Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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          <chap>
            <pb xlink:href="003/01/024.jpg" pagenum="13"/>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. IX.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of the Compartition, and of the Origin of Building.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>The whole Force of the Invention and
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              all our Skill and Knowledge in the Art
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              of Building, is required in the Compartition:
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              Becauſe the diſtinct Parts of the entire Building,
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              and, to uſe ſuch a Word, the Entireneſs of each
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              of thoſe Parts, and the Union and Agreement of
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              all the Lines and Angles in the Work, duly
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              ordered for Convenience, Pleaſure and Beauty,
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              are diſpoſed and meaſured out by the Com­
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              partition alone: for if a City, according to
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              the Opinion of Philoſophers, be no more than
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              a great Houſe, and, on the other Hand, a
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              Houſe be a little City; why may it not be
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              ſaid, that the Members of that Houſe are ſo
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              many little Houſes; ſuch as the Court-yard,
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              the Hall, the Parlour, the Portico, and the
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              like? </s>
              <s>And what is there in any of theſe,
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              which, if omitted by Careleſſneſs or Negli­
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              gence, will not greatly take from the Praiſe
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              and Dignity of the Work. </s>
              <s>Great Care and
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              Diligence therefore is to be uſed in well con­
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              ſidering theſe Things, which ſo much con­
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              cern the whole Building; and in ſo ordering
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              it, that even the moſt inconſiderable Parts
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              may not be uncomformable to the Rules of
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              Art, and good Contrivance. </s>
              <s>What has been
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              already ſaid above of the Region and Platform,
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              may be of no ſmall uſe in doing of this aptly
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              and conveniently; and as the Members of the
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              Body are correſpondent to each other, ſo it is
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              fit that one Part ſhould anſwer to another in
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              a Building; whence we ſay, that great Edi­
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              fices require great Members. </s>
              <s>Which indeed
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              was ſo well obſerved by the Ancients, that
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              they uſed much larger Bricks, as well as other
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              Materials, about publick and large Buildings,
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              than in private ones. </s>
              <s>To every Member there­
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              fore ought to be allotted its fit Place and pro­
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              per Situation; not leſs than Dignity requires,
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              not greater than Conveniency demands; not
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              in an impertinent or indecent Place, but in a
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              Situation ſo proper to itſelf, that it could be
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              ſet no where elſe more fitly. </s>
              <s>Nor ſhould the
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              Part of the Structure, that is to be of the
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              greateſt Honour, be thrown into a remote
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              Corner; nor that which ought to be the moſt
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              publick, into a private Hole; nor that which
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              ſhould be moſt private, be ſet in too conſpi­
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              cuous a Place. </s>
              <s>We ſhould beſides have re­
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              gard to the Seaſons of the Year, and make a
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              great deal of Difference between hot Places
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              and cold, both in Proportions and Situation.
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              </s>
              <s>If Rooms for Summer are large and ſpacious,
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              and thoſe for Winter more compact, it will
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              not be at all amiſs; the Summer ones ſhady and
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              open to the Air, and the Winter ones to the
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              Sun. </s>
              <s>And here we ſhould provide, that the
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              Inhabitants may not be obliged to paſs out of
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              a cold Place into a hot one, without a Medium
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              of temperate Air; or out of a warm one into
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              one expoſed to Cold and Winds; becauſe no­
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              thing is ſo prejudicial to human Bodies. </s>
              <s>And
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              theſe ought to agree one Member with ano­
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              ther to perfect and compoſe the main Deſign
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              and Beauty of the whole; that we may not
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              ſo lay out our whole Study in adorning one
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              Part, as to leave the reſt neglected and
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              homely in Compariſon of it; but let them
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              bear that Proportion among themſelves, that
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              they may appear to be an entire and perfect
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              Body, and not disjointed and unfiniſhed
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              Members. </s>
              <s>Moreover in the forming of theſe
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              Members too, we ought to imitate the Modeſty
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              of Nature; becauſe in this, as well as in other
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              Caſes, the World never commends a Modera­
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              tion, ſo much as it blames an extravagant In­
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              temperance in Building. </s>
              <s>Let the Members
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              therefore be modeſtly proportioned, and ne­
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              ceſſary for your Uſes. </s>
              <s>For all Building in
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              general, if you conſider it well, owes it's
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              Birth to Neceſſity, was nurſed by Convenience,
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              and embelliſhed by Uſe; Pleaſure was the
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              laſt Thing conſulted in it, which is never
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              truly obtained by Things that are immode­
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              rate. </s>
              <s>Let your Building therefore be ſuch,
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              that it may not want any Members which it
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              has not, and that thoſe which it has, may
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              not in any Reſpect deſerve to be condemned.
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              </s>
              <s>Nor would I have the Edifice terminated all
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              the Way with even continued Lines void of
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              all manner of Variety; for ſome pleaſe us by
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              their Largeneſs, others with being little, and
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              others moderate. </s>
              <s>One Part therefore ſhould
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              be terminated with ſtrait Lines, another with
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              curve, and another again with ſtrait and curve
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              mixed together; provided you obſerve the
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              Caution I have ſo often given you, to avoid
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              falling into the Error of Exceſs, ſo as to ſeem </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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