Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              was covered with a Roof ſupported by two­
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              and-forty Columns of Marble, with their Archi­
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              trave, Freze and Cornice, the Roof plated with
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              Braſs, and richly adorned. </s>
              <s>The Bridge muſt be
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              made as broad as the Street which leads to it.
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              </s>
              <s>The Piers muſt be equal to one another on
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              each Side both in Number and Size, and be
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              one third of the Aperture in Thickneſs. </s>
              <s>The
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              Angles or Heads of the Piers that lie againſt
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              the Stream muſt project in Length half the
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              Breadth of the Bridge, and be built higher than
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              the Water ever riſes. </s>
              <s>The Heads of the Piers
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              that lie along with the Stream muſt have the
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              ſame Projecture, but then it will not look amiſs
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              to have them leſs acute, and as it were blunt­
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              ed. </s>
              <s>From the Heads of the Piers on each
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              Side, it will be very proper to raiſe Butreſſes for
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              the Support of the Bridge, in Thickneſs not
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              leſs than two thirds of the Pier itſelf. </s>
              <s>The
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              Crowns of all the Arches muſt ſtand quite clear
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              above the Water: Their Dreſs may be taken
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              from the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ionic
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              or rather the
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              Doric
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              Architrave,
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              and in large Bridges it muſt not be leſs in
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              Breadth than the fifteenth Part of the whole
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              Aperture of the Arch. </s>
              <s>To make the Rail or
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              Side-wall of the Bridge the ſtronger, erect Pe­
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              deſtals at certain Diſtances by the Square and
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              Plum-line, on which, if you pleaſe, you may
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              raiſe Columns to ſupport a Roof or Portico.
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              </s>
              <s>The Height of this Side-wall with its Zocle
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              and Cornice muſt be four Foot. </s>
              <s>The Spaces
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              between the Pedeſtals may be filled up with a
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              ſlight Breaſt-wall. </s>
              <s>The Crown both of the
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              Pedeſtals and Breaſt-wall may be an upright
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              Cymatium, or rather a reverſed one, continu­
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              ed the whole Length of the Bridge, and the
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              Plinth at Bottom muſt anſwer this Cymatium.
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              </s>
              <s>The Cauſeway on each Side for Women and
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              Foot Paſſengers muſt be raiſed a Foot or two
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              higher than the Middle of the Bridge, which
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              being intended chiefly for Beaſts of Carriage,
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              may be paved only with Flints. </s>
              <s>The Height
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              of the Columns, with their Intablature, muſt
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              be equal to the Breadth of the Bridge. </s>
              <s>The
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              Croſſways and Squares differ only in their Big­
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              neſs, the Croſſway being indeed nothing elſe but
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              a ſmall Square.
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              Plato
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              ordained that in all Croſſ­
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              ways there ſhould be Spaces left for Nurſes to
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              meet in with their Children. </s>
              <s>His Deſign in
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              this Regulation was, I ſuppoſe, not only that
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              the Children might grow ſtrong by being in the
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              Air, but alſo that the Nurſes themſelves, by
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              ſeeing one another, might grow neater and
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              more delicate, and be leſs liable to Negligence
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              among ſo many careful Obſervers in the ſame
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              Buſineſs. </s>
              <s>It is certain, one of the greateſt Or­
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              naments either of a Square, or of a Croſſway,
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              is a handſome Portico, under which the old
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              Men may ſpend the Heat of the Day, or be
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              mutually ſerviceable to each other; beſides that
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              the Preſence of the Fathers may deter and re­
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              ſtrain the Youth, who are ſporting and divert­
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              ing themſelves in the other Part of the Place,
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              from the Miſchievouſneſs and Folly natural to
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              their Age. </s>
              <s>The Squares muſt be ſo many dif­
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              ſerent Markets, one for Gold and Silver, an­
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              other for Herbs, another for Cattle, another for
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              Wood, and ſo on; each whereof ought to have
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              its particular Place in the City, and its diſtinct
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              Ornaments; but that where the Traffick of
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              Gold and Silver is to be carried on, ought to
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              be much the Nobleſt? </s>
              <s>The
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              Greeks
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              made their
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              Forums or Markets exactly ſquare, and encom­
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              paſſed them with large double Porticoes, which
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              they adorned with Columns and their Intabla­
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              tures, all of Stone, with noble Terraſſes at the
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              Top, for taking the Air upon. </s>
              <s>Among our
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              Countrymen the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Italians,
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              the Forums uſed to
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              be a third Part longer than they were broad:
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              And becauſe in ancient Times they were the
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              Places where the Shows of the
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              Gladiators
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              were
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              exhibited, the Columns in the Porticoes were
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              ſet at a greater Diſtance from each other, that
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              they might not obſtruct the Sight of thoſe Di­
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              verſions. </s>
              <s>In the Porticoes were the Shows for
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              the Goldſmiths, and over the firſt Story were
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              Galleries projecting out for ſeeing the Shows
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              in, and the publick Magazines. </s>
              <s>This was the
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg41"/>
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              Method among the Ancients. </s>
              <s>For my Part I
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              would have a Square twice as long as broad,
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              and that the Porticoes and other Buildings about
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              it ſhould anſwer in ſome Proportion to the open
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              Area in the Middle, that it may not ſeem too
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              large, by means of the Lowneſs of the Build­
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              ings, nor too ſmall, from their being too high.
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              </s>
              <s>A proper Height for the Buildings about a
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              Square is one third of the Breadth of the open
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              Area, or one ſixth at the leaſt. </s>
              <s>I would alſo
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              have the Porticoes raiſed above the Level of
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              the Ground, one fifth Part of their Breadth,
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              and that their Breadth ſhould be equal to half
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              the Height of their Columns, including the
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              Intablature. </s>
              <s>The Proportions of the Columns
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              ſhould be taken from thoſe of the Baſilique,
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              only with this Difference, that here the Archi­
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              trave, Freze and Cornice together ſhould be
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              one fifth of the Column in Height. </s>
              <s>If you
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              would make a ſecond Row of Columns over
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              this firſt, thoſe Columns ſhould be one fourth
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              Part thinner and ſhorter than thoſe below, and
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              </s>
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