Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              and in ſhort the whole Structure falls to Ruin.
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              </s>
              <s>The very Foundations themſelves, which you
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              will hardly bèlieve, are ſecured by the Pro­
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              tection of the Covering: nor have ſo many
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              Buildings been deſtroyed by Fire, Sword, War,
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              by Multitude of Enemies, and all other Ca­
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              lamities put together, as have gone to Ruin
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              by being left naked and uncovered thro Negli­
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              gence. </s>
              <s>It is certain the Coverings are the de­
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              fenſive Arms of the Building againſt the
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              Aſſaults and Violence of Storms and Tempeſts.
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              </s>
              <s>Wherefore our Anceſtors in this as in other
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              things acted very laudably, in aſcribing ſo
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              much Honour to the Covering, that they
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              ſpent their whole Art and Study in adorning
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              and beautifying it. </s>
              <s>For ſome of their Cover­
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              ings we ſee of Braſs, others of Glaſs, ſome of
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              Gold with gilded Beams and Rafters, and
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              richly adorned with Corniſhes of Flowers and
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              Statues. </s>
              <s>Of Coverings ſome are open to the
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              Air, others not: the open are thoſe which are
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              not for walking upon, but only for receiving
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              the Rain. </s>
              <s>Thoſe not open to the Air, are
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              the Roofs and Coves that are between the
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              Covering and the Foundations, ſo that one
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              Houſe ſeems to ſtand upon another. </s>
              <s>By this
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              means it comes to paſs that the ſame Work,
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              which is the Covering to the Apartments
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              below, is the
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              Aréa
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              to thoſe above. </s>
              <s>Of theſe
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              Coverings thoſe above our Heads we call Roofs,
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              or Cielings; and thoſe which we tread upon
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              with our Feet,
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              Areas.
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              </s>
              <s> Whether the uppermoft
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              Covering, which lies to the open Air, is to be
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              reckoned as an
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              Area
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              or Pavement, we ſhall
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              examine in another Place. </s>
              <s>But the Covering
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              to the open Air, tho' it be of a plain Super­
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              ficies, ought never to lie even with reſpect to
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              the
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              Area
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              which it covers below; but ſhou'd
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              always incline of one Side to throw off the
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              Rain. </s>
              <s>But the Coverings within, that are of
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              a plain Superficies, ſhould be in all Parts
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              equally diſtant from the Floor. </s>
              <s>All Coverings
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              muſt anſwer in Lines and Angles to the Form
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              and Shape of the Platform and Wall which
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              they are to cover: And as thoſe are various,
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              ſome being all of curve Lines, others all of
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              ſtrait, and others of both mixed together, the
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              Coverings too are therefore various, and of
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              ſeveral kinds. </s>
              <s>But tho' they have this natural
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              Difference, and that ſome are hemiſpherical;
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              others made up of four Arches; others vaulted;
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              others conſiſting of Parts of ſeveral Arches;
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              ſome ſloping or ridged like ordinary mean
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              Houſes: yet which-ſoever of theſe Kinds we
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              chuſe it is abſolutely neceſſary, that all Cover­
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              ings ſhou'd be ſo diſpoſed as to ſhelter and
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              ſhade the Pavement, and throw off all Water
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              and Rain, defending the whole Edifice upon
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              which it is placed for a Covering. </s>
              <s>For Rain
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              is always prepared to do Miſchief, and where­
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              ever there is the leaſt Crack never fails to get
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              in and do ſome Hurt or other: By its Subtility it
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              penetrates and makes its way by its Humidity
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              rots and deſtroys, by its Continuance looſens
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              and unknits all the Nerves of the Building, and
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              in the End ruins and lays Waſte the whole
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              Structure to the very Foundations. </s>
              <s>And for
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              this Reaſon prudent Architects have always
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              taken care that the Rain ſhould have a free
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              Slope to run off; and that the Water ſhould
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              never be ſtop'd in any Place, or get into any
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              Part where it cou'd do Hurt. </s>
              <s>And therefore
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              they adviſed, that in Places ſubject to much
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              Snow, the Coverings ſhould have a very ſteep
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              Slope, riſing even to an acute Angle, that the
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              Snow might never reſt and gather upon them,
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              but fall off eaſily; but in more Summeriſh Cli­
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              mates (to uſe ſuch an Expreſſion) they laid
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              their Covering leſs oblique. </s>
              <s>Laſtly we ſhould
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              endeavour if poſſible, without Prejudice to the
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              Lights or Wall, to have the whole Structure
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              overlaid with one equal Covering in a manner
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              all of one Piece, and ſo far jutting out, that the
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              Water falling from the Gutters may not wet
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              or ſoak into the Wall: and all the Coverings
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              ſhould be ſo diſpoſed, where there are more than
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              one, that one may not ſpout upon the other.
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              </s>
              <s>The Space of Covering too that the Water is
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              to run over ſhould never be too large, becauſe
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              upon Rains the Water gathering in the Gut­
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              ters in too great Abundance would waſh back
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              again and flow into the Houſe; which would
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              greatly prejudice the whole Work. </s>
              <s>Where
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              the
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              Area
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              therefore is very large, the Covering
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              ſhould be divided into ſeveral Slopes, and the
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              Rain flow off in different Places; and this is
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              not only attended with Convenience, but Beauty
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              too. </s>
              <s>If you are obliged in any Place to have
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              ſeveral Coverings, let them join one to another
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              in ſuch a Manner, that when you are once
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              under one, you may paſs from that to all the
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              reſt always under ſhelter.</s>
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