Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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pal Angles I cannot be pleaſed with thoſe
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who make Towers and Battlements to a pri
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vate Houſe, which belong of right entirely to
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a Fortification, or to the Caſtle of a Tyrant,
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and are altogether inconſiſtent with the peace
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able Aſpect of a well-governed City or Com
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monwealth, as they ſhew either a Diſtruſt of
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our Countrymen, or a Deſign to uſe Violence
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againſt them. </
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>Balconies in the Front of a
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Houſe are beautiful enough, provided they are
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not too large, heavy, and out of Proportion.</
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<
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>CHAP. V.</
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That the Beauty of all Edifices ariſes principally from three Things, namely,
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the Number, Figure and Collocation of the ſeveral Members.
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>I now come once more to thoſe Points which
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I before promiſed to enquire into, namely,
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wherein it is that Beauty and Ornament, uni
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verſally conſidered, conſiſt, or rather whence
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they ariſe. </
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<
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>An Enquiry of the utmoſt Diffi
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culty; for whatever that Property be which is
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ſo gathered and collected from the whole
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Number and Nature of the ſeveral Parts, or to
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be imparted to each of them according to a
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certain and regular Order, or which muſt be
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contrived in ſuch a Manner as to join and unite
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a certain Number of Parts into one Body or
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Whole, by an orderly and ſure Coherence and
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Agreement of all thoſe Parts: Which Proper
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ty is what we are here to diſcover; it is cer
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tain, ſuch a Property muſt have in itſelf ſome
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thing of the Force and Spirit of all the Parts
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with which it is either united or mixed, other
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wiſe they muſt jar and diſagree with each other,
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and by ſuch Diſcord deſtroy the Uniformity or
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Beauty of the Whole: The Diſcovery of which,
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as it is far from being eaſy or obvious in any
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other Caſe, ſo it is particularly difficult and un
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certain here; the Art of Architecture conſiſt
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ing of ſo many various Parts, and each of thoſe
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Parts requiring ſo many various Ornaments as
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you have already ſeen. </
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>However, as it is neceſ
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ſary in the Proſecution of our Deſign, we ſhall
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uſe the utmoſt of our Abilities in clearing this
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obſcure Point, not going ſo far about as to ſhew
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how a compleat Knowledge of a Whole is to
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be gained by examining the ſeveral Parts diſ
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tinct; but beginning immediately upon what
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is to our preſent Purpoſe, by enquiring what
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that Property is which in its Nature makes a
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Thing beautiful. </
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>The moſt expert Artiſts
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among the Ancients, as we have obſerved elſe
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where, were of Opinion, that an Edifice was
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like an Animal, ſo that in the Formation of it
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we ought to imitate Nature. </
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>Let us therefore
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enquire how it happens that in the Bodies pro
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duced by Nature herſelf ſome are accounted
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more, others leſs beautiful, or even deformed.
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>It is manifeſt, that in thoſe which are eſteemed
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beautiful, the Parts or Members are not con
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ſtantly all the ſame, ſo as not to differ in any
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Reſpect: But we find, that even in thoſe Parts
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wherein they vary moſt, there is ſomething in
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herent and implanted which though they dif
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fer extremely from each other, makes each of
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them beautiful. </
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>I will make uſe of an Ex
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ample to illuſtrate my Meaning. </
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>Some admire
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a Woman for being extremely ſlender and fine
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ſhaped; the young Gentleman in
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Terence
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pre
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fered a Girl that was plump and fleſhy: You
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perhaps are for a Medium between theſe two
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Extremes, and would neither have her ſo thin as
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to ſeem waſted with Sickneſs, nor ſo ſtrong and
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robuſt as if ſhe were a Ploughman in Diſguiſe,
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and were fit for Boxing: In ſhort, you would
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have her ſuch a Beauty as might be formed by
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taking from the firſt what the ſecond might
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ſpare. </
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>But then becauſe, one of theſe pleaſes
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you more than the other, would you therefore
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affirm the other to be not at all handſome or
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graceful? </
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>By no means; but there may be ſome
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hidden Cauſe why one ſhould plcaſe you more
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than the other, into which I will not now pre
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tend to enquire. </
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>But the Judgment which you
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make that a Thing is beautiful, does not proceed
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from mere Opinion, but from a ſecret Argu
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ment and Diſcourſe implanted in the Mind it
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ſelf; which plainly appears to be ſo from this,
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that no Man beholds any Thing ugly or de
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formed, without an immediate Hatred and
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Abhorrence. </
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>Whence this Senſation of the
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Mind ariſes, and how it is formed, would be a
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Queſtion too ſubtle for this Place: However,
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let us conſider and examine it from thoſe
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Things which are obvious, and make more
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immediately to the Subject in Hand: For with
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out Queſtion there is a certain Excellence and </
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