Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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<
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>THE
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ARCHITECTURE
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OF
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Leone Batiſta Alberti.
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<
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>BOOK IX. CHAP. I.</
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That particular Regard muſt be had to Frugality and Parſimony, and of the
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adorning the Palaces or Houſes of the King and principal Magiſtrates.
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>We are here to remember, that there
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are two Sorts of Houſes for private
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Men; ſome for the Town and others
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for the Country; and of theſe again
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ſome are intended for Citizens of meaner Rank,
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and others for thoſe of the higheſt Quality.
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>We are now to treat of the proper Ornaments
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for each of theſe; but firſt I would premiſe
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ſome few neceſſary Precautions. </
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>We find that
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among the Ancients the Men of the greateſt
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Prudence and Modeſty were always beſt pleaſed
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with Temperance and Parſimony in all Things,
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both publick and private, and particularly in
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the Affair of Building, judging it neceſſary to
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prevent and reſtrain all Extravagance and Pro
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fuſion in their Citizens in theſe Points, which
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they did to the utmoſt of their Power both by
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Admonitions and Laws. </
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>For this Reaſon
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Plato
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commends thoſe who, as we have before obſerv
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ed, made a Decree, that no Man ſhould have in
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his Houſe any Picture that was finer than thoſe
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which had been ſet up in the Temples of their
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Gods by their Forefathers, and that even the
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Temple itſelf ſhould be adorned with no other
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Painting but ſuch a ſingle Picture as one Painter
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could draw in one ſingle Day. </
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>He alſo or
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dained, that the Statues of the Gods themſelves
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ſhould be made only of Wood or Stone, and
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that Iron and Braſs ſhould be left for the Uſes
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of War, whereof they were the proper Inſtru
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ments.
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Demoſthenes
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cried up the Manners of
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the ancient
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Athenians,
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much beyond thoſe of
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his Cotemporaries; for he tells us, they left an
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infinite Number of publick Edifices, and eſpe
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cially of Temples, ſo magnificent and richly
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adorned that nothing could exceed them; but
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they were ſo modeſt in their private Buildings,
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that the Houſes of the very nobleſt Citizens
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differed very little from thoſe of the meaneſt;
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by which means they effected, what is very
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rarely known among Men, to overcome Envy
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by Glory. </
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>But the
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Spartans
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condemned even
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theſe, for having embelliſhed their City more
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with the Builder's Skill, than with the Splendor
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of their own Exploits, while they themſelves
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gloried, that they had adorned their own City
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more by their Virtue than by their fine Build
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ings. </
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<
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>Among them it was one of
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Lycurgus
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's
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Laws, that their Roofs ſhould be wrought with
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no nicer Tool than the Ax, and their Doors
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with the Saw.
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Ageſilaus,
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when he beheld
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ſquare Rafters in the Houſes in
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Aſia,
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laughed
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at them; and asked the People, whether if
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they had grown naturally ſquare, they would
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not have made them round? </
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<
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>And doubtleſs he
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was in the Right; becauſe, according to the
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ancient Modeſty of his Nation, he was of Opi
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nion, that the Houſes of private Perſons ought
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to be built only for Convenience, and not for
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Beauty or Magnificence. </
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<
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>It was a Law in </
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