Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              be painted but the moſt comely and beautiful
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              Faces; which we are told may be of no ſmall
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              Conſequence to the Conception of the Lady,
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              and the Beauty of the Children. </s>
              <s>Such as are
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              tormented with a Fever are not a little refreſh­
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              ed by the Sight of Pictures of Springs, Caſcades
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              and Streams of Water, which any one may
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              eaſily experience; for if at any Time you find
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              it difficult to compoſe yourſelf to reſt in the
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              Night, only turn your Imagination upon ſuch
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              clear Waters as you can remember any where
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              to have ſeen, either of Springs, Lakes or Streams,
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              and that burning Drowth of the Mind, which
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              kept you waking, ſhall preſently be moiſtened,
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              and a pleaſant Forgetfulneſs ſhall creep upon
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              you, till you fall into a fine Sleep. </s>
              <s>To theſe
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              Delicacies we muſt add thoſe of well-diſpoſed
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              Gardens and beautiful Trees, together with
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              Porticoes in the Garden, where you may enjoy
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              either Sun or Shade. </s>
              <s>To theſe add ſome lit­
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              tle pleaſant Meadow, with fine Springs of
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              Water burſting out in different Places where
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              leaſt expected. </s>
              <s>Let the Walks be terminated
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              by Trees that enjoy a perpetual Verdure, and
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              particularly on that Side which is beſt ſhelter­
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              ed from Winds, let them be encloſed with Box,
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              which is preſently injured and rotted by ſtrong
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              Winds, and eſpecially by the leaſt Spray from the
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              Sea. </s>
              <s>In open Places, moſt expoſed to the Sun,
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              ſome ſet Myrtles, which will flouriſh extreme­
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              ly in the Summer: But
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              Theophraſtus
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              affirms,
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              that the Myrtle, the Laurel, and the Ivy re­
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              joyce in the Shade, and therefore directs us to
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              plant them thick, that they may mutually
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              ſhelter one another from the Sun by their own
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              Shade: Nor let there be wanting Cypreſs­
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              trees cloathed with Ivy. </s>
              <s>Let the Ground alſo
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              be here and there thrown into thoſe Figures
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              that are moſt commended in the Platforms of
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              Houſes, Circles, Semicircles, and the like, and
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              ſurrounded with Laurels, Cedars, Junipers
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              with their Branches intermixed, and twining
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              one into the other.
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              Phiteon
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              of
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              Agrigentum,
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              though but a private Man, had in his Houſe
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              three hundred Vaſes of Stone, each whereof
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              would hold an hundred Amphoras, or about
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              fifteen of our Hogſheads. </s>
              <s>Such Vaſes are very
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              fine Ornaments for Fountains in Gardens. </s>
              <s>The
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              Ancients uſed to make their Walks into a Kind
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              of Arbours by Means of Vines ſupported by
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              Columns of Marble of the
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              Corinthian
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              Order,
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              which were ten of their own Diameters in
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              Height. </s>
              <s>The Trees ought to be planted in
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              Rows exactly even, and anſwering to one an­
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              other exactly upon ſtraight Lines; and the
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              Gardens ſhould be enriched with rare Plants,
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              and ſuch as are in moſt Eſteem among the Phy­
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              ſicians. </s>
              <s>It was a good agreeable Piece of Flat­
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              tery among the ancient Gardeners, to trace
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              their Maſters Names in Box, or in ſweet-ſmel­
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              ing Herbs, in Parterres. </s>
              <s>Roſe-trees, intermix­
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              ed with Pomegranates and Cornels, are very
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              beautiful in a Hedge: But the Poet ſays,</s>
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              <s>
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              Your Hedge of Oak with Plums and Cornel made,
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              To yield the Cattle Food, the Maſter Shade.
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              <s>BUT perhaps this may ſuit better with a
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              Farm intended for Profit, than with a Villa
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              calculated chiefly for taking the Air in: And
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              indeed what we are told
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              Democritus
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              very much
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              condemned, namely, the incloſing a Garden
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              with any Sort of Wall, I ſhould not blame in
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              the Caſe before us, but am rather of Opinion,
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              that it is a very proper Defence againſt Malice
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              or Rapine. </s>
              <s>Nor am I diſpleaſed with the plac­
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              ing ridiculous Statues in Gardens, provided they
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              have nothing in them obſcene. </s>
              <s>Such ſhould
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              be the Diſpoſition of the Villa. </s>
              <s>In Houſes in
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              Town, the inner Apartments and Parlours
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              ſhould not in the leaſt give way, either in
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              Chearfulneſs or Beauty, to the Villa; but in
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              the more publick Rooms, ſuch as the Hall and
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              Veſtibule, you ſhould not aim ſo much at De­
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              licacy, as to forget a decent Gravity. </s>
              <s>The Por­
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              ticoes of the Houſes of the principal Citizens
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              may have a compleat regular Entablature over
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              the Columns; but thoſe of lower Degree,
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              ſhould have only Arches. </s>
              <s>Vaulted Roofs are
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              proper in both. </s>
              <s>The whole Entablature muſt
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              be in Height one fourth Part of the Shaft. </s>
              <s>If
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              there is to be a ſecond Order of Columns over
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              the firſt, let that ſecond Order be one fourth
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              Part ſhorter than the lower one; and if there
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              is to be a third Order over this, let it be one
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              fifth Part ſhorter than that below it. </s>
              <s>In each
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              of theſe the Pedeſtal or Plinth under each Or­
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              der of Columns, muſt be in Height one fourth
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              Part of the Column which it ſupports; but
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              where there is to be only one ſingle Row of
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              Columns, the Proportions may be taken from
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              thoſe of profane Works of a publick Nature.
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              </s>
              <s>A private Houſe ſhould never have ſuch a Pe­
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              diment as may ſeem to rival the Majeſty of a
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              Temple. </s>
              <s>However, the Front of the Veſtibule
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              may be raiſed ſomewhat above the reſt of the
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              Building, and be adorned with a ſmaller Pedi­
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              ment. </s>
              <s>The reſt of the Front on each Side this
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              Pediment may be adorned with a ſmall Plinth,
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              which may riſe ſomewhat higher at the princi­</s>
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