Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/270.jpg" pagenum="194"/>
              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. </s>
              <s>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.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. V.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              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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              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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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              </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>I will make uſe of an Ex­
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              ample to illuſtrate my Meaning. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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? </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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. </s>
              <s>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 </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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