Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/035.jpg" pagenum="24"/>
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              Mauſoleum:
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              Though in Things of that Nature,
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              I think Modeſty is beſt.
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              Horace
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              blamed
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Mæcenas
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              for having too furious a Paſſion for
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              Building. </s>
              <s>I commend him, who according to
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cornelius Tacitus,
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              built
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              Otho
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              's Sepulcher, modeſt,
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              but extremely durable. </s>
              <s>And though it be
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              true that private Monuments require Modeſty
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              and publick ones Magnificence; yet publick
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              ones too are ſometimes praiſed for being as
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              modeſt as the others. </s>
              <s>We admire
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              Pompey
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              's
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              Theatre for the ſurprizing Greatneſs and Dig­
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              nity of the Work: A Work truly worthy of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Pompey
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              and of
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              Rome
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              in the Midſt of her
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              Victories: but
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              Nero
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              's unadviſedly Fondneſs for
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              Building, and mad Paſſion for Undertaking im­
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              menſe Deſigns, is commended by nobody.
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              </s>
              <s>And beſides, who would not rather have
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              wiſh'd, that he who employ'd ſo many thou­
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              ſand Men to bore through the Hill near
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              Poz­
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              zuolo,
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              had taken the ſame Pains, and beſtowed
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              the ſame Expence upon ſome Work of greater
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              Uſe? </s>
              <s>Who will not deteſt the monſtrous Folly
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              and Vanity of
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              Heliogabalus?
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              who had Thoughts
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              of erecting a huge Column with Stairs on the
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              Inſide of it to mount to the Top, whereon
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Heliogabalus
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              himſelf was to be ſet as a God,
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              which he pretended to make himſelf. </s>
              <s>But not
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              being able to find a Stone of that Bigneſs, tho'
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              he ſought for it quite to
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              Thebais,
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              he deſiſted
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              from his wild Deſign. </s>
              <s>Hereunto we may add,
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              that we ought not to begin a Thing, which
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              though in ſome Reſpects worthy and uſeful,
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              and not altogether ſo difficult of Execution,
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              ſome particular Opportunity or Means ſavouring
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              it at that Time, that yet is of a Nature to ſall
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              ſoon to decay, either thro' the Neglience of
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              Succeſſors, or Diſlike of the Inhabitants. </s>
              <s>I
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              therefore find Fault with the Canal which
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              Nero
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              made navigable for Callies with five Rows of
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              Oars from
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              Avernus
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              to
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              Oſtia,
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              as well as
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              other Accounts, as becauſe the Maintaining of
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              it ſeem'd to require perpetual and eternal
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              Felicity of the Empire, and a Succeſſion of
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              Princes all inclined to the ſame Works. </s>
              <s>Theſe
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              Conſiderations being granted, we ought to re­
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              flect duly upon all the Particulars before­
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              mention'd, that is to ſay, what Work we un­
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              dertake, the Place we are to build in, and
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              what the Perſon is that is to build; and to con­
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              trive every Thing according to his Dignity and
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              Neceſſities, is the Part of a diſcreet and pru­
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              dent Architect.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. XII.</s>
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              <s>
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              That having conſider'd the whole Diſpoſition of the Building in all the Parts
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              of the Model, we ought to take the Advice of prudent and underſtanding Men,
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              and before we begin our Work, it will not only be proper to know how to
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              raiſe Money for the Expence, but alſo long before hand to provide all the
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              Materials for compleating ſuch an Undertaking.
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              </s>
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              <s>Having weigh'd and conſider'd theſe
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              Things you muſt proceed to the Ex­
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              amination of the Reſt, whether each of them
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              be perfectly contrived and conveniently diſ­
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              poſed in its proper Place. </s>
              <s>And to do this ef­
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              fectually, it is neceſſary you ſhould be full of
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              this Perſuaſion, all the while you are medita­
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              ting upon theſe Things, that it will be a Scandal
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              to you, if as far as in you lies, you ſuffer any
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              other Building with the ſame Expence or Ad­
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              vantages to gain more Praiſe and Approbation
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              than your own. </s>
              <s>Nor is it ſufficient in theſe
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              Caſes to be only not deſpiſed, unleſs you are
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              highly and principally commended, and then
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              imitated. </s>
              <s>Therefore we ought to be as ſevere
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              and diligent as poſſible in our Scrutiny of every
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              Particular, as well to ſuffer nothing but what
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              is excellent and elegant, as to have all Things
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              mutually concur to make the whole Handſome
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              and Beautiful, inſomuch that whatever you at­
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              tempted to add, or retrench, or alter, ſhould
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              be for the Worſe and make a Defect. </s>
              <s>But
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              herein, I repeat my Advice, let your Mode­
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              rator be the Prudence and Counſel of the moſt
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              experienced Judges, whoſe Approbation is
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              founded upon Knowledge and Sincerity: Be­
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              cauſe by their Skill and Directions you will be
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              much more likely, than by your own private
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              Will and Opinion, to attain to Perfection or
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              Something very near it. </s>
              <s>And beſides, the
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              Praiſe of good Judges is the higheſt Satisfaction;
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              and as for others they praiſe you ſufficiently, and
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              indeed too much in not doing Something bet­
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              ter themſelves. </s>
              <s>So that you will be ſure of </s>
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