Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/257.jpg" pagenum="183"/>
              be a Reſt, according to the Rules already given
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              for the Baſilique, and no Part of the Dreſs of
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              theſe Windows muſt riſe higher than the Shaft
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              of the Columns between which they ſtand,
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              excluſive of their Capitals. </s>
              <s>The Height of the
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              Aperture of the Window being divided into
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              cleven Parts, ſeven muſt be given to its Breadth.
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              </s>
              <s>If you would have no upper Row of Columns
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              at all, then you may ſupport the upper Cornice
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              with Conſoles, inſtead of Capitals, according to
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              the Method already given in the Deſcription of
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              the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ionic
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              Door. </s>
              <s>Then each Window will ſtand
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              between two Conſoles made after the following
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              Proportions. </s>
              <s>The Breadth of the Conſole muſt
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              be the ſame as the Top of the naked Shaft of
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              a Column in the ſame Place ought to be, exclu­
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              ſive of the Aſtragal and Fillet, and its Length
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              equal to the Height of the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Corinthian
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Capital
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              without its Abacus. </s>
              <s>The Projecture of the
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              Conſole muſt not exceed that of the Freze of
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              its Entablature. </s>
              <s>The Ancients in a great many
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              Places had ſeveral other Kinds of Structures and
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              Inventions which admitted of Ornaments, and
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              rendered the City more magnificent. </s>
              <s>We are
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              told, that near the Academy of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Athens
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              there
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              was a very fine Grove conſecrated to the Gods,
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              which was cut down by
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Sylla
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              in order for the
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              caſting up an Intrenchment againſt
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              Athens.
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              </s>
              <s>Alexander Severus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              adorned his own Thermes,
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              or Baths, with a pleaſant Grove, and added to
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              thoſe of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Antoninus
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              ſeveral fine Lakes for Swim­
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              ming in. </s>
              <s>The
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              Agrigentines,
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              upon
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Zelo
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              's Vic­
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              tory againſt the
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              Chalcedonians
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              made ſuch a Lake
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              ſeven Furlongs long and twenty Cubits deep,
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              from which they raiſed a conſiderable Income.
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              </s>
              <s>We read, that at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Tivoli
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              there was a very famous
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              publick Library.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Piſiſtratus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              was the firſt that
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              erected ſuch a Library at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Aihens,
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              conſiſting of
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              a great Number of Books, which were carried
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              away by
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Xerxes
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              into
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              Perſia,
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              and afterwards
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              brought back again to
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Athens
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              by
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Seleucus.
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              </s>
              <s> The
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ptolomeys
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              King of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægypt
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              had a Library con­
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              ſiſting of ſeven hundred thouſand Volumns;
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              but why ſhould we wonder at ſuch a Number
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              of Books in a publick Collection, when there
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              was no leſs than ſixty-two thouſand Volumns
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              in the particular Library of the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Gordians?
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              In
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              the Country of
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              Laodicea,
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              beſides the Temple
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              of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Nemeſis,
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              there was a noble Phyſick School,
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              erected by
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Zeuxis,
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              which was highly celebrat­
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              ed.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Appian
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              tells us, that at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Carthage
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              there
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              was a Stable of three hundred Elephants, and
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              another of hundred Horſes, an Arſenal for two
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              hundred and twenty Ships, together with other
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              Magazines both of Arms and Proviſions ſuffi­
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              cient to ſupply a whole Army. </s>
              <s>At
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              Thebes,
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              which was anciently called the City of the Sun,
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              we read, that there were no leſs than an hundred
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              publick Stables, each big enough to hold two
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              hundred Horſes. </s>
              <s>In
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              Cizycus,
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              an Iſland of the
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Propontis,
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              there were two Ports, and between
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              them an Arſenal, the Roofs of which would
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              give Shelter to two hundred Veſſels. </s>
              <s>Upon
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              the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Pireum,
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              or Port of
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              Athens,
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              was a noble
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              Station for no leſs than four hundred Ships,
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              which was the celebrated Work of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Philo. </s>
              <s>Di­
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              onyſius,
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              at the Haven of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Syracuſe,
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              made an
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              Arſenal divided into an hundred and ſixty Par­
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              titions, each whereof would contain two Veſ­
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              ſels, together with a Magazine, which in a few
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              Days would furniſh above an hundred and
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              twenty thouſand Shields, and an incredible
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              Number of Swords. </s>
              <s>At
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Sithicus
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              the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Spartans
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
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              had an Arſenal of above an hundred and ſixty
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              Furlongs long. </s>
              <s>Thus we find Variety of Struc­
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              tures among various Nations: But as to their
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              particular Forms, Deſigns and Contrivances, I
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              have nothing certain to preſcribe, except that
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              thoſe Parts of them which are for Uſe, muſt be
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              borrowed from the Rules of private Edifices,
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              and thoſe which are for Ornament and Magni­
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              ficence, from thoſe of publick ones. </s>
              <s>I ſhall
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              only obſerve, that the principal Ornament of a
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              Library, is the Number and Variety of the
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              Books contained in it, and chiefly their being
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              collected from among the learned Remains of
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              Antiquity. </s>
              <s>Another great Ornament, are cu­
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              rious mathematical Inſtruments of all Sorts,
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              eſpecially if they are like that made by
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Poſdo­
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              nius,
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              in which all the ſeven Planets performed
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              their proper Revolutions by their own Motion;
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              or that of
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              Ariſtarchus,
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              who we are told de­
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              ſcribed a Plan of the whole World, with all its
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              ſeveral Provinces, upon a Table of Iron, to a
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              moſt curious Exactneſs, and the Buſts of the
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              ancient Poets, which
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Tiberius
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              placed in his Li­
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              brary, were certainly a very proper and beau­
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              tiful Ornament. </s>
              <s>I think I have now gone
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              through with all the Ornaments that relate to
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              publick Edifices. </s>
              <s>I have treated both of the
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              Sacred and of the Profane, of Temples, Baſili­
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              ques, Porticoes, Sepulchres, Highways, Ha­
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              vens, Squares, Bridges, Triumphal Arches,
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              Theatres, Circuſſes, Courts, Council-chambers,
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              publick Places for Exerciſe, and the like, ſo
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              that there ſeems nothing of this Nature now
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              left for me to ſpeak of, except it be Thermes
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              or publick Baths.</s>
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