Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

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1Town, there are but few Pleaſures, but thoſe
of
Luxury and the Night.
It is ſufficient there­
fore
if in Town they can have an Abode that
does
not want any Conveniencies for living
with
Health, Dignity and Politeneſs: But yet,
as
far as the Want of Room and Proſpect will
admit
, our Habitation in Town ſhould not be
without
any of the Delicacies of that in the
Country
.
We ſhould be ſure to have a good
Court-yard
, Portico, Places for Exerciſe, and
ſome
Garden.
If you are crampt for Room,
and
cannot make all your Conveniencies upon
one
Floor, make ſeveral Stories, by which
means
you may make the Members of your
Houſe
as large as is neceſſary; and if the Na­
ture
of your Foundation will allow it, dig
Places
under Ground for your Wines, Oil, Wood,
and
even ſome Part of your Family, and ſuch
a
Baſement will add Majeſty to your whole
Structure
.
Thus you may build as many Stories
as
you pleaſe, till you have fully provided for
all
the Occaſions of your Family.
The prin­
cipal
Parts may be allotted to the principal Oc­
caſions
; and the moſt Honourable, to the moſt
Honourable
.
No Store-rooms ſhould be want­
ing
for laying up Corn, Fruits, and all Manner
of
Tools, Implements and Houſhold-ſtuff;
nor
Places for divine Worſhip; nor Wardrobes
for
the Women.
Nor muſt you be without
convenient
Store-rooms for laying up Cloaths
deſigned
for your Family to wear only on Ho­
lidays
, and Arms both deſenſive and offenſive,
Implements
for all Sorts of Works in Wool,
Preparations
for the Entertainment of Gueſts,
and
all Manner of Neceſſaries for any extraor­
dinary
Occaſions.
There ſhould be different
Places
for thoſe Things that are not wanted
above
once a Month, or perhaps once a Year,
and
for thoſe that are in Uſe every Day.
Every
one
of which, though they cannot be always
kept
lockt up in Store-rooms, ought however
to
be kept in ſome Place where they may be
conſtantly
in Sight; and eſpecially ſuch Things
as
are ſeldomeſt in Uſe; becauſe thoſe Things
which
are moſt in Sight, are leaſt in Danger
of
Thieves.
The Habitations of middling Peo­
ple
ought to reſemble the Delicacy of thoſe of
the
richer Sort, in Proportion to their Circum­
ſtances
; ſtill imitating them with ſuch Mode­
ration
, as not to run into a greater Expence
than
they can well ſupport.
The Country
Houſes
for theſe, therefore, ſhould be contrived
with
little leſs Regard to their Flocks and
Herds
, than to their Wives.
Their Dove­
houſe
, Fiſh-ponds, and the like ſhould be leſs
for
Pleaſure, than for Proſit: But yet their
Country
Houſe ſhould be built in ſuch a Man­
ner
, that the Wife may like the Abode, and
look
after her Buſineſs in it with Pleaſure; nor
ſhould
we have our Eye ſo entirely upon Pro­
fit
, as to neglect the Health of the Inhabitants.
Whenever we have Occaſion for Change of
Air
, Celſus adviſes us to take it in Winter; for
our
Bodies will grow accuſtomed to Winter
Colds
, with leſs Danger of our Health than to
Summer
Heats.
But we, on the Contrary, are
fond
of going to our Country Houſes chiefly
in
Summer; we ought therefore to take Care
to
have that the moſt Healthy.
As for the
Town
Houſe for a Tradeſman, more Regard
muſt
be had to the Conveniency of his Shop,
from
whence his Gain and Livelihood is to
ariſe
than to the Beauty of his Parlour; the
beſt
Situation for this is, in Croſs-ways, at a
Corner
; in a Market-place or Square, in the
Middle
of the Place; in a High-ſtreet, ſome
remarkable
jutting out; inaſmuch as his chief
Deſign
is to draw the Eyes of Cuſtomers.
In
the
middle Parts of his Houſe he need have no
Partitions
but of unbaked Bricks and common
Plaiſter
; but in the Front and Sides, as he can­
not
always be ſure of having honeſt Neighbours,
he
muſt make his Walls ſtronger againſt the
Aſſaults
both of Men and Weather.
He ſhould
alſo
build his Houſe either at ſuch a proper
Diſtance
from his next Neighbour's, that there
may
be room for the Air to dry the Walls af­
ter
any Rain; or ſo cloſe, that the Water may
run
off from both in the ſame Gutter; and let
the
Top of the Houſe, and the Gutters parti­
cularly
, have a very good Slope, that the Rain
may
neither lie ſoaking too long, nor daſh back
into
the Houſe; but be carried away as quick
and
as clear as poſſible.
There remains no­
thing
now but to recollect ſome few Rules laid
down
in the firſt Book, and which ſeem to be­
long
to this Head.
Let thoſe Parts of the
Building
which are to be particularly ſecure
againſt
Fire, and the Injuries of the Weather,
or
which are to be cloſer or freer from Noiſe,
be
all vaulted; ſo likewiſe ſhould all Places un­
der
Ground: But for Rooms above Ground,
flat
Ceilings are wholeſomer.
Thoſe which
require
the cleareſt Light, ſuch as the common
Parlour
, the Portico, and eſpecially the Library,
ſhould
be ſituated full Eaſt?
Thoſe Things
which
are injured by Moths, Ruſt or Milldew,
ſuch
as Cloaths, Books, Arms, and all Manner

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