Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755
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              be ask'd, there is none of us but would readily
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              ſay, that ſuch a Thing might be remedied and
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              corrected. </s>
              <s>Indeed every one cannot propoſe
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              the Remedy, but only ſuch as are well practi­
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              ced and experienced that Way. </s>
              <s>It is therefore
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              the Part of a wiſe Man to weigh and review
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              every particular thoroughly in his Mind: That
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              he may not afterwards be forced to ſay, either
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              in the Middle or at the End of this Work, I
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              wiſh this, or I wiſh that were otherwiſe. </s>
              <s>And
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              it is really ſurprizing, what a hearty Puniſh­
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              ment a Man ſuffers for a Work ill managed:
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              For in Proceſs of Time, he himſelf at Length
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              finds out the Miſtakes he fooliſhly made in the
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              Beginning for want of due Reflection: And
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              then, unleſs he pulls it to pieces and reforms
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              it, he is continually repenting and fretting at
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              the Eye-ſore; or if he pulls it down, he is
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              blamed upon Account of the Loſs and Expence,
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              and accuſed of Levity and Inſtability of Mind.
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              Suetonius
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              tells us, that
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              Julius Cæſar
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              having
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              begun a Structure at the Lake
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              Nemorenſis
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              from
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              the very Foundations, and compleated it at
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              vaſt Expence, pull'd it all down again, becauſe
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              it was not exactly in all reſpects to his Mind.
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              </s>
              <s>For which he is certainly very much to be
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              blamed, even by us his Poſterity, either for
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              not ſufficiently conſidering what was requiſite
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              at firſt, or elſe afterwards for diſliking thro'
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              Levity what might really not be amiſs. </s>
              <s>I
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              therefore always highly commend the ancient
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              Cuſtom of Builders, who not only in Draughts
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              and Paintings, but in real Models of Wood or
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              other Subſtance, examin'd and weigh'd over
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              and over again, with the Advice of Men of the
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              beſt Experience, the whole Work and the Ad­
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              meaſurements of all its Parts, before they put
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              themſelves to the Expence or Trouble. </s>
              <s>By
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              making a Model you will have an Opportunity,
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              thoroughly to weigh and conſider the Form
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              and Situation of your Platform with reſpect to
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              the Region, what Extent is to be allow'd to
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              it, the Number and Order of the Parts, how
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              the Walls are to be made, and how ſtrong and
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              firm the Covering; and in a Word all thoſe
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              Particulars which we have ſpoken of in the
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              preceding Book: And there you may eaſily
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              and freely add, retrench, alter, renew, and in
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              ſhort change every Thing from one End to
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              t'other, till all and every one of the Parts are
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              juſt as you would have them, and without Fault.
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              <s>Add likewiſe, that you may then examine and
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              compute (what is by no means to be neglected)
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              the Particulars and Sum of your future Ex­
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              pence, the Size, Heighth, Thickneſs, Num­
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              ber, Extent, Form, Species and Quality of
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              all the Parts, how they are to be made, and
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              by what Artificers; becauſe you will thereby
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              have a clear and diſtinct Idea of the Numbers
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              and Forms of your Columns, Capitals, Baſes,
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              Corniſhes, Pediments, Incruſtations, Pave­
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              ments, Statues and the like, that relates either
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              to the Strength or Ornament. </s>
              <s>I muſt not
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              omit to obſerve, that the making of curious,
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              poliſh'd Models, with the Delicacy of Painting,
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              is not required from an Architect that only
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              deſigns to ſhew the real Thing itſelf; but is
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              rather the Part of a vain Architect, that makes
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              it his Buſineſs by charming the Eye and
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              ſtriking the Fancy of the Beholder, to divert
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              him from a rigorous Examination of the Parts
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              which he ought to make, and to draw him
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              into an Admiration of himſelf. </s>
              <s>For this Rea­
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              ſon I would not have the Models too exactly
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              finiſh'd, nor too delicate and neat, but plain
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              and ſimple, more to be admired for the Con­
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              trivance of the Inventor, than the Hand of
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              the Workman. </s>
              <s>Between the Deſign of the
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              Painter and that of the Architect, there is this
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              Difference, that the Painter by the Exactneſs
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              of his Shades, Lines and Angles, endeavours
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              to make the Parts ſeem to riſe from the Can­
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              vaſs, whereas the Architect, without any Re­
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              gard to the Shades, makes his Relieves from
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              the Deſign of his Platform, as one that would
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              have his Work valued, not by the apparent
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              Perſpective, but by the real Compartments
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              founded upon Reaſon. </s>
              <s>In a Word, you ought
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              to make ſuch Models, and conſider them by
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              yourſelf, and with others ſo diligently, and
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              examine them over and over ſo often, that
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              there ſhall not be a ſingle Part in your whole
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              Structure, but what you are thoroughly ac­
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              quainted with, and know what Place and how
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              much Room it is to poſſeſs, and to what Uſe to
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              be applied. </s>
              <s>But above all, nothing requires
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              our Attention ſo much as the Covering, which
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              ſeems in its Nature, if I miſtake not, beyond
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              any Thing elſe in Architecture to have been
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              of the greateſt and firſt Convenience to Man­
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              kind; ſo that indeed it muſt be own'd, that
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              it was upon the Account of this Covering that
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              they invented not only the Wall and thoſe
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              other Parts which are carried up with the Wall
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              and neceſſarily accompany it, but alſo thoſe
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              Parts which are made under Ground, ſuch as
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              Conduits, Channels, Receptacles of Rain
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              Water, Sewers and the like. </s>
              <s>For my Part,
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              that have had no ſmall Experience in Things of
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              this Nature, I indeed know the Difficulty of </s>
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