Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/026.jpg" pagenum="15"/>
              but alſo pleaſant to the Sight. </s>
              <s>Nature at firſt
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              certainly gave us Columns made of Wood,
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              and of a round Figure, afterwards by Uſe they
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              came in ſome Places to be cut ſquare. </s>
              <s>There­
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              upon, if I judge right, ſeeing in theſe wooden
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              Columns certain Rings of Circles of Braſs or
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              Iron, faſten'd about the Top and Bottom, that
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              the continual Weight which they are made to
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              bear, might not ſplit them; the Architects too
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              left at the Foot of their Columns of Marble, a
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              little Ring like a ſort of Binding; whereby
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              they are defended from any Drops of Rain that
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              might daſh up again upon them. </s>
              <s>And at the
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              Top too they left another little Band, and over
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              that an Aſtragal or Collar; with which helps
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              they obſerv'd the Columns of Wood to be
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              fortified. </s>
              <s>In the Baſes of their Columns it
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              was their Rule, that the under Part ſhould
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              conſiſt of ſtrait Lines and right Angles, but
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              that their upper Superficies ſhould terminate
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              circularly to anſwer to the Round of the Pil­
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              lar; and they made this Baſe on every Side
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              broader than high, and wider than the Column
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              by a determinate Part of itſelf; and the under
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              Superficies of the Baſe they made broader than
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              the upper; the Plinth too they would have a
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              certain Proportion broader than the Baſe, and
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              the Foundation again a determinate Part wider
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              than the Plinth. </s>
              <s>And all theſe Parts thus
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              placed one upon the other, they erected per­
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              pendicular from the Center of the Foundation.
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              </s>
              <s>On the other hand, the Capitals all agree in
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              this, that their under Parts imitate their
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              Columns, but their upper End in a Square;
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              and conſequently the upper Part of the Capital
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              muſt always be ſomewhat broader than the
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              under. </s>
              <s>This may ſuffice here as to the
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              Columns. </s>
              <s>The Wall ought to be raiſed with
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              the ſame Proportions as the Columns; ſo that
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              if it is to be as high as the Column and its Ca­
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              pital, its Thickneſs ought to be the ſame with
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              that of the bottom of the Column. </s>
              <s>And they
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              alſo obſerved this Rule, that there ſhou'd be
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              neither Pillar, nor Baſe, nor Capital, nor Wall,
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              but what ſhould in all reſpects correſpond with
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              every thing elſe of the ſame Order, in Heighth,
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              Thickneſs, Form and Dimenſion. </s>
              <s>But tho' both
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              are Faults, either to make the Wall too thin
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              or too thick, higher or lower than the Rule
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              and Proportion requires; yet of the two I
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              wou'd chuſe to offend on that Side, where we
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              ſhou'd have occaſion to take away rather than
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              to add. </s>
              <s>And here I think it will not be amiſs
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              to take notice of ſome Errors in Buildings,
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              that we our ſelves may be the more circum­
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              ſpect: in as much as the chief Praiſe is to be
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              exempt from Blame. </s>
              <s>I have obſerved there­
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              fore in St.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Peter
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              's Church at
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              Rome
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              what indeed
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              the thing itſelf demonſtrates, that it was ill ad­
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              viſed to draw a very long and thick Wall over
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              ſo many frequent and continued Apertures,
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              without ſtrength'ning it with any curve Lines
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              or any other Fortification whatſoever. </s>
              <s>And
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              what more deſerves our Notice, all this Wing
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              of Wall, under which are too frequent and
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              continued Apertures, and which is raiſed to a
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              great Heighth, is expoſed as a Butt to the im­
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              petuous Blaſts of the North-Eaſt: by which
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              means already thro' the continual Violence of
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              the Winds it is ſwerved from its Direction
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              above two Yards: and I doubt not that in a
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              ſhort time, ſome little accidental ſhock will
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              throw it down into Ruins; and if it were not
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              kept in by the Timber Frame of the Roof, it
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              muſt infallibly have fallen down before now.
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              </s>
              <s>But the Architect may not be ſo much in
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              Fault, becauſe conſulting only the Neceſſity of
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              his Situation, he might perhaps imagine that
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              the Neighbourhood of the Mountain, which
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              overlooks the Church, might be a ſufficient
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              Shelter againſt the Winds. </s>
              <s>Nevertheleſs it is
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              certain, thoſe Wings ought to have been more
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              ſtrengthned on both Sides.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. XI.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of the great Uſefulneſs of the Coverings both to the Inhabitants and the other
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              Parts of the Building, and that being various in their Natures, they muſt be
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              made of various Sorts.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>The Covering for Uſefulneſs far exceeds
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              any other Part of the Building. </s>
              <s>It
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              not only ſecures the Health of the Inhabitants
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              by defending them from the Night, from the
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              Rain, and eſpecially from the burning Rays of
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              the Sun; but it alſo preſerves all the reſt of the
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              Edifice. </s>
              <s>Take away the Covering and the
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              Materials rot, the Wall moulders and ſplits, </s>
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