Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="caption">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/239.jpg" pagenum="175"/>
              muſt in Height exceed thoſe which ſtand be­
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              low them over the Columns, not leſs than a
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              ſixth Part, nor more than two ninths. </s>
              <s>In con­
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              venient Places in the Front of the upper Wall
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              we may cut Inſcriptions or Stories in Relieve,
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              in ſquare or round Pannels. </s>
              <s>Beneath the Vault
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              of the Arch the upper half of the Wall, upon
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              which the Arch turns, is extremely proper for
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              Stories in Relieve, but the lower Half being
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              expoſed to be ſpattered with Dirt, is very un­
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              fit for ſuch Ornaments. </s>
              <s>For a Baſement to
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              the Piers we may make a Plinth not more than
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              a Cubit and an Half high, and that its Angle
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              may not be broke by the Bruſh of Wheels, we
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              may carry it off into a Cima-reverſa, which
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              muſt take up one fourth of the Height of the
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              Baſement itſelf.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. VII.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of the adorning Theatres and other Places for publick Shows, and of their
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              Uſefulneſs.
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              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>We come now to Places for publick
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              Shows. </s>
              <s>We are told that
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              Epimenides,
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              the ſame that ſlept fifty-ſeven Years in a Cave;
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              when the
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              Athenians
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              were building a Place for
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              publick Shows reproved them, telling them, you
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              know not how much Miſchief this Place ſhall
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              occaſion; if you did, you would pull it to
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              Pieces with your Teeth. </s>
              <s>Neither dare I pre­
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              ſume to find Fault with our Pontiffs, and thoſe
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              whoſe Buſineſs it is to ſet good Examples to
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              others, for having, with good Cauſe no doubt,
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              aboliſhed the Uſe of publick Shows. </s>
              <s>Yet
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              Moſes
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              was commended for ordaining, that all his Peo­
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              ple ſhould upon certain ſolemn Days meet to­
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              gether in one Temple, and celebrate publick
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              Feſtivals at ſtated Seaſons. </s>
              <s>What may we ſup­
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              poſe his View to have been in this Inſtitution?
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              </s>
              <s>Doubtleſs he hoped the People, by thus meet­
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              ing frequently together at publick Feaſts, might
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              grow more humane, and be the cloſer linked
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              in Friendſhip one with another. </s>
              <s>So I imagine
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              our Anceſtors inſtituted publick Shows in the
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              City, not ſo much for the Sake of the Diverſi­
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              ons themſelves, as for their Uſefulneſs. </s>
              <s>And
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              indeed if we examine the Matter thoroughly,
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              we ſhall find many Reaſons to grieve that ſo
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              excellent and ſo uſeful an Entertainment ſhould
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              have been ſo long diſuſed: For as of theſe
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              publick Diverſions ſome were contrived for the
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              Delight and Amuſement of Peace and Leiſure,
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              others for an Exerciſe of War and Buſineſs;
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              the one ſerved wonderfully to revive and keep
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              up the Vigour and Fire of the Mind, and the
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              other to improve the Strength and Intrepidity
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              of the Heart. </s>
              <s>It is indeed true that ſome cer­
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              tain and conſtant Medium ſhould be obſerved,
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              in order to make theſe Entertainments uſeful
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              and ornamental to a Country. </s>
              <s>The
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Arcadi­
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              ans,
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              we are told, were the firſt that invented
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              publick Games, to civilize and poliſh the Minds
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              of their People, who had been too much ac­
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              cuſtomed to a hard and ſevere Way of Life;
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              and
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              Polybius
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              writes, that thoſe who afterwards
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              left off thoſe Entertainments, grew ſo barbarous
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              and cruel, that they became execrable to all
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Greece.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
              <s> But indeed the Memory of publick
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              Games is extremely ancient, and the Invention
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              of them is aſcribed to various Perſons.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Dionyſi­
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              us
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              is ſaid to have been the firſt Inventor of
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              Dances and Sports, as
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              Hercules
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              was of the Di­
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              verſion of the Combate. </s>
              <s>We read that the
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              Olympick Games were invented by the
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              Æto­
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              lians
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              and the
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              Eleans,
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              after their return from the
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              Siege of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Troy.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
              <s> We are told, that
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Dionyſius
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              of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Lemnos,
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              who was the Inventor of the Chorus
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              in Tragedies, was alſo the firſt that built a
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              Place on purpoſe for publick Shows. </s>
              <s>In
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              Italy,
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              Lucius Mummius,
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              upon Occaſion of his Tri­
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              umph, firſt introduced theatrical Entertain­
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              ments two hundred Years before the Em­
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              peror
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              Nero's
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              Time, and the Actors were
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              brought to
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome
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              from
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Etruria.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
              <s> Horſe-Races
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              were brought from the
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              Tyrians,
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              and almoſt the
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              whole Variety of publick Diverſions came to
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Italy
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              from
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              Aſia.
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              I am inclined to believe that
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              the ancient Race of Men, that firſt began to
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              cut the Figure of
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              Janus
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              upon their brazen
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              Coins, were content to ſtand to ſee theſe Sort
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              of Games under ſome Beech or Elm, according
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              to thoſe Verſes of
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              Ovid,
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              ſpeaking of
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              Romulus's
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              Show.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              His Play-houſe, not of
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              Parian
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              Marble made,
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              Nor was it ſpread with purple Sails for ſhade.
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              </s>
              <s>The Stage with Ruſhes or with Leaves they ſtrew'd:
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              No Scenes in Proſpect, no machining God.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
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