Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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<
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>CHAP. X.</
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Of Thermes or publick Baths; their Conveniencies and Ornaments.
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*</
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<
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>Some have condemned Baths, imagining
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they made Men effeminate, while others
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have had ſo great an Opinion of them, that
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they have waſhed in them ſeven Times a Day.
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<
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>The ancient Phyſicians, in order for the Cure
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of various Diſtempers by means of Bathing,
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erected a great Number of Thermes or publick
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Baths in the City of
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Rome
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at an incredible Ex
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pence.
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Heliogabalus
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particularly built
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Thermæ
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in a great many Places, but having waſhed
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once in each, he immediately ordered it to be
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demoliſhed, ſcorning ever to waſh twice in the
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ſame Bath. </
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>I am not thoroughly determined
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whether this Kind of Structure be of a publick
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or private Nature: And indeed I cannot help
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thinking that it partakes ſomewhat of both,
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ſince in many Particulars, it borrows from the
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Deſigns of private Edifices, and in many others
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from thoſe of publick ones. </
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<
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>A publick Bath
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or Thermæ requiring a very large Area of
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Ground to ſtand upon, it is not proper to build
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it in the principal and moſt frequented Part of
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the City, neither ſhould it be placed too far
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out of the Way, becauſe both the chief Citi
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zens and the Women muſt reſort thither to
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waſh themſelves. </
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>The Thermæ itſelf muſt have
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a large open Space clear round it, which muſt
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be encompaſſed with a high Wall, with proper
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Entrances at convenient Places. </
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<
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>In the Mid
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dle of the Therme muſt be a large ſtately Hall,
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which muſt be as it were the Center of the
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whole Edifice, with Cells all round it after the
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Manner of the
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Etrurian
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Temple, which we
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have already deſcribed. </
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<
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>Into this Hall we are
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to enter through a handſome Veſtibule, front
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ing to the South, from which we paſs into an
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other ſmaller Veſtibule or Lobby, and ſo into
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the great Hall. </
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>From the Hall is a large Gate
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fronting to the North, which opens into a large
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open Square, on the Right and Left of which
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are ſpacious Porticoes, and immediately behind
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thoſe Porticoes are the cold Baths. </
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<
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>Let us once
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more go back into the great Hall. </
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<
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>On the
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right Side of this Hall, which lies to the Eaſt,
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is a broad ſpacious Lobby, with three Cells on
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each Side of it, lying oppoſite to each other.
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<
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>This Lobby carries us into another open Square,
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which I call the Xyſtus, which is encompaſſed
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with Porticoes on every Side. </
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<
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>Of theſe Porti
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coes, that which fronts you as you come into
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the Square, has a handſome Withdrawing
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room behind it. </
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<
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>The Portico whoſe Front lies
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to the South has cold Baths behind it, in the
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ſame Manner as in the other Square, with con
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venient Dreſſing-rooms adjoining to them:
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And in the oppoſite Portico are the warm
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Baths, which receive the ſouth Sun by Win
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dows broke out behind the Portico. </
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<
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>In con
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venient Angles in the Porticoes of the Xyſtus
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are the other ſmaller Veſtibules, for Paſſages
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out into the open Space which encompaſſes the
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whole Thermæ. </
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<
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>Theſe are the ſeveral Mem
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bers of the Thermæ which lie on the right Side
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of the great Hall, and there muſt be juſt the
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ſame on the left which lies to the Weſt, an
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ſwering to the former: The Lobby with three
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Cells on each Side, the open Square or Xyſtus
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with its Porticoes and Withdrawing-rooms, and
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the ſmaller Veſtibules in the Angles of the
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Xyſtus. </
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<
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>Let us return once more to that prin
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cipal Veſtibule of the whole Structure, which
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I ſaid fronted the South; on the right Hand of
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which, upon the Line which runs to the Eaſt
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are three Rooms, and as many on that which
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runs to the Weſt; the one for the Women,
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and the other for the Men. </
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<
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>In the firſt Room
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they undreſſed; in the ſecond they anointed
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themſelves, and in the third they waſhed: And
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ſome for the greater Magnificence, added a
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fourth, for the Friends and Servants of thoſe
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that were bathing to wait for them in. </
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<
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>Theſe
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Bathing-rooms received the Noon-day Sun at
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very large Windows. </
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<
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>Between theſe Rooms
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and thoſe Cells which I told you lay along the
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Side of the inner Lobbies, which lead out of
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the great Hall into the open Square on the Side
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or Xyſtus, another open Area was left, which
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threw Light into the ſouth Side of thoſe inner
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Cells that lie along thoſe Lobbies from the great
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Hall. </
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<
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>The whole Edifice of the Thermæ, as
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I before obſerved, was encompaſſed clear round
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with a broad open Space, which was even ſpa
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cious enough for Races, nor were Goals want
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ing in proper Places of it for that Purpoſe. </
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<
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>In
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the open Space on the ſouth Side in which is
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the principal Veſtibule of the whole Edifice,
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