Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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<
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>THE
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ARCHITECTURE
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OF
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Leone Batiſta Alberti.
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>BOOK II. CHAP. I.</
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Treating of the Materials. </
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>That no Man ought to begin a Building haſtily
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but ſhould firſt take a good deal of Time to conſider, and revolve in his Mind
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all the Qualities and Requiſites of ſuch a Work: And that he ſhould carefull
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review and examine, with the Advice of proper Judges, the whole Structuly
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in itſelf, and the Proportions and Meaſures of every diſtinct Part, not o re
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in Draughts or Paintings, but in actual Models of Wood or ſome othe Sunly
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ſtance, that when he has finiſh'd his Building, he may not repent of his Labour.
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>I do not think the Labour and
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Expence of a Building to be en
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ter'd upon in a hurry; as well
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for ſeveral other Reaſons, as
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alſo becauſe a Man's Honour and
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Reputation ſuffers by it. </
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>For as a Deſign
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well and compleatly finiſh'd brings Praiſe to
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him that has employ'd his Pains and Study in
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the Work; ſo if in any particular the Author
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ſeems to have been wanting, either of Art or
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Prudence, it detracts very much from that
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Praiſe, and from his Reputation. </
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>And indeed
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the Beauties or Faults of Edifices, eſpecially
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publick ones, are in a Manner clear and mani
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feſt to every body; and (I know not how it
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happens) any Thing amiſs ſooner draws Con
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tempt, than any Thing handſome or well
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finiſh'd does Commendation. </
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>It is really won
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derful, how, by a Kind of natural Inſtinct, all
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of us knowing or ignorant, immediately hit upon
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what is right or wrong in the Contrivance or
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Execution of Things, and what a ſhrewd Judg
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ment the Eye has in Works of this Nature
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above all the other Senſes. </
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>Whence it happens,
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that if any Thing offers itſelf to us that is
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lame or too little, or unneceſſary, or un
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graceful, we preſently find ourſelves moved
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and deſirous to have it handſomer. </
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<
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>The Rea
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ſons of thoſe Faults perhaps we may not all of
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us be acquainted with, and yet if we were to </
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