Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              bear, to get the Aſſiſtance and Skill of the beſt
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              Artiſts for their Purpoſe; they have accord­
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              ingly rivalled the greateſt Kings in fine Deſigns
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              and noble Compoſitions, ſo as, in my Opinion,
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              to be very little, if at all, inferior to them. </s>
              <s>But
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              thoſe Works are reſerved for the next Book,
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              in which I dare promiſe the Reader he ſhall
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              find ſome Entertainment worth his Pains. </s>
              <s>But
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              firſt we are here to ſpeak of ſome few Particu­
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              lars neceſſary to our preſent Subject.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. XVII.</s>
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              <s>
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              Whether Statues ought to be placed in Temples, and what Materials are the
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              moſt proper for making them.
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              <s>Some are againſt placing any Statues in
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              Temples; and we are told that
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              Numa,
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              being a Diſciple of
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              Pythagoras,
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              would allow of
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              none: And
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              Seneca
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              rallies himſelf and his Coun­
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              trymen upon this Account; we play with Ba­
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              bies, ſays he, like Children. </s>
              <s>The Ancients,
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              who were of this Opinion, uſed to argue con­
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              cerning the Gods in the following Manner:
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              Who can be ſo weak as not to know, that every
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              Thing relating to the Gods is to be conſidered
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              with the Mind, and not with the Eyes, ſince it
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              is impoſſible to give them any Form that can
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              be in the leaſt Degree anſwerable to the Ex­
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              cellence of their Nature? </s>
              <s>And indeed they
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              thought that the having no viſible Repreſenta­
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              tions of them made by Hands, muſt have a
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              very good Effect, as it would put every Man
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              upon forming ſuch an Idea of the firſt Mover,
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              and of the ſupreme Intelligence, as beſt ſuited
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              his own Capacity and Way of Thinking: By
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              which he would be the more induced to revere
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              the Majeſty of the Divine Name. </s>
              <s>Others
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              thought quite differently, holding, that the
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              Gods were repreſented under human Forms to
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              a very wiſe End, and that they had a very good
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              Influence upon the Minds and Morals of the
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              Vulgar, who when they approached thoſe Sta­
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              tues, imagined they were in the Preſence of
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              the Gods themſelves. </s>
              <s>Others eſpecially were
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              for ſetting up to publick View in conſecrated
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              Places, the Effigies of ſuch as had deſerved well
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              of Mankind, and were therefore ſuppoſed to be
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              admitted among the Gods, believing it muſt
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              inſpire Poſterity, when they came to worſhip
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              them, with a Love of Glory, and an Emulati­
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              on of their Virtue. </s>
              <s>It is certainly a Point of
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              great Importance what Statues we ſet up, eſ­
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              pecially in Temples, as alſo whereabouts, in
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              what Number, and of what Materials: For no
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              ridiculous Figures are to be admitted here, as
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              of the God
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              Priapus,
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              that is uſually ſet up in
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              Gardens to ſcare away the Birds; nor of fight­
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              ing Soldiers, as in Porticoes, or the like; nei­
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              ther do I think they ſhould be placed in cloſe
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              Nooks and mean Corners. </s>
              <s>But firſt let us treat
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              of the Materials with which they ſhould be
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              made, and then proceed to the other Points.
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              </s>
              <s>Of old, ſays
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              Plutarch,
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              they uſed to make their
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              Images of Wood; as was that 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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              and at
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              Popolonia,
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              near
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              Piombino,
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              was one
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              of
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              Jupiter
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              of Vine-tree, which many affirmed
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              to have remained perfectly clear of the leaſt
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              Corruption. </s>
              <s>Of the ſame Sort was that of the
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Epheſian Diana,
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              which ſome ſaid was of Ebony,
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              but
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              Muſianus
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              tells us it was of Vine-tree.
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              Peras,
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              who built the Temple of
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              Juno
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              the
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              Argive,
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              and
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              dedicated his Daughter to be Prieſteſs of it,
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              made a
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              Jupiter
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              out of the Trunk of a Pear­
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              tree. </s>
              <s>Some would not allow the Statues of the
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              Gods to be made of Stone, as thinking that
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              Material had ſomething in it too rugged and
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              cruel. </s>
              <s>They alſo diſapproved of Gold and
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              Silver for this Uſe, becauſe thoſe Metals are
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              produced of a barren ungrateful Soil, and have
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              a wan ſickly Hue. </s>
              <s>The Poet ſays:</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>
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              Great
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              Jove
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              ſtood crampt beneath the lowly Roof,
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              Scarce full erect; and in his mighty Hand
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              Brandiſh'd aloft a Thunderbolt of Clay.
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              </s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>SOME among the
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              Ægyptians
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              were of Opini­
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              on, that the Subſtance of God was Fire, and
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              that he dwelt in the elemental Flame, and
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              could not be conceived by the Senſes of Man­
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              kind: For which Reaſon they made their
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              Gods of Chriſtal. </s>
              <s>Others thought the Gods
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              ought to be made of black Stone, in the Sup­
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              poſition of that Colour being incomprehenſi­
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              ble; and others laſtly of Gold, in Conformity
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              with the Colour of the Stars. </s>
              <s>I own for my
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              Part, I have been very much in Suſpenſe what
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              Materials was moſt proper for making Images
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              that are to be the Objects of Worſhip. </s>
              <s>You
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              will ſay, no doubt, that whatever is to be made </s>
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