Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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from the Fatigue of Travelling. </
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<
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>For which
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Reaſon, as I had always the higheſt Eſteem for
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the Prudence oſ our Anceſtors in all their In
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ſtitutions, ſo I particularly commend them for
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that Cuſtom of theirs, whereof we ſhall ſpeak
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immediately, by which, though in it they aim
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ed at much greater Ends, they afforded ſo much
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Rccreation to Travellers. </
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<
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>It was a Law of the
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twelve Tables, that no dead Body ſhould be
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interred or burnt within the City, and it was
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a very ancient Law of the Senate that no
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Corpſe ſhould be interred within the Walls,
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except the Veſtal Virgins, and the Emperors,
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who were not included within this Prohibition.
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Plutarch
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tell us, that the
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Valeri
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and the
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Fa
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bricii,
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as a Mark of Honour, had a Privilege to
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be buried in the Forum; but their Deſcend
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ants, having only ſet their dead down in it,
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and juſt clapt a Torch to the Body, uſed im
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mediately to take it up again to bury it elſe
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where; thereby ſhewing that they had ſuch a
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Privilege, but that they did not think it decent
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to make uſe of it. </
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<
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>The Ancients thereſore
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choſe their Sepulchres in convenient and conſpi
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cuous Places by the Side of Highways, and em
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belliſhed them, as far as their Abilities and the
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Skill of the Architect would reach, with a per
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fect Profuſion of Ornaments. </
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<
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>They were built
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after the nobleſt Deſigns; no Columns or Pi
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laſters were ſpared for, nor did they want the
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richeſt Incruſtations, nor any Delicacies that
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Sculpture or Painting could afford; and they
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were generally adorned with Buſts of Braſs or
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marble finiſhed after the moſt exquiſite Taſte:
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By which Cuſtom how much that prudent Peo
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ple promoted the Service of the Common
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wealth and good Manners, would be tedious
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now to recapitulate. </
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<
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>I ſhall only juſt touch
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upon thoſe Points which make to our preſent
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Purpoſe. </
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>And how, think ye, muſt it delight
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Travellers as they paſſed along the
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Appian
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Way, or any other great Road, to find them
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full of a vaſt Number of Tombs of the moſt
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excellent Workmanſhip, and to be every Mo
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ment picking out ſome more beautiful than the
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reſt, and obſerving the Epitaphs and Effigies of
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their greateſt Men? </
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<
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>Do you not think that
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from ſo many Monuments of ancient Story,
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they muſt of Neceſſity take continual Occaſion
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to diſcourſe of the noble Exploits perſormed by
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thoſe Heroes of old, thereby ſweetning the Te
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diouſneſs of their Journey, and exalting the Ho
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nour of
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Rome,
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their native City? </
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<
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>But this was
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the leaſt of the good Effects which they pro
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duced; and it was of much more Importance
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that they conduced not a little the Preſervation
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of the Commonwealth, and of the Fortunes of
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private Perſons. </
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<
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>One of the chief Cauſes why
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the Rich rejected the
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Agrarian
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Law, as we
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are inſormed by the Hiſtorian
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Appian,
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was be
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cauſe they looked upon it to be an Impiety to
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ſuffer the Property of the Tombs of their Fore
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fathers to be transferred to others. </
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<
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>How many
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great Inheritances may we therefore ſuppoſe
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them to have left untouched to their Poſterity,
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merely upon this Principle of Duty, Piety or
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Religion, which elſe would have been prodi
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gally waſted in Riot and Gaming? </
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<
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>Beſides
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that thoſe Monuments were a very great Ho
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nour to the Name of the City itſelf, and of a
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great Number of private Families, and was a
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conſtant Incitement to Poſterity to imitate the
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Virtues of thoſe whom they ſaw ſo highly re
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vered. </
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<
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>Then again, with what Eyes think
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you, whenever ſuch a Misfortune happened,
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muſt they behold a furious and inſolent Enemy
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ranſacking among the Sepulchres of their An
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ceſtors? </
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<
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>And what Man could be ſo baſe and
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cowardly, as not to be immediately inflamed with
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Rage and Deſire of revenging ſuch an Inſult
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upon his Country and his Honour? </
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<
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>And what
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Boldneſs and Courage muſt Shame, Piety and
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Grief ſtir up in the Hearts of Men upon ſuch
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an Occaſion? </
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<
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>The Ancients therefore are great
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ly to be praiſed; not that I preſume to blame
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the preſent Practice of burying our Dead within
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the City, and in holy Places, provided we do
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not lay them in our Temples, where our Ma
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giſtrates and great Men are to meet for the
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Celebration of holy Rites, ſo as to pollute the
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moſt ſacred Offices with the noiſome Vapours
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of a rotting Corpſe. </
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<
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>The Cuſtom of burning
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the Dead was much more convenient.</
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<
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>CHAP. II.</
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Of Sepulchres, and the various Manner of Burial.
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<
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>I shall here take an Opportunity to inſert
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ſome Things, which in my Opinion, are by
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no means to be omitted, concerning the Struc
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ture of Sepulchres, ſince they ſeem to partake
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of the Nature of publick Works, as being de
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dicated to Religion. </
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<
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>Let the Place where you </
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