Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

< >
< >
page |< < of 320 > >|
    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/222.jpg" pagenum="170"/>
              Writing whatſoever; but the Manner of ex­
                <lb/>
              preſſing their Senſe which they uſed upon theſe
                <lb/>
              Occaſions, by Symbols, they thought muſt al­
                <lb/>
              ways be underſtood by ingenious Men of all
                <lb/>
              Nations, to whom alone they were of Opinion,
                <lb/>
              that Things of Moment were fit to be commu­
                <lb/>
              nicated. </s>
              <s>In Imitation of this Practice, various
                <lb/>
              Symbols have been uſed upon Sepulchres. </s>
              <s>Over
                <lb/>
              the Grave of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Diogenes
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cynic,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              was a Column
                <lb/>
              with a Dog upon the Top of it, cut in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Parian
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              Marble.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cicero
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              glories, that he who was of
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Arpinum,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              was the Diſcoverer at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Syracuſe
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              of
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Archimedes
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              's Tomb, which was quite decayed
                <lb/>
              and neglected, and all over-grown with Bram­
                <lb/>
              bles, and not known, even to the Inhabitants
                <lb/>
              of the Place, and which he found out by a Cy­
                <lb/>
              linder and ſmall Sphere which he ſaw cut upon
                <lb/>
              a high Column that ſtood over it. </s>
              <s>On the
                <lb/>
              Sepulchre of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Symandes,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              King of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægypt,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              the
                <lb/>
              Figure of his Mother was cut out of a Piece of
                <lb/>
              Marble twenty Cubits high, with three Royal
                <lb/>
              Diadems upon her Head, denoting her to be
                <lb/>
              the Daughter, Wife and Mother of a King.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>On the Tomb of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Sardanapalus,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              King of the
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Aſſyrians,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              was a Statue which ſeemed to clap
                <lb/>
              its Hands together by Way of Applauſe, with
                <lb/>
              an Epitaph to this Effect:
                <emph type="italics"/>
              In one ſingle Day I
                <lb/>
              built
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Tarſus
                <emph type="italics"/>
              and
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Archileum;
                <emph type="italics"/>
              but do you, Friend,
                <lb/>
              eat, drink and be merry; for there is nothing elſe
                <lb/>
              among Men that is worthy of this Applauſe.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              Such were the Inſcriptions and Symbols uſed
                <lb/>
              in thoſe Nations. </s>
              <s>But our
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Romans
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              recorded
                <lb/>
              the Exploits of their great Men, by carving
                <lb/>
              their Story in Marble. </s>
              <s>This gave riſe to Co­
                <lb/>
              lumns, Triumphal Arches, Porticoes enriched
                <lb/>
              with memorable Events, preſerved both in
                <lb/>
              Painting and Sculpture. </s>
              <s>But no Monument of
                <lb/>
              this Nature ſhould be made, except for Acti­
                <lb/>
              ons that truly deſerve to be perpetuated. </s>
              <s>But
                <lb/>
              we have now dwelt long enough upon this
                <lb/>
              Subject. </s>
              <s>We have ſpoken of the publick Ways
                <lb/>
              by Land; and the ſame Ornaments will ſerve
                <lb/>
              thoſe by Water: But as high Watch-towers
                <lb/>
              belong to both, it is neceſſary here to ſay ſome­
                <lb/>
              thing of them.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. V.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of Towers and their Ornaments.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <arrow.to.target n="marg39"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg39"/>
              *</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>The greateſt Ornaments are lofty Tow­
                <lb/>
              ers placed in proper Situations, and built
                <lb/>
              after handſome Deſigns: And when there are
                <lb/>
              a good Number of them ſtrewed up and down
                <lb/>
              the Country, they afford a moſt beautiful Pro­
                <lb/>
              ſpect: Not that I commend the Age about
                <lb/>
              two hundred Years ago, when People ſeemed
                <lb/>
              to be ſeized with a Kind of general Infection
                <lb/>
              of building high Watch-towers, even in the
                <lb/>
              meaneſt Villages, inſomuch that ſcarce a com­
                <lb/>
              mon Houſe-keeper thought he could not be
                <lb/>
              without his Turret: By which means there
                <lb/>
              aroſe a perfect Grove of Spires. </s>
              <s>Some are of
                <lb/>
              Opinion, that the Minds of Men take particu­
                <lb/>
              lar Turns, at certain Seaſons, by the Influence
                <lb/>
              of ſome Planet. </s>
              <s>Between three and four hun­
                <lb/>
              dred Years ſince the Zeal for Religion was ſo
                <lb/>
              warm, that Men ſeemed born for no other Em­
                <lb/>
              ployment but to build Churches and Chapels;
                <lb/>
              for, to omit other Inſtances, in the ſingle City
                <lb/>
              of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              at this Day, though above half thoſe
                <lb/>
              ſacred Structures are now ruinate, we ſee above
                <lb/>
              two thouſand five hundred Churches ſtill re­
                <lb/>
              maining. </s>
              <s>And now again, what can be the
                <lb/>
              Reaſon, that juſt at this Time all
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Italy
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              ſhould
                <lb/>
              be fired with a Kind of Emulation to put on
                <lb/>
              quite a new Face? </s>
              <s>How many Towns, which
                <lb/>
              when we were Children, were built of nothing
                <lb/>
              but Wood, are now lately ſtarted up all of
                <lb/>
              Marble? </s>
              <s>But to return to the Subject of Tow­
                <lb/>
              ers. </s>
              <s>I ſhall not here ſtay to repeat what we
                <lb/>
              read in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Herodotus,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              that in the Middle of the
                <lb/>
              Temple at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Babylon
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              there was a Tower, the
                <lb/>
              Baſe whereof was a whole Furlong, or the
                <lb/>
              eighth Part of a Mile, on every Side, and which
                <lb/>
              conſiſted of eight Stories built one above an­
                <lb/>
              other; a Way of Building which I extremely
                <lb/>
              commend in Towers, becauſe each Story grow­
                <lb/>
              ing leſs and leſs all the Way up, conduces both
                <lb/>
              to Strength and Beauty, and by being well knit
                <lb/>
              one into another, makes the whole Structure
                <lb/>
              firm. </s>
              <s>Towers are either ſquare or round, and
                <lb/>
              in both theſe the Height muſt anſwer in a cer­
                <lb/>
              tain Proportion to the Breadth. </s>
              <s>When they
                <lb/>
              are deſigned to be very taper, ſquare ones
                <lb/>
              ſhould be ſix Times as high as they are broad,
                <lb/>
              and round ones ſhould have four Times the
                <lb/>
              Height of their Diameter. </s>
              <s>Thoſe which are
                <lb/>
              intended to be very thick, ſhould have in
                <lb/>
              Height, if ſquare, but four Times their Breadth,
                <lb/>
              and if round, but three Diameters. </s>
              <s>The Thick­
                <lb/>
              neſs of the Walls, if they are forty Cubits high,
                <lb/>
              </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
Impressum