Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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          <chap>
            <pb xlink:href="003/01/230.jpg" pagenum="172"/>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. VI.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of the principle Ways belonging to the City, and the Methods of adorning the
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              Haven, Gates, Bridges, Arches, Croſs-ways and Squares.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>It is now Time to make our Entrance into
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              the City; but as there are ſome Ways
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              both within and without the Town which are
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              much more eminent than the common Sort,
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              as thoſe which lead to the Temple, the Baſi­
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              lique, or the Place for publick Spectacles, we
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              ſhall firſt ſay ſomething of theſe. </s>
              <s>We read
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              that
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Heliogabalus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              paved theſe broader and no­
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              bler Ways with
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Macedonian
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Marble and Por­
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              phiry. </s>
              <s>Hiſtorians ſay much in Praiſe of a noble
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              Street in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Bubaſtus,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              a City of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægypt,
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              which led
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              to the Temple; for it ran thro' the Market­
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              place, and was paved with very fine Stone, was
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              four Jugera, or four hundred and eighty Foot
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              broad, and bordered on each Side with ſtately
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              Trees.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ariſteas
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              tells us, that in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Feruſalem
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              there were ſome very beautiful Streets, tho'
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              narrow, thro' which the Magiſtrates and Nobles
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              only were allowed to paſs, to the Intent chiefly
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              that the ſacred Things which they carried,
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              might not be polluted by the Touch of any
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              Thing profane.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Plato
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              highly celebrates a Way
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              all planted with Cypreſs Trees which led from
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Gnoſſus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              to the Cave and Temple of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Fupiter.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              I
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              find that the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Romans
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              had two Streets of this
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              Sort, extremely noble and beautiful, one from
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              the Gate to the Church of St.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Paul,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              fifteen
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              Stadia, or a Mile and ſeven Furlongs in Length,
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              and the other from the Bridge to the Church
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              of St.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Peter,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              two thouſand five hundred Foot
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              long, and all covered with a Portico of Co­
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              lumns of Marble, with a Roof of Lead. </s>
              <s>Such
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              Ornaments are extremely proper for Ways of
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              this Nature. </s>
              <s>But let us now return to the
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              more common Highways. </s>
              <s>The principal Head
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              and Boundary of all Highways, whether within
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              or without the City, unleſs I am miſtaken, is
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              the Gate for thoſe by Land, and the Haven for
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              thoſe by Sea: Unleſs we will take notice of
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              ſubterraneous Ways, of the Nature of thoſe
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              which we are told were at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Thebes
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægypt,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              thro' which their Kings could lead an Army
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              unknown to any of the Citizens, or thoſe which
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              I find to have been pretty numerous near
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Pre­
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              neſte,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              in the ancient
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Latium,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              dug under Ground
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              from the Top of the Hill to the Level of the
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              Plain, with wonderful Art; in one of which
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              we are told, that
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Marius
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              periſhed when cloſe
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              preſſed by the Siege. </s>
              <s>We are told by the
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              Author of the Life of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Apollonius,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              of a very
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              wonderful Paſſage made by a Lady of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Media
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Babylon,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              under the River, and arched with
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              Stone and Bitumen, thro' which ſhe could go
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              dryſhod from the Palace to a Country Houſe,
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              on the other Side of the River. </s>
              <s>But we are
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              not obliged to believe all that the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Greek
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Wri­
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              ters tell us. </s>
              <s>To return to our Subject. </s>
              <s>The
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              Gates are adorned in the ſame Manner as tri­
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              umphal Arches, of which anon. </s>
              <s>The Haven
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              is adorned by broad Porticoes, raiſed ſomewhat
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              above the Level of the Ground, by a ſtately
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              Temple, lofty and beautiful, with ſpacious
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              Squares before it, and the Mouth of the Ha­
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              ven itſelf by huge Statues, ſuch as were for­
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              merly to be ſeen in ſeveral Places, and particu­
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              larly at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rhodes,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              where
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Herod
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              is ſaid to have
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              erected three. </s>
              <s>Hiſtorians very much celebrate
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              the Mole at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Samos,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              which they ſay was an
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              hundred and twenty Foot high, and ran out
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              two Furlongs into the Sea. </s>
              <s>Doubtleſs ſuch
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              Works muſt greatly adorn the Haven, eſpeci­
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              ally if they are maſterly wrought, and not of
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              baſe Materials. </s>
              <s>The Streets within the City,
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              beſides being handſomely paved and cleanly
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              kept, will be rendered much more noble, if
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              the Doors are built all after the ſame Model,
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              and the Houſes on each Side ſtand in an even
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              Line, and none higher than another. </s>
              <s>The Parts
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              of the Street which are principally to be ad­
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              orned, are theſe: The Bridge, the Croſs-ways,
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              and the Place for publick Spectactles, which
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              laſt is nothing elſe but an open Place, with </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <arrow.to.target n="marg40"/>
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              Seats built about it. </s>
              <s>We will begin with the
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              Bridge, as being one of the chief Parts of the
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              Street. </s>
              <s>The Parts of the Bridge are the Piers,
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              the Arches and the Pavement, and alſo the
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              Street in the Middle for the Paſſage of Cattle,
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              and the raiſed Cauſeways on each Side for the
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              better Sort of Citizens, and the Sides or Rail,
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              and in ſome Places Houſes too, as in that moſt
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              noble Bridge called
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Adrian
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              's
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Mole,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              a Work
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              never to be forgotten, the very Skeleton where­
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              of, if I may ſo call it, I can never behold
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              without a Sort of Reverence and Awe. </s>
              <s>It
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              </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
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    </archimedes>
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