Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/211.jpg" pagenum="159"/>
              a famous Temple, in which ftood the Statue
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              of
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              Dercetis
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              (the ſame that is called in Scripture
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Dagon
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              ) with his upper Parts like a Man, and
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              his lower like a Fiſh; who was thus honoured,
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              becauſe from that Place he threw himſelf into
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              the Lake: And if any
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              Sytian
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              taſted of the
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              Fiſh that was in it, he was looked upon as ex­
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              communicate. </s>
              <s>The
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              Mutinii,
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              or ancient
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              Mo­
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              deneze,
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              near the Lake
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              Fucinus,
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              repreſented
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Medea
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              the Serpent-killer, under the Shape of
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              a Serpent, becauſe by her Means they fancied
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              themſelves freed from thoſe Animals. </s>
              <s>Of the
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              ſame Nature was
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              Hercules's Lernæan Hydra,
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              Io
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              changed into a Cow, and the other Fables
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              related in the Verſes of the ancient Poets;
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              with which Inventions I am very much de­
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              lighted, provided ſome virtuous Precept
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              be contained in them; as in that Symbol
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              which was carved upon
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              Symandes
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              's Sepulchre,
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              in which was a Judge ſurrounded by ſome
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              other chief Magiſtrates cloathed in the Habits
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              of Prieſts, and from their Necks hung down
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              upon their Breaſts the Image of Truth with
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              her Eyes clos'd, and ſeeming to nod her Head
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              towards them. </s>
              <s>In the Middle was a Heap of
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              Books, with this Inſcription upon it: This is
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              the true Phyſick of the Mind.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>BUT the Invention of Statues was the moſt
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              excellent of all, as they are a noble Ornament
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              for all Sorts of Structures, whether ſacred or
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              profane, publick or private, and preſerve a
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              wonderful Repreſentation both of Perſons and
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              Actions. </s>
              <s>Whatever great Genius it was that
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              invented Statues, it is thought they owe their
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              Beginning to the ſame Nation as the Religion
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              of the ancient
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              Romans;
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              the firſt Statue being
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              by ſome ſaid to be made by the
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              Etrurians.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
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              Others are of Opinion, that the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Telchines
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              of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rhodes,
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              were the firſt that made Statues of the
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              Gods, which being formed according to cer­
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              tain magical Rules, had Power to bring up
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              Clouds and Rain, and other Meteors, and to
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              change themſelves into the Shapes of different
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              Animals. </s>
              <s>Among the
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              Greeks, Cadmus,
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              the
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              Son of
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              Agenor,
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              was the firſt that conſecrated
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              Statues of the Gods to the Temple. </s>
              <s>We are
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              informed by
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              Ariſtotle,
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              that the firſt Statues that
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              were placed in the publick Forum of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Athens,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              were thoſe of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Harmodius
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              and
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              Ariſtogiton,
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              who
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              were the firſt Deliverers of the City from Ty­
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              ranny; and
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              Arrian
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              the Hiſtorian tells us, that
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              theſe very Statues were ſent back again to
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Athens
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              by
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Alexander
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              from
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              Suſa,
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              whither
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Xer­
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              xes
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              had removed them. </s>
              <s>The Number of Sta­
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              tues was ſo great at
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              Rome,
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              that they were call­
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              ed a Marble People.
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              Rhapſinates,
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              a very ancient
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægyptian
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              King, erected a Statue of Stone to
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Vulcan
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              above ſeven-and-thirty Foot high.
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Seſoſtris
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              made Statues of himſelf and his Wife
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              of the Height of eight-and-forty Foot.
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              Amaſis
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              ſet up a Statue near
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Memphis,
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              in a leaning
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              Poſture, which was forty-ſeven Foot long, and
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              in its Pedeſtal were two others, each twenty
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              Foot high. </s>
              <s>In the Sepulchre of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Simandes
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              were
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              three Statues of
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              Jupiter,
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              made by
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              Memnon,
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              of
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              wonderful Workmanſhip, being all cut out of
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              one ſingle Stone, whereof one, which was in a
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              ſitting Poſture, was ſo large, that only its Foot
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              was above ſeven Foot and an Half long; and
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              what was extremely ſurprizing in it, beſides the
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              Skill of the Artiſt, in all that huge Stone there
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              was not the leaſt Spot or Flaw. </s>
              <s>Others after­
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              wards, when they could not find Stones large
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              enough to make Statues of the Size which they
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              deſired, made uſe of Braſs, and formed ſome of
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              no leſs than an hundred Cubits, or an hundred
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              and fifty Foot high. </s>
              <s>But the greateſt Work
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              we read of in this Kind, was that of
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              Semiramis,
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              who not being able to find any Stone large
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              enough for her Purpoſe, and being reſolved to
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              make ſomething much bigger than was poſſible
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              to be done with Braſs, contrived near a Moun­
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              tain in
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              Media
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              called
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              Bagiſtan,
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              to have her own
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              Image carved out of a Rock of two Miles and
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              a furlong in Length, with the Figures of an
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              hundred Men offering Sacrifice to her, hewn
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              out of the ſame Stone. </s>
              <s>There is one Particu­
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              lar relating to this Article of Statues, mention­
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              ed by
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              Diodorus,
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              by no means to be omitted;
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              which is, that the
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              Ægyptian
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              Statuaries were
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              arrived at ſuch a Pitch of Skill in their Art, that
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              they would out of ſeveral Stones in ſeveral dif­
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              ferent Places make one Statue, which when
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              put together ſhould ſeem to be all the Work
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              of one Hand; in which ſurprizing Manner we
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              are told the Statue of the
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              Pythian Apollo
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              at
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Samos
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              was made, one half of it being wrought
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              by
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Theleſius,
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              and the other half by
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              Theodorus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              at
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Epheſus.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
              <s> Theſe Things I thought it not amiſs
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              to write here by way of Recreation, which,
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              though very uſeful in themſelves, are here in­
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              ſerted only as an Introduction to the follow­
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              ing Book, where we ſhall treat of the Monu­
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              ments raiſed by private Perſons; to which
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              they properly belong. </s>
              <s>For as private Men have
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              ſcarce ſuffered even Princes to outdo them in
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              Greatneſs of Expence for perpetuating their
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              Memories, but being equally fired with the
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              Deſire of making their Names famous, have
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              ſpared for no Coſt which their Fortunes would </s>
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