Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

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              with a Line which ſome made ſtrait, others
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              curve. </s>
              <s>Thoſe who extended them with Strait­
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              lines, drew them out beyond the Semicircle,
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              parallel to each other, to the Addition of one
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              fourth Part of the Diameter: But thoſe who
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              extended them with Curve-lines, firſt mark'd
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              out a compleat Circle, and then taking off one
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              fourth Part of its Circumference, the Remain­
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              der was left for the Platform of the Theatre.
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              <s>The Limits of the Area being marked out and
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              fixed, the next Work was to raiſe the Seats;
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              and the firſt Thing to be done in order to this,
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              was to reſolve how high the Seats ſhould be,
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              and from their Height to calculate how much
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              of the Platform they muſt take up. </s>
              <s>Moſt
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              Architects made the Height of the Theatre
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              equal to the Area in the Middle, knowing that
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              in low Theatres the Voice was ſunk and loſt,
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              but made ſtronger and clearer in high ones.
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              </s>
              <s>Some of the beſt Artiſts made the Height of
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              the Building to be four fifths of the Breadth
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              of the Area. </s>
              <s>Of this whole Height the Seats
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              never took up leſs than half, nor more than
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              two thirds, and their Breadth was ſometimes
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              equal to their Height, and ſometimes only two
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              fifths of it. </s>
              <s>I ſhall here deſcribe one of theſe
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              Structures which I think the moſt compleat
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              and perfect of any. </s>
              <s>The outermoſt Founda­
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              tions of the Seats, or rather of the Wall againſt
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              which the higheſt Seat muſt terminate, muſt
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              be laid diſtant from the Center of the Semi­
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              circle one whole Semidiameter of the Area,
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              with the Addition of a third. </s>
              <s>The firſt or
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              loweſt Seat muſt not be upon the very Level
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              of the Area, but be raiſed upon a Wall, which
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              in the larger Theatres muſt be in Height the
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              ninth Part of the Semidiameter of the middle
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              Area, from the Top of which Wall the Seats
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              muſt take their firſt Flight: And in the ſmalleſt
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              Theatres, this Wall muſt never be leſs than
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              ſeven Foot high. </s>
              <s>The Benches themſelves
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              muſt be a Foot and an half high, and two
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              and an half broad. </s>
              <s>Among theſe Seats, Spaces
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              muſt be left at certain Diſtances for Paſſages
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              into the middle Area, and for Stairs to go up
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              from thence to thoſe Seats, which Stair-caſes
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              and Paſſages ſhould be with vaulted Roofs,
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              and in Number proportionable to the Bigneſs
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              of the Theatre. </s>
              <s>Of theſe Paſſages there ſhould
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              be ſeven principal ones, all directed exactly to
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              the Center of the Area, and perfectly clear
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              and open, at equal Diſtances from each other;
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              and of theſe ſeven, one ſhould be larger than
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              the reſt, anſwering to the middle of the Semi­
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              circle, which I call the Maſter Entrance, be­
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              cauſe it muſt anſwer to the high Street. </s>
              <s>An­
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              other Paſſage muſt be made at the Head of
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              the Semicircle on the Right Hand, and ſo an­
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              other on the Leſt to anſwer it, and between
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              theſe and the Maſter Entrance four others, two
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              on each Side. </s>
              <s>There may be as many other
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              Openings and Paſſages as the Compaſs of the
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              Theatre requires, and will admit of. </s>
              <s>The
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              Ancients in their great Theatres divided the
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              Rows of Seats into three Parts, and each of
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              theſe Diviſions was diſtinguiſhed from the other
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              by a Seat twice as broad as the others, which
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              was a Kind of Landing-place, ſeparating the
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              higher Seats from the lower; and at theſe
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              Landing-places, the Stairs for coming up to
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              the ſeveral Seats terminated. </s>
              <s>I have obſerved,
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              that the beſt Architects, and the moſt inge­
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              nious Contrivers uſed at each great Entrance
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              to make two different Stairs, one more upright
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              and direct, for the Young and the Nimble,
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              and another broader and eaſier, with more fre­
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              quent Reſts, for the Matrons and old People.
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              </s>
              <s>This may ſuffice as to the Seats. </s>
              <s>Oppoſite to
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              the Front of the Theatre was raiſed the Stage
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              for the Actors, and every thing belonging to
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              the Repreſentation, and here ſate the Nobles
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              in peculiar and honourable Seats, ſeparate from
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              the common People, or perhaps in the middle
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              Area in handſome Places erected for that Pur­
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              poſe. </s>
              <s>The
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              Pulpitum
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              or Stage, was made ſo
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              large as to be fully ſufficient for every thing
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              that was to be acted upon it. </s>
              <s>It came forward
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              equal to the Center of the Semicircle, and was
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              raiſed in Height not above five Foot, that the
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              Nobles who ſate in the Area might from thence
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              eaſily ſee every Geſture of the Actors. </s>
              <s>But
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              when the middle Area was not reſerved for the
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              Nobles to ſit in, but was allowed to the Actors
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              and Muſicians: Then the Stage was made leſs,
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              but raiſed higher, ſometimes to the Height of
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              ſix Cubits. </s>
              <s>In both Kinds the Stage was adorn­
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              ed with Rows of Colonades one over another,
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              in Imitation of Houſes, with their proper Doors
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              and Windows, and in Front was one principal
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              Door with all the Dreſs of the Door of a
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              Temple, to repreſent a Royal Palace, with
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              other Doors on each Side for the Actors to
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              make their Entrances and Exits at, according
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              to the Nature of the Drama. </s>
              <s>And as there
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              are three Sorts of Poets concerned in theatrical
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              Performances, the Tragick, who deſcribe the
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              Misfortunes and Diſtreſſes of Princes; the Co­
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              mick who repreſent the Lives and Manners of
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              private Perſons, and the Paſtoral, who ſing the
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              Delights of the Country, and the Loves of </s>
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