Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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<
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>CHAP. XIII.</
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Whether the Obſervation of Times and Seaſons is of any Uſe in beginning a
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Building; what Seaſon is moſt convenient; as alſo, with what Auguries or
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Prayers we ought to ſet out upon our Work.
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<
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>Having got ready the Materials before
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ſpoken of, it remains now that we pro
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ceed to treat of the Work itſelf. </
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<
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>For as to the
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providing of Iron, Braſs, Lead, Glaſs, and the
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like, it requires no Care, but merely the Buy
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ing, and having them in Readineſs, that your
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Building may not ſtand ſtill for them; tho'
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we ſhall in due Time lay down ſome Inſtruc
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tions about the Choice and Diſtribution of
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them, which is of Conſequence to the com
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pleating and adorning the Work. </
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<
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>And we
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ſhall take and conſider the Structure from the
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Foundation, in the ſame Manner as if we were
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actually about doing the Work ourſelves. </
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<
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>But
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here I muſt again admoniſh you to conſider
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the Times, both with Relation to the Publick,
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and to yourſelf and Family, whether they are
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troubleſome or peaceable, proſperous or cala
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mitous, leſt we expoſe ourſelve
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s
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to Envy, if we
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go on with our Undertaking, or to Loſs if we
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give it over. </
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<
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>We ſhould alſo have a particu
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lar Regard to the Seaſon of the Year; for we
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ſee that Buildings begun and proſecuted
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in Winter, eſpecially in a cold Climate,
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are taken with the Froſt, or in Summer,
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in a hot Climate, dry'd up with the Heat before
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ever they have faſten'd. </
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<
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>For this Reaſon it
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was that
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Frontinus,
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the Architect, advis'd us
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never to undertake ſuch a Work but in a pro
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per Seaſon of the Year, which is from the Be
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ginning of
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April
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to the Beginning of
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Novem
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ber,
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reſting, however, in the greateſt Heat
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of Summer. </
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>But I am for haſtening or delay
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ing the Work juſt according to the Difference
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of the Climate and of the Weather; and there
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fore if you are prepar'd with all the Things before
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recited, and your Convenience ſuits, you have
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nothing to do but to mark out the Area of
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your Structure in the Ground, with all its
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Lines, Angles and Dimenſions. </
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<
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>But there are
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ſome who tell us that in Building we ſhould
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obſerve and wait for happy Auſpices, and that
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it is of the utmoſt Importance from what par
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ticular Point of Time the Structure is to date
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its Being. </
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<
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>They relate, that
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Lucius Tarutius
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found out the exact Nativity of
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Rome,
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only
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by the Obſervation of the Turns in its For
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tune. </
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<
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>The wiſeſt Men among the Ancients
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had ſuch an Opinion of the Conſequence of
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the Moment of the Beginning a Thing might
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have as to its future Succeſs, that
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Julius Fer
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micus Maturnus
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tells us of ſome Mathematici
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ans that pretended to have diſcover'd the very
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inſtant when the World had its Beginning,
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and that wrote very accurately about it: For
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Æſculapius,
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and
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Anubius,
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and
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Petoſiris,
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and
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Necepſo,
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who only wrote from them, ſay that
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it begun juſt at the Riſing of the
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Crab,
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when
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the Moon was fourteen Days old, the Sun
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being in
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Leo, Saturn
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in
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Capricorn, Jupiter
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in
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Sagittary, Mars
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in
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Scorpio, Venus
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in
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Libra,
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and
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Mercury
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in
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Virgo.
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</
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<
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> And indeed, if we
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rightly conſider them, the Times may have a
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great Influence in Things. </
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<
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>For how is it elſe,
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that in the ſhorteſt Day of the Year, the
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Penny-royal, tho' quite dry, ſprouts and flou
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riſhes; Bladders that are blown up burſt; the
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Leaves of Willows, and the Kernels of Apples
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turn and change Sides; and that the ſmall
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Fibres of a Shell-fiſh correſpond, increaſe and
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decreaſe with the Increaſe and Decreaſe of
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the Moon. </
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<
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>I muſt confeſs, though I have
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not ſo much Faith in the Profeſſors of this
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Science, and the Obſervers of Times and Sea
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ſons, as to believe their Art can influence the
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Fortune of any Thing, yet I think they are not
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to be deſpiſed when they argue for the Happi
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neſs or Adverſity of ſuch ſtated Times as theſe
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from the Diſpoſition of the Heavens. </
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<
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>But let
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this be as it will, the following their Inſtructi
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ons may be of great Service, if true; and can
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do little harm, if falſe. </
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<
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>I might here add ſome
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ridiculous Circumſtances which the Ancients
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obſerved in the Beginning of their Undertakings;
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but I would not have them interpreted in a
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wrong Senſe; and indeed they deſerve only to
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be laughed at, who would perſwade us that
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the very Marking out of the Platform ought
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to be done under proper Auſpices. </
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<
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>The An
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cients were ſo governed by theſe Superſtitions,
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that in making out the Liſts of their Armies, </
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