Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

List of thumbnails

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              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/104.jpg" pagenum="86"/>
              Time ſee any Commotion in the City. </s>
              <s>In theſe
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              Particulars the Palace of a King and of a Ty­
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              rant agree; but then they differ in theſe
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              other. </s>
              <s>The Palace of a King ſhould ſtand in
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              the Heart of a City, it ſhould be eaſy of Acceſs,
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              beautiſully adorned, and rather delicate and
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              polite than proud or ſtately: But a Tyrant
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              ſhould have rather a Caſtle than a Palace, and
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              it ſhould ſtand in a Manner out of the City and
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              in it at the ſame Time. </s>
              <s>It looks noble to have
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              the Palace of a King be near adjoyning to the
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              Theatre, the Temple, and ſome Noblemens
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              handſome Houſes: The Tyrant muſt have his
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              Caſtle entirely ſeparated from all other Build­
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              ings. </s>
              <s>Both ſhould be built in a handſome and
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              noble Manner, but yet ſo that the Palace may
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              not be ſo large and rambling as to be not eaſily
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              defended againſt any Inſult; nor the Caſtle ſo
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              cloſe and ſo crampt up, as to look more like a
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              Jail than the Reſidence of a great Prince.
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              </s>
              <s>We ſhould not omit one Contrivance very con­
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              venient for a Tyrant, which is to have ſome
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              private Pipes concealed within the Body of the
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              Wall, by which he may ſecretly hear every
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              Thing that is ſaid either by Strangers or Ser­
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              vants. </s>
              <s>But as a Royal Houſe is different from
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              a Fortreſs in almoſt all Reſpects, and eſpecial­
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              ly in the main Ones, the beſt Way is to let the
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              Palace join to the Fortreſs. </s>
              <s>The Ancients
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              uſed to build their Fortreſs in the City, that to
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              they or their King might have a Place to fly
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              to in any Time of Adverſity, and where the Vir­
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              tue of their Virgins and Matrons might be
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              protected by the Holineſs of a Sanctuary: For
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Feſtus
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              tells us, that the Ancients uſed to con­
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              ſecrate their Fortreſſes to Religion, upon which
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              Account they were called
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              Auguriales,
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              and that
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              in them a certain Sacrifice uſed to be perform­
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              ed by Virgins, which was extremely ſecret and
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              entirely remote from the Knowledge of the
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              Vulgar. </s>
              <s>Accordingly you ſeldom meet with
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              an ancient Fortreſs without its Temple. </s>
              <s>But
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              Tyrants afterwards uſurped the Fortreſs to
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              themſelves, and overthrew the Piety and Reli­
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              gion of the Place, converting it to their cruel
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              and wicked Purpoſes, and ſo made what was
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              deſigned as a Refuge to the Miſerable, a Source
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              of Miſeries. </s>
              <s>But, to return. </s>
              <s>The Fortreſs be­
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              longing to the Temple of
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              Jupiter Hammon
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              was encompaſſed with three Walls; the firſt
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              Fortification was for the Prince, the ſecond for
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              his Spouſe and her Children, and the laſt was
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              the Poſt of the Soldiers. </s>
              <s>A Stucture very well
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              contrived, only that it was much better adapt­
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              ed for Defence than Offence. </s>
              <s>I muſt confeſs
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              that as I cannot ſay much for the Valour of a
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              Soldier that only knows how to repulſe an E­
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              nemy that aſſaults him, ſo I cannot much
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              commend a Fort that, beſides being able to
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              defend itſelf, is not alſo well diſpoſed for of­
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              fending its Enemies. </s>
              <s>But yet you ſhould con­
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              trive the Matter ſo, that though you have both
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              thoſe Advantages, you ſhould ſeem to have had
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              an Eye only to one of them, namely, your own
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              Defence; that it may be thought the other
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              happened only from the Situation and Nature
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              of the Building.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. IV.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of the proper Situation, Structure and Fortification of a Fortreſs, whether in
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              a Plain, or upon a Hill, its Incloſure, Area, Walls, Ditches, Bridges, and
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              Towers.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>I find that even Men of good Experience in
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              military Affairs, are in Doubt which is the
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              beſt and ſtrongeſt Manner of building a For­
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              treſs, either upon a Hill or Plain. </s>
              <s>There is
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              ſcarce any Hill but what may be either at­
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              tacked or undermined; nor any Plain but
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              what may be ſo well fortified that it ſhall be
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              impoſſible to aſſault it without great Danger.
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              </s>
              <s>But I ſhall not diſpute about this Queſtion.
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              </s>
              <s>Our Buſineſs is to contrive every Thing ſuita­
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              bly to the Nature of the Place; and indeed all
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              the Rules which we have laid down for the
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              building a City, ſhould be obſerved in the
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              building a Fortreſs. </s>
              <s>The Fortreſs particular­
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              ly ſhould be ſure to have even and direct
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              Streets, by which the Garriſon may march to
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              attack an Enemy, or in Caſe of Sedition or
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              Treachery, their own Citizens and Inhabitants,
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              and bring in Succours, either out of their own
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              Country or from Abroad, without Impedi­
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              ment, by Land, River, Lake, or Sea. </s>
              <s>One
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              very good Form for the Area of a Fortreſs, is
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              that of a C joining to all the City Walls as to
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              a round O with bending Horns, but not en­</s>
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          </chap>
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