Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              deficient in his Ears, as to have no Taſte for
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              Harmony: It may ſuffice if he does not build
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              a private Man's Houſe upon the publick
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              Ground, or upon another Man's: If he does
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              not annoy the Neighbours, either by his Lights,
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              his Spou s, his Gutters, his Drains, or by ob­
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              ſtructing their Paſſage contrary to Law: If he
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              knows the ſeveral Winds that blows from the
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              different Points of the Compaſs, and their
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              Names; in all which Sciences there is no Harm
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              indeed in his being more expert; but Painting
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              and Mathematicks are what he can no more be
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              without, than a Poet can be without the
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              Knowledge of Feet and Syllables; neither do
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              I know whether it be enough for him to be only
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              moderately tinctured with them. </s>
              <s>This I can ſay of
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              myſelf, that I have often ſtarted in my Mind Ideas
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              of Buildings, which have given me wonderful
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              Delight: Wherein when I have come to re­
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              duce them into Lines, I have found in thoſe
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              very Parts which moſt pleaſed me, many groſs
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              Errors that required great Correction; and up­
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              on a ſecond Review of ſuch a Draught, and
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              meaſuring every Part by Numbers, I have been
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              ſenſible and aſhamed of my own Inaccuracy.
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              </s>
              <s>Laſtly, when I have made my Draught into a
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              Model, and then proceeded to examine the ſe­
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              veral Parts over again, I have ſometimes found
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              myſelf miſtaken, even in my Numbers. </s>
              <s>Not
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              that I expected my Architect to be a
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              Zeuxis
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              in
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              Painting, nor a
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              Nicomachus
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              at Numbers, nor an
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Archimedes
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              in the Knowledge of Lines and
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              Angles: It may ſerve his Purpoſe if he is a
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              thorough Maſter of thoſe Elements of Painting
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              which I have wrote; and if he is skilled in ſo
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              much practical Mathematicks, and in ſuch a
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              Knowledge of mixed Lines, Angles and Num­
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              bers, as is neceſſary for the Meaſuring of
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              Weights, Superficies and Solids, which Part of
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              Geometry the
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              Greeks
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              call
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              Podiſmata
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              and
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              Em­
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              boda.
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              </s>
              <s> With theſe Arts, joined to Study and
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              Application, the Architect may be ſure to ob­
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              tain Favour and Riches, and to deliver his
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              Name with Reputation down to Poſterity.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. XI.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
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              To what Sort of Perſons the Architect ought to offer his Service.
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              </s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>There is one Thing that I muſt not
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              omit here, which relates perſonally to
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              the Architect. </s>
              <s>It is, that you ſhould not im­
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              mediately run and offer your Service to every
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              Man that gives out he is going to build; a
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              Fault which the inconſiderate and vain-glori­
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              ous are too apt to be guilty of. </s>
              <s>I know not
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              whether you ought not to wait till you are
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              more than once importuned to be concerned.
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              </s>
              <s>Certainly they ought to repoſe a free and vo­
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              luntary Confidence in you, that want to make
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              uſe of your Labours and Advice. </s>
              <s>Why ſhould
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              I offer thoſe Inventions which have coſt me ſo
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              much Study and Pains, to gain perhaps no
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              other Recompence, but the Confidence of a
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              few Perſons of no Taſte or Skill? </s>
              <s>If by my
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              Advice in the Execution of your intended
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              Work, I either ſave you from an unneceſſary
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              Expence, or procure you ſome great Conveni­
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              ence or Pleaſure; ſurely ſuch a Service de­
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              ſerves a ſuitable Recompence. </s>
              <s>For this Rea­
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              ſon a prudent Man ſhould take care to main­
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              tain his Reputation; and certainly it is enough
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              if you give honeſt Advice, and correct Draughts
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              to ſuch as apply themſelves to you. </s>
              <s>If after­
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              wards you undertake to ſuperviſe and com­
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              pleat the Work, you will find it very difficult
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              to avoid being made anſwerable for all the
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              Faults and Miſtakes committed either by the
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              Ignorance or Negligence of other Men: Upon
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              which Account you muſt take care to have
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              the Aſſiſtance of honeſt, diligent, and ſevere
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              Overſeers to look after the Workmen under
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              you. </s>
              <s>I would alſo have you, if poſſible, con­
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              cern yourſelf for none but Perſons of the higheſt
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              Rank and Quality, and thoſe too ſuch as are
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              truly Lovers of theſe Arts: Becauſe your Work
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              loſes of its Dignity by being done for mean
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              Perſons. </s>
              <s>Do you not ſee what Weight the
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              Authority of great Men is to advance the Re­
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              putation of thoſe who are employed by them?
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              </s>
              <s>And, indeed, I inſiſt the more upon this Piece
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              of Advice, not only becauſe the World has
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              generally a higher Opinion of the Taſte and
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              Judgment of great Men, than for the moſt
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              Part they deſerve, but alſo becauſe I would
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              have the Architect always readily and plen­
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              tifully ſupplied with every thing that is ne­
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              ceſſary for compleating his Edifice; which
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              thoſe of lower Degree are commonly not ſo
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              able, and therefore not ſo willing to do: to
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              which add, what we find very frequent Inſtances
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              of, that where the Deſign and Invention has
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              been perfectly equal in two different Works, </s>
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          </chap>
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