Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/252.jpg" pagenum="182"/>
              ſeem to be truly publick, as they are deſigned
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              for the Uſe of all the People in general, both
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              noble and vulgar: But there are ſtill ſome other
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              Works of a publick Nature, which are for the
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              Uſe only of the principal Citizens, and of the
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              Magiſtrates; as for Inſtance, the Senate-houſe
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              and Council-chambers, whereof we are now
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              to give ſome Account.</s>
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            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg45"/>
              *</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. IX.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of the proper Ornaments for the Senatc-houſe and Council-chambers, as alſo of
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              the adorning the City with Groves, Lakes for Swimming, Libraries, Schools,
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              publick Stables, Arſenals and Mathematical Inſtruments.
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              </s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Plato
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              appointed the Council to be held
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              in a Temple, and the
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              Romans
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              had a de­
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              termined Place for that Purpoſe, which they
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              called their Comitium. </s>
              <s>At
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              Ceraunia
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              there
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              was a thick Grove, conſecrated to
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              Jupi­
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              ter,
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              in which the
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              Greeks
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              uſed to meet to con­
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              ſult about the Affairs of their State, and many
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              other Cities uſed to hold their Councils in the
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              Middle of the publick Forum. </s>
              <s>It was not
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              lawful for the
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              Roman
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              Senate to meet in any
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              Place that was not appointed by Augury, and
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg46"/>
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              they commonly choſe ſome Temple. </s>
              <s>After­
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              wards they erected
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              Curiæ,
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              or Courts for that
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              particular Purpoſe, and
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              Varro
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              tells us, that
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              theſe were of two Sorts: One in which the
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              Prieſts conſulted about religious Matters; the
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              other where the Senate regulated ſecular Affairs.
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              </s>
              <s>Of the peculiar Properties of each of theſe I can
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              find nothing certain; unleſs we may be allow­
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              ed to conjecture, that the former had ſome Re­
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              ſemblance to a Temple, the latter to a Baſili­
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              que. </s>
              <s>The Prieſts Court therefore may have a
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              vaulted Roof, and that of the Senators a flat
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              one. </s>
              <s>In both, the Members of the Council are
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              to declare their Opinion, by ſpeaking; and
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              therefore Regard is to be had in theſe Edifices
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              to the Sound of the Voice. </s>
              <s>For this Reaſon
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              there ought to be ſomething to prevent the
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              Voice from aſcending too high and being loſt,
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              and eſpecially in vaulted Roofs to prevent it
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              from thundering in the Top of the Vault and
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              deafening the Hearers: Upon which Account,
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              as well for Beauty as for this neceſſary Uſe, the
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              Wall ought to be crowned with a Cornice. </s>
              <s>I
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              find from Obſervation of the Structures of this
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              Sort left by the Ancients, that they uſed to
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              make their Courts ſquare. </s>
              <s>The Height of their
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              vaulted Courts was ſix ſevenths of the Breadth
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              of the Front, and the Roof was a plain Arch.
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              </s>
              <s>Juſt oppoſite to the Door the Beholder's Eye
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              was ſtruck with the Tribunal, the Sagitta
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              whereof was the Third of its Chord: The
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              Breadth of the Aperture of the Door, was one
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              ſeventh of the whole Front. </s>
              <s>At half the
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              Height of the Wall, and one eighth Part of
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              that half, projected an Architrave, Freze and
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              Cornice upon an Order of Columns, either cloſe
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              or thin ſet, as the Architect liked beſt, accord­
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              ing to the Rules of the Colonades and Porti­
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              coes of a Temple. </s>
              <s>Over the Cornice on the
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              right and left Sides, in certain Niches opened
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              in the Wall, were Statues and other Figures
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              of religious Veneration, but in the Front at the
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              ſame Height with thoſe Niches, was a Window
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              twice as broad as high, with two little Columns
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              in the Middle of it, to ſupport the Tranſom.
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              </s>
              <s>This was the Structure of the Prieſts Court.
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              </s>
              <s>The Court for the Senators may be as follows:
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              The Breadth of the Platform muſt be two
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              thirds of its Length. </s>
              <s>The Height to the Rafters
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              of the Roof muſt be equal to the Breadth of
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              the Platform, with the Addition of one fourth
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              Part of that Breadth. </s>
              <s>The Wall muſt be crown­
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              ed with a Cornice, according to the following
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              Rule. </s>
              <s>Having divided the whole clear Height
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              into nine Parts, one of thoſe Parts muſt be
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              given to the ſolid Baſement, or continued Pe­
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              deſtal of the Columns, and againſt this Baſe­
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              ment muſt be the Seats for the Senators. </s>
              <s>The
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              Remainder muſt afterwards be divided into
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              ſeven Parts, whereof four muſt be given to the
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              firſt Row of Columns, over which you muſt
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              raiſe another, both with their proper Baſes,
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              Capitals, Architraves, Frezes and Cornices, in
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              the Manner before preſcribed for a Baſilique.
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              </s>
              <s>The Intervals between the Columns on each
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              Side, muſt always be in an odd Number, and
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              all equal to each other; but in Front, thoſe
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              Intervals muſt be no more than three, the
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              Middlemoſt whereof muſt be one fourth Part
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              broader than the other two. </s>
              <s>In every Interval
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              in the upper Row of Columns muſt be a Win­
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              dow, this Sort of Courts requiring as much
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              Light as poſſible, and under each Window muſt
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              </s>
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