Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/210.jpg" pagenum="158"/>
              Anceſtors, when, having overcome their Ene­
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              mies, they were endeavouring with all their
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              Power to enlarge the Confines of their Em­
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              pire, uſed to ſet up Statues and Terms to mark
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              the Courſe of their Victories, and to diſtinguiſh
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              the Limits of their Conqueſts. </s>
              <s>This was the
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              Origin of Pyramids, Obelisks, and the like
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              Monuments for the Diſtinction of Limits.
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              </s>
              <s>Afterwards being willing to make ſome Ac­
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              knowledgment to the Gods for the Victories
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              which they had gained, they dedicated Part of
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              their Plunder to Heaven, and conſecrated the
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              publick Rejoycings to Religion. </s>
              <s>This gave
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              Riſe to Altars, Chapels, and other Monuments
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              neceſſary for their Purpoſes. </s>
              <s>They were alſo
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              deſirous of eternizing their Memory to Poſte­
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              rity, and of making even their Perſons, as well
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              as Virtues known to future Ages. </s>
              <s>This pro­
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              duced Trophies, Spoils, Statues, Inſcriptions,
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              and the like Inventions for propagating the
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              Fame of great Exploits. </s>
              <s>People of lower Rank
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              too, tho' not eminent for any particular Ser­
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              vice done their Country, but only for their
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              Wealth or Proſperity, were fond of imitating
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              the ſame Practice, in which many different
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              Methods have been taken. </s>
              <s>The Terms erected
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              by
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              Bacchus,
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              at the End of his Progreſs thro'
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              India,
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              were Stones ſet up at certain Diſtances,
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              and great Trees with their Trunks encom­
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              paſſed with Ivy. </s>
              <s>At
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              Lyſimachia
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              was a very
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              large Altar, which was ſet up by the
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              Argo­
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              nauts,
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              when they paſſed by that Place in their
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              Voyage.
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              Pauſanias,
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              on the Banks of the Ri­
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              ver
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              Hippanis,
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              near the Black Sea, fixed a huge
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              Vaſe of Braſs, ſix Inches thick, which would
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              contain ſix hundred * Amphoras.
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              Alexander,
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              near the River
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              Alceſtes,
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              which falls into the
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              Ocean, erected twelve Altars of prodigious large
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              ſquare Stones, and near the
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              Tanais
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              ſurrounded
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              all the Space of Ground which his Army took
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              up in its Encampment, with a Wall which
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              was ſeven Miles and an half in Compaſs.
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Darius,
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              having ſet down his Camp near
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              Oth­
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              ryſia,
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              upon the River
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              Arteſroe,
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              commanded
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              his Soldiers to throw each of them one Stone
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              in different Heaps, which being very large
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              and numerous, might fill Poſterity with Aſ­
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              toniſhment.
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              Seſoſtris,
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              in his Wars, erected an
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              Obelisk with handſome Inſcriptions, in Ho­
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              nour of thoſe who made a brave Reſiſtance
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              againſt him; but thoſe who ſubmitted baſely
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              he branded with Infamy, by ſetting up Obe­
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              lisks and Columns with the Pudenda of a Wo­
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              man carved upon them.
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              Jaſon,
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              in all the
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              Countries thro' which he paſſed, erected
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              Temples in his own Honour, which we are
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              told were all demoliſhed by
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              Parmenio,
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              to the
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              Intent, that no Memorial might any where
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              remain but that of
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              Alexander.
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              </s>
              <s> Theſe were
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              Monuments erected during the Expeditions
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              themſelves; others, ſuch as follow, were raiſed
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              after the Victory obtained, and the Conqueſt
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              compleated. </s>
              <s>In the Temple of
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              Pallas, the
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              Diligent
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              hung the Shackles with which the
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Lacedemonians
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              had been fettered. </s>
              <s>The
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              Evi­
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              ans
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              not only preſerved in their Temple the
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              Stone with which the
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              Phymian
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              King ſlew the
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              King of
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              Machienſes,
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              but even worſhiped it as
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              a God. </s>
              <s>The
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              Æginetæ
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              dedicated to their
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              Temple the Beaks of the Ships which they
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              took from their Enemies. </s>
              <s>In Imitation of
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              them
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              Auguſtus,
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              having overcome the
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              Ægyp­
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              tians,
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              erected four Trophies of the Beaks of
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              their Ships; which were afterwards removed
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              to the Capitol by the Emperor
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              Domitian, Ju­
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              lius Cæſar
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              had before raiſed two of the ſame
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              Sort, one upon the Roſtrum, and the other
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              before the Senate, upon defeating the
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              Cartha­
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              ginians
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              in a naval Engagement. </s>
              <s>Why need I
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              mention that infinite Number of Towers,
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              Temples, Obelisks, Pyramids, Labyrinths, and
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              the like Works which we read of in Hiſtori­
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              ans? </s>
              <s>I ſhall only obſerve, that this Deſire of
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              perpetuating their Names by ſuch Structures,
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              roſe to ſuch a Pitch among the Heroes of old,
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              that they even built Towns for no other Pur­
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              poſe, calling them by their own Names to de­
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              liver them down to Poſterity.
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              Alexander,
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              not
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              to mention many others, beſides thoſe Cities
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              which he built in Honour of his own Name,
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              went ſo far as to build one after the Name of his
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              Horſe
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              Bucephalus.
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              </s>
              <s> But in my Opinion, what
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Pompey
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              did was much more decent; when having
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              defeated
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              Mithridates
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              in the lower
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              Armenia,
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              he
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              built the City
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              Nicopolis
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              (or of Victory) in the
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              very Place where he had been Conqueror. </s>
              <s>But
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Seleucus
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              ſeems to have far outſtript all theſe;
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              ſor he built three Cities in Honour of his
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              Wife, and called them
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              Apamia;
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              five in Ho­
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              nour of his Mother, by the Name of
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              Laodicea;
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              nine called
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              Seleucia,
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              in Honour of his own
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              Name; and ten in Memory of his Father,
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              which were called
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Antiocha.
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              </s>
              <s> Others have made
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              themſelves famous to Poſterity, not ſo much
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              by Magnificence and Expence, as by ſome par­
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              ticular new Invention.
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              Cæſar,
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              with the Berries
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              of the Laurel which he had worn in Triumph,
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              planted a Grove which he conſecrated to fu­
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              ture Triumphers. </s>
              <s>Near
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Aſcalon
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Syria,
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              was
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              </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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