Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              for a Baſement to them you muſt make a
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              Plinth half the Height of the Baſement at the
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              Bottom. </s>
              <s>But nothing can be a greater Orna­
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              ment either to Squares or the Meeting of ſeve­
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              ral Streets, than Arches at the Entrance of the
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              Streets; an Arch being indeed nothing elſe but
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              a Gate ſtanding continually open. </s>
              <s>I am of
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              Opinion, that the Invention of Arches were
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              owing to thoſe that firſt enlarged the Bounds
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              of the Empire: For it was the ancient Cuſtom
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              with ſuch, as we are informed by
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              Tacitus,
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              to
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              enlarge the Pomoerium, or vacant Space left
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              next the City Walls, as we find particularly
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              that
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              Claudius
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              did. </s>
              <s>Now though they extend­
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              ed the Limits of the City, yet they thought it
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              proper to preſerve the old Gates, for ſeveral
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              Reaſons, and particularly becauſe they might
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              ſome Time or other happen to be a Safeguard
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              againſt the Irruption of an Enemy. </s>
              <s>Afterwards
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              as theſe Gates ſtood in the moſt conſpicuous
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              Places, they adorned them with the Spoils
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              which they had won from their Enemies, and
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              the Enſigns of their Victories. </s>
              <s>To theſe Be­
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              ginnings it was that Arches owed their Tro­
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              phies, Inſcriptions, Statues and Relieves. </s>
              <s>A
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              very proper Situation for an Arch is where a
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              Street joins into a Square, and eſpecially in the
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              Royal Street, by which Name I underſtand the
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg42"/>
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              moſt eminent in the City. </s>
              <s>An Arch, like a
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              Bridge, ſhould have no leſs than three open
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              Paſſages: That in the Middle for the Soldiers
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              to return through in Triumph to pay their
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              Devotions to their paternal Gods, and the two
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              Side ones for the Matrons and Citizens to go
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              out to meet and welcome them Home. </s>
              <s>When
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              you build one of theſe Triumphal Arches, let
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              the Line of the Platform which runs length­
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              ways with the Street be the Half of the Line
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              that goes croſs the Street from Right to Left,
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              and the Length of this Croſs-line ſhould never
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              be leſs than fifty Cubits. </s>
              <s>This Kind of Struc­
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              tures is very like that of a Bridge, only it never
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              conſiſts of more than four Piers and three
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              Arches. </s>
              <s>Of the ſhorteſt Line of the Platform
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              which runs lengthways with the Street, leaves
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              one eighth Part towards the Square, and as
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              much behind on the other Side, for the Plat­
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              forms of Columns to be erected againſt the
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              Piers. </s>
              <s>The other longer Line which croſſes the
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              Street muſt alſo be divided into eight Parts,
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              two whereof muſt be given to the Aperture in
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              the Middle, and one to each Pier and to each
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              Side opening. </s>
              <s>The perpendicular Upright of
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              the Piers that ſupport the middle Arch, to the
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              Spring of that Arch, muſt be two of the afore­
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              ſaid Parts and a Third; and the Piers of the
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              two Side Arches muſt bear the ſame Proporti­
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              on to their reſpective Aperture. </s>
              <s>The Soffit of
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              the Arches muſt be perſect Vaults. </s>
              <s>The
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              Crowns of the Piers beneath the Spring of the
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              Arch, may be made in Imitation of the
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              Doric
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              Capital, only inſtead of the Ovolo and Abacus
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              they may have a projecting Cornice either
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              Co­
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              rinthian
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              or
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              Ionic,
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              and beneath the Cornice by
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              Way of Gorgerine, a plain Freze, and below
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              that an Aſtragal and a Fillet like thoſe at the
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              Top of the Shaft of a Column. </s>
              <s>All theſe Or­
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              naments together ſhould take up the ninth Part
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              of the Height of the Pier. </s>
              <s>This ninth Part
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              muſt be again ſubdivided into nine ſmaller Parts,
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              five whereof muſt be given to the Cornice,
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              three to the Freze, and one to the Aſtragal
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              and Fillet. </s>
              <s>The Architrave or Face of the
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              Arch that turns from Pier to Pier muſt never
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              be broader than the tenth Part of its Aperture,
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              nor narrower than the twelfth. </s>
              <s>The Columns
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              that are placed in Front againſt the Piers muſt
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              be regular and inſulate; they muſt be ſo raiſed
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              that the Top of their Shafts may be equal to
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              the Top of the Arch, and their Length muſt
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              be equal to the Breadth of the middle Aper­
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              ture. </s>
              <s>Theſe Columns muſt have their Baſes,
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              Plinths and Pedeſtals as alſo their Capitals,
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              either
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              Corinthian
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              or
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              Compoſite
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              together with
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              Architrave, Freze and Cornice, either
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              Ionic
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              or
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Corinthian,
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              according to the Proportions al­
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              ready preſcribed for thoſe ſeveral Members.
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              </s>
              <s>Above theſe Columns muſt be a plain Wall,
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              half as high as the whole Subſtructure from
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              the loweſt Baſement to the Top of the Cornice,
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              and the Height of this additional Wall muſt
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              be divided into eleven Parts, one of which muſt
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              be given to a plain Cornice at the Top, with­
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              out either Freze or Architrave, and one and an
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              Half to a Baſement with a reverſed Cymatium
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              which muſt take up one third of the Height of
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              that Baſement. </s>
              <s>The Statues muſt be placed
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              directly over the Intablature of the Columns,
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              upon little Pedeſtals whoſe Height muſt be
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              equal to the Thickneſs of the Top of the Shaſt
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              of the Columns. </s>
              <s>The Height of the Statues
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              with their Pedeſtals muſt be eight of the eleven
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              Parts to which we divided the upper Wall. </s>
              <s>At
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              the Top of the whole Structure, eſpecially to­
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              wards the Square, muſt be placed larger Sta­
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              tues, triumphal Cars, Animals and other Tro­
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              phies. </s>
              <s>The Baſe for theſe to ſtand upon, muſt
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              be a Plinth three Times as high as the Cor­
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              nice, which is immediately below it. </s>
              <s>Theſe
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              larger Statues which we thus place uppermoſt,
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              </s>
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