodotus.
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              </s>
              <s> We read too that it </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
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    </archimedes>
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