Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

List of thumbnails

< >
81
81 		82
82
83
83 		84
84
85
85 		86
86
87
87 		88
88
89
89 		90
90
< >
page |< < of 320 > >|
    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/084.jpg" pagenum="67"/>
              requires the moſt deliberate Conſideration in
                <lb/>
              what Place or Situation, and with what Cir­
                <lb/>
              cuit of Lines it ought to be fix'd. </s>
              <s>Concern­
                <lb/>
              ing theſe Things there have been various
                <lb/>
              Opinions.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cæſar
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              writes, that the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Germans
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              accounted
                <lb/>
              it the greateſt Glory to have vaſt uninhabited
                <lb/>
              Deſarts for their Confines: Becauſe they
                <lb/>
              thought theſe Deſarts ſecured them againſt
                <lb/>
              ſudden Irruptions from their Enemies. </s>
              <s>The
                <lb/>
              Hiſtorians ſuppoſe that the only Thing which
                <lb/>
              deterr'd
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Seſoſtris,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              King of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægypt,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              from lead­
                <lb/>
              ing his Army into
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Æthiopia
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              was the Want of
                <lb/>
              Proviſions, and the Difficulty of the Places
                <lb/>
              through which he muſt march. </s>
              <s>The
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Aſſyrians
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              being defended by their Deſarts and Marſhes,
                <lb/>
              never fell under the Dominion of any foreign
                <lb/>
              Prince. </s>
              <s>They ſay, that the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Arabians
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              too
                <lb/>
              wanting both Water and Fruits, never felt the
                <lb/>
              Aſſaults, or Injuries of any Enemies.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Pliny
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              ſays that
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Italy
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              has been ſo often infeſted with
                <lb/>
              Armies of Barbarians only for the Sake of her
                <lb/>
              Wines and Figs: We may add that the too
                <lb/>
              great Plenty of ſuch Things as ſerve only to
                <lb/>
              Luxury, are very prejudicial, as
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Crates
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              teaches,
                <lb/>
              both to Young and Old; becauſe it is apt to
                <lb/>
              make the Latter cruel, and the Former effe­
                <lb/>
              minate.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Livy
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              tells us, that among the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Æmerici
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              there
                <lb/>
              is a Region wonderfully fruitful, which as it
                <lb/>
              generally happens in rich Soils, engenders a
                <lb/>
              very cowardly weak Race of Men; whereas
                <lb/>
              on the contrary the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ligii,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              who dwelt in a
                <lb/>
              ſtony Country, being forced to conſtant La­
                <lb/>
              bour, and to live with great Frugality, were
                <lb/>
              extremely robuſt and induſtrious. </s>
              <s>The State
                <lb/>
              of Things being ſo, it is probable ſome may
                <lb/>
              not diſlike theſe barren difficult Places for
                <lb/>
              fixing a City in; tho' others again may be of
                <lb/>
              a contrary Opinion, deſiring to enjoy all the
                <lb/>
              Benefits and Gifts of Nature, and to want no­
                <lb/>
              thing that may contribute either to Neceſſity
                <lb/>
              or Pleaſure; and for the right uſing of theſe
                <lb/>
              Benefits, the Fathers may provide by Laws
                <lb/>
              and Statutes. </s>
              <s>And they think the Conveni­
                <lb/>
              encies of Life are much more pleaſing when
                <lb/>
              they may be had at home, than when they are
                <lb/>
              obliged to fetch them from abroad: for which
                <lb/>
              Reaſon, they deſire ſuch a Soil as
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Varro
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              tells us
                <lb/>
              is to be found near
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Memphis,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              which enjoys ſo
                <lb/>
              favourable a Climate, that all the Trees even
                <lb/>
              the Vines themſelves, never drop their Leaves
                <lb/>
              the whole Year round: or ſuch a one as is
                <lb/>
              under Mount
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Taurus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              in thoſe Parts which look
                <lb/>
              to the North, where
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Strabo
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              ſays the Bunches of
                <lb/>
              Grapes are three Foot long, and that every
                <lb/>
              ſingle Vine Tree yields half a Barrel of Wine,
                <lb/>
              and one Fig Tree an hundred and forty
                <lb/>
              Pound Weight of Figs; or ſuch a one as is
                <lb/>
              in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              India,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              or the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Hyperborean
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Iſland in the
                <lb/>
              Ocean, where
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Herodotus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              tells us they gather
                <lb/>
              their Fruits twice every Year; or like that of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Por­
                <lb/>
              tugal,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              where the Seeds that fall by chance
                <lb/>
              yields ſeveral Harveſts, or rather like
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Talge,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              in
                <lb/>
              the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Caſpian
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Mountains, where the Earth
                <lb/>
              brings forth Corn without Tillage. </s>
              <s>But theſe
                <lb/>
              Things are uncommon, and rather to be with'd
                <lb/>
              for than had. </s>
              <s>And therefore the wife An­
                <lb/>
              cients who have written upon this Subject,
                <lb/>
              either from their own Obſervations, or the
                <lb/>
              Books of others, are of Opinion, that a City
                <lb/>
              ought to be ſo placed as to have all ſufficient
                <lb/>
              Neceſſaries within its own Territory (as far as
                <lb/>
              the Condition of human Affairs will permit)
                <lb/>
              without being obliged to ſeek them abroad;
                <lb/>
              and that the Circuit of its Confines ought to
                <lb/>
              be fortified, that no Enemy can eaſily make
                <lb/>
              an Irruption upon them, though at the ſame
                <lb/>
              time they may ſend out Armies into the Coun­
                <lb/>
              tries of their Neighbours, whatever the Enemy
                <lb/>
              can do to prevent it; which is a Situation that
                <lb/>
              they tell us will enable a City not only to
                <lb/>
              defend its Liberty, but alſo to enlarge the
                <lb/>
              Bounds of its Dominion. </s>
              <s>But after all, what
                <lb/>
              ſhall we ſay? </s>
              <s>No Place ever had thoſe Ad­
                <lb/>
              vantages more than
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægypt,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              which was ſo
                <lb/>
              ſtrongly fortified in all its Parts, as to be in a
                <lb/>
              Manner inacceſſible, having on one Side, the
                <lb/>
              Sea, and on the other a vaſt Deſart; on the
                <lb/>
              right Hand ſteep Mountains; and on the
                <lb/>
              Left, huge Marſhes; beſides, the Fruitfulneſs
                <lb/>
              of the Soil is ſo great, that the Ancients uſed
                <lb/>
              to call
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Egypt
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              the Granary of the World, and
                <lb/>
              fabled that the Gods made it their common
                <lb/>
              Retreat either for Safety or Pleaſure; and yet
                <lb/>
              even this Country, though ſo ſtrong, and ſo
                <lb/>
              abounding in all Manner of Plenty, that it
                <lb/>
              could boaſt of feeding the Univerſe, and of
                <lb/>
              entertaining and harbouring the Gods them­
                <lb/>
              ſelves, could not, as
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Joſephus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              informs us, al­
                <lb/>
              ways preſerve its Liberty.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>THOSE therefore are entirely in the Right,
                <lb/>
              who teach us, though in Fables, that human
                <lb/>
              Affairs are never perſectly ſecure though laid
                <lb/>
              in the Lap of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Jupiter
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              himſelf. </s>
              <s>Upon which
                <lb/>
              Occaſion we may not improperly make uſe of
                <lb/>
              the ſame Anſwer that
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Plato
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              made when he
                <lb/>
              was ask'd where that perfect Commonwealth
                <lb/>
              was to be found, which he had made ſo fine
                <lb/>
              a Deſcription of; that, ſays he, was not the </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
Impressum