Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

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              <s>THE
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              ARCHITECTURE
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              OF
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              Leone Batiſta Alberti.
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              <s>BOOK VI. CHAP. I.</s>
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              Of the Reaſon and Difficulty of the Author's Undertaking, whereby it appears
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              how much Pains, Study and Application he has employed in writing upon
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              theſe Matters.
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              <s>In the five preceding Books we have
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              treated of the Deſigns, of the Ma­
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              terials for the Work, of the Work­
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              men, and of every Thing elſe that
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              appeared neceſſary to the Con­
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              ſtruction of an Ediſice, whether publick or
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              private, ſacred or profane, ſo far as related to
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              its being made ſtrong againſt all Injuries of
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              Weather, and convenient for its reſpective Uſe,
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              as to Times Places, Men and Things: With
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              how much Care we have treated of all theſe
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              Matters, you may ſee by the Books themſelves,
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              from whence you may judge whether it was
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              poſſible to do it with much greater. </s>
              <s>The La­
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              bour indeed was much more than I could have
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              foreſeen at the Beginning of this Undertaking.
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              </s>
              <s>Continual Difficulties every Moment aroſe
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              either in explaining the Matter, or inventing
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              Names, or methodizing the Subject, which per­
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              ſectly conſounded me, and diſheartened me
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              from my Undertaking. </s>
              <s>On the other Hand,
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              the ſame Reaſons which induced me to be be­
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              gin this Work, preſſed and encouraged me to
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              proceed. </s>
              <s>It grieved me that ſo many great
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              and noble Inſtructions of ancient Authors
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              ſhould be loſt by the Injury of Time, ſo that
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              ſcarce any but
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              Vitruvius
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              has eſcaped this ge­
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              neral Wreek: A Writer indeed of univerſal
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              Knowledge, but ſo maimed by Age, that in
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              many Places there are great Chaſms, and many
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              Things imperfect in others. </s>
              <s>Beſides this, his
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              Style is abſolutely void of all Ornaments, and
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              he wrote in ſuch a Manner, that to the
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              Latins
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              he ſeems to write
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              Greek,
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              and to the
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              Greeks,
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              Latin:
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              But indeed it is plain from the Book
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              itſelf, that he wrote neither
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              Greek
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              nor
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              Latin,
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              and he might almoſt as well have never
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              wrote at all, at leaſt with Regard to us, ſince
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              we cannot underſtand him. </s>
              <s>There remained
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              many Examples of the ancient Works, Temples
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              and Theatres, from whence, as from the moſt
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              skilful Maſters, a great deal was to be learn­
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              ed; but theſe I ſaw, and with Tears I ſaw it,
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              mouldering away daily. </s>
              <s>I obſerved too that
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              thoſe who in theſe Days happen to undertake
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              any new Structure, generally ran after the
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              Whims of the Moderns, inſtead of being de­
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              lighted and directed by the Juſtneſs of more
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              noble Works. </s>
              <s>By this Means it was plain, that
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              this Part of Knowledge, and in a Manner of
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              Life itſelf, was likely in a ſhort Time to be
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              wholly loſt. </s>
              <s>In this unhappy State of Things,
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              I could not help having it long, and often, in
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              my Thoughts to write upon this Subject my­
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              ſelf. </s>
              <s>At the ſame Time I conſidered that in
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              the Examination of ſo many noble and uſeful </s>
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