Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

< >
< >
page |< < of 320 > >|
    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/283.jpg" pagenum="206"/>
              the ſame Manner I would have the Architect
                <lb/>
              diligently conſider all the Buildings that have
                <lb/>
              any tolerable Reputation; and not only ſo, but
                <lb/>
              take them down in Lines and Numbers, nay,
                <lb/>
              make Deſigns and Models of them, and by
                <lb/>
              means of thoſe, conſider and examine the Or­
                <lb/>
              der, Situation, Sort and Number of every Part
                <lb/>
              which others have employed, eſpecially ſuch as
                <lb/>
              have done any thing very great and excellent,
                <lb/>
              whom we may reaſonably ſuppoſe to have
                <lb/>
              been Men of very great Note, when they were
                <lb/>
              intruſted with the Direction of ſo great an Ex­
                <lb/>
              pence. </s>
              <s>Not that I would have him admire a
                <lb/>
              Structure merely for being huge, and imagine
                <lb/>
              that to be a ſufficient Beauty; but let him
                <lb/>
              principally enquire in every Building what
                <lb/>
              there is particularly artful and excellent for
                <lb/>
              Contrivance or Invention, and gain a Habit of
                <lb/>
              being pleaſed with nothing but what is really
                <lb/>
              elegant and praiſe-worthy for the Deſign: And
                <lb/>
              where-ever he finds any thing noble, let him
                <lb/>
              make uſe of it, or imitate it in his own Per­
                <lb/>
              formances; and when he ſees any thing well
                <lb/>
              done, that is capable of being ſtill further im­
                <lb/>
              proved and made delicate, let him ſtudy to
                <lb/>
              bring it to Perfection in his own Works; and
                <lb/>
              when he meets with any Deſign that is only
                <lb/>
              not abſolutely bad, let him try in his own
                <lb/>
              Things to work it if poſſible into ſomething
                <lb/>
              excellent. </s>
              <s>Thus by a continued and nice Ex­
                <lb/>
              amination of the beſt Productions, ſtill con­
                <lb/>
              ſidering what Improvements might be made in
                <lb/>
              every thing that he ſees, he may ſo exerciſe
                <lb/>
              and ſharpen his own Invention, as to collect
                <lb/>
              into his own Works not only all the Beauties
                <lb/>
              which are diſperſed up and down in thoſe of
                <lb/>
              other Men, but even thoſe which lie in a Man­
                <lb/>
              ner concealed in the moſt hidden Receſſes of
                <lb/>
              Nature, to his own immortal Reputation. </s>
              <s>Not
                <lb/>
              ſatisfied with this, he ſhould alſo have an Am­
                <lb/>
              bition to produce ſomething admirable, which
                <lb/>
              may be entirely of his own Invention; like him,
                <lb/>
              for Inſtance, who built a Temple without uſing
                <lb/>
              one iron Tool in it; or him that brought the
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Coloſſus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              to
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              ſuſpended all the Way up­
                <lb/>
              right, in which Work we may juſt mention
                <lb/>
              that he employed no leſs than four-and-twenty
                <lb/>
              Elephants; or like an Artiſt that in only ſeem­
                <lb/>
              ingly working a common Quarry of Stone,
                <lb/>
              ſhould cut it out into a Labyrinth, a Temple,
                <lb/>
              or ſome other uſeful Structure, to the Surpriſe
                <lb/>
              of all Mankind. </s>
              <s>We are told that
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Nero
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              uſed
                <lb/>
              to employ miraculous Architects, who never
                <lb/>
              thought of any Invention, but what it was al­
                <lb/>
              moſt impoſſible for the Skill of Man to reduce
                <lb/>
              to practice. </s>
              <s>Such Geniuſſes I can by no mean
                <lb/>
              approve of; for, indeed, I would have the
                <lb/>
              Architect always appear to have conſulted Ne­
                <lb/>
              ceſſity and Convenience in the firſt Place, even
                <lb/>
              tho' at the very ſame Time his principal Care
                <lb/>
              has been Ornament. </s>
              <s>If he can make a hand­
                <lb/>
              ſome Mixture of the noble Orders of the An­
                <lb/>
              cients, with any of the new Inventions of the
                <lb/>
              Moderns, he may deſerve Commendation. </s>
              <s>In
                <lb/>
              this Manner he ſhould be continually improv­
                <lb/>
              ing his Genius by Uſe and Exerciſe in ſuch
                <lb/>
              Things as may conduce to make him Excel­
                <lb/>
              lent in this Science; and indeed, he ſhould
                <lb/>
              think it becomes him to have not only that
                <lb/>
              Knowledge, without which he would not real­
                <lb/>
              ly be what he profeſſed himſelf; but he ſhould
                <lb/>
              alſo adorn his Mind with ſuch a Tincture of
                <lb/>
              all the liberal Arts, as may be of Service to
                <lb/>
              make him more ready and ingenious at his own,
                <lb/>
              and that he may never be at a Loſs for any
                <lb/>
              Helps in it which Learning can furniſh him
                <lb/>
              with. </s>
              <s>In ſhort, he ought ſtill to be perſever­
                <lb/>
              ing in his Study and Application, till he finds
                <lb/>
              himſelf equal to thoſe great Men, whoſe Praiſes
                <lb/>
              are capable of no further Addition: Nor let
                <lb/>
              him ever be ſatisfied with himſelf, if there
                <lb/>
              is that Thing any where that can poſſibly be
                <lb/>
              of Uſe to him, and that can be obtained either
                <lb/>
              by Diligence or Thought, which he is not
                <lb/>
              thoroughly Maſter of, till he is arrived at the
                <lb/>
              Summit of Perfection in the Art which he
                <lb/>
              profeſſes. </s>
              <s>The Arts which are uſeful, and in­
                <lb/>
              deed abſolutely neceſſary to the Architect, are
                <lb/>
              Painting and Mathematicks. </s>
              <s>I do not require
                <lb/>
              him to be deeply learned in the reſt; for I
                <lb/>
              think it ridiculous, like a certain Author, to
                <lb/>
              expect that an Architect ſhould be a profound
                <lb/>
              Lawyer, in order to know the Right of con­
                <lb/>
              veying Water or placing Limits between Neigh­
                <lb/>
              bours, and to avoid falling into Controverſies
                <lb/>
              and Lawſuits as in Building is often the Caſe:
                <lb/>
              Nor need he be a perfect Aſtronomer, to know
                <lb/>
              that Libraries ought to be ſituated to the
                <lb/>
              North, and Stoves to the South; nor a very
                <lb/>
              great Muſician, to place the Vaſes of Copper
                <lb/>
              or Braſs in a Theatre for aſſiſting the Voice:
                <lb/>
              Neither do I require that he ſhould be an Ora­
                <lb/>
              tor, in order to be able to diſplay to any Per­
                <lb/>
              ſon that would employ him, the Services which
                <lb/>
              he is capable of doing him; for Knowledge,
                <lb/>
              Experience and perfect Maſtery in what he is
                <lb/>
              to ſpeak of, will never fail to help him to
                <lb/>
              Words to explain his Senſe ſufficiently, which
                <lb/>
              indeed is the firſt and main End of Eloquence.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>Not that I would have him Tongue-tied, or ſo </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
Impressum