Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              over-turning the beſt finiſhed Structure of the
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              wiſeſt Architect.
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              Plato
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              ſays, that the whole
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Atlantick
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              Iſland, which was not leſs than
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              Epi­
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              rus,
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              vaniſhed away at once into Smoke. </s>
              <s>Hiſ­
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              tory informs us, that the Cities of
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              Helice
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              and
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Bura
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              were both ſwallowed up, one by the Sea
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              and the other by an Earthquake: That the
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              Lake
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Tritonis
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              diſappeared in an Inſtant, and
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              on the contrary, that of
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              Stymphalis
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              in
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              Argos,
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                <lb/>
              appeared as ſuddenly: That at
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              Teramene
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              an
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              Iſland ſtarted up at once, with hot Springs in
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              it; and that between the two Iſlands of
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              The­
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              raſia
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              and
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              Thera
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              a Flame burſt out of the Sea,
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              which made it foam and boil four whole Days
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              ſucceſſively, and at laſt appeared an Iſland
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              twelve Furlongs in Length, wherein the
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              Rho­
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              dians
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              built a Temple to
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              Neptune
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              their Protec­
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              tor. </s>
              <s>In other Places we are told of ſuch nu­
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              merous Swarms of Mice, that they bred an
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              Infection, and that the
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              Spaniards
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              ſent Ambaſ­
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              ſadors to the
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              Roman
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              Senate to implore their
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              Aſſiſtance againſt infinite Numbers of Hares
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              which eat up their Country; and many other
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              wonderful Accidents of the ſame Nature,
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              whereof we have made a Collection in our lit­
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              tle Treatiſe, entitled
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              Theogenius.
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              </s>
              <s> But all the
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              Defects which proceed from foreign Cauſes are
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              not uncapable of being corrected: Neither
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              will thoſe which are owing to the Architect,
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              always admit of Amendment; for where every
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              thing is wrong and out of Order, no Improve­
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              ment is practicable. </s>
              <s>Where the Building can­
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              not be any ways altered for the better, but by
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              changing almoſt every Line and Angle, it is
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              much better to pull the Whole quite down, and
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              begin upon a new Foundation. </s>
              <s>But that is not
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              our Buſineſs now: We are here to ſhew what
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              may be amended or improved by Art. </s>
              <s>And
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              firſt we ſhall ſpeak of Buildings of a publick
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              Nature. </s>
              <s>Of theſe the greateſt and moſt im­
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              portant is the City, or rather, if we may ſo
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              call it, the Region of the City. </s>
              <s>The Region
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              wherein an inconſiderable Architect has placed
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              his City, may perhaps have thoſe Defects
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              which will admit of Amendment. </s>
              <s>Either it
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              may be unſecure againſt ſudden Incurſions of
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              Enemies, or it may ſtand in a bad unhealthy
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              Air, or it may not be well ſupplied with all
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              Neceſſaries. </s>
              <s>Of theſe therefore we ſhall now
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              treat. </s>
              <s>The Way from
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              Lydia
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              into
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              Cilicia
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              lies
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              through a narrow Paſs cut by Nature among
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              the Hills, in ſuch a Manner that you would
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              think ſhe deſigned it as a Gate to that Pro­
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              vince. </s>
              <s>At
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              Thermopylæ,
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              now called the
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              Bocca
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              de Lupo,
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              is a Paſs which three armed Men may
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              defend, being a broken Way interrupted by
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              numberleſs Rills of Water on every Side, which
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              riſe from the very Root of the Mountain.
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              </s>
              <s>Much like this are the broken Rocks in the
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              Mark of
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              Ancona,
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              called by the Vulgar
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              Foſſo
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              ombrone,
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              and many others in other Places. </s>
              <s>But
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              ſuch Paſſes, ſo fortified by Nature, are not to
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              be found every where: However, they ſeem in
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              a great Meaſure, to be capable of being imitat­
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              ed by Art; and accordingly we find it to have
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              been very often prudently done by the Anci­
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              ents, who in order to ſecure their Country from
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              the Inroads of their Enemies, uſed the follow­
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              ing Methods, which we ſhall briefly gather
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              from as many of the great Works of the old
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              Heroes, as may ſerve to illuſtrate our preſent
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              Subject.
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              Artaxerxes
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              near the River
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              Euphrates,
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              cut a Trench between himſelf and the Enemy,
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              threeſcore Foot broad, and ten Miles long. </s>
              <s>The
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cæſars
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              (and particularly
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Adrian
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              ) built a Wall
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              acroſs
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              Britain
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              foreſcore Miles in Length, by
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              which they divided the Lands of the
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              Barbari­
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              ans
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              from thoſe of the
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              Romans. </s>
              <s>Antoninus Pius
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              made another of Turf acroſs the ſame Iſland.
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              </s>
              <s>After him
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              Severus
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              threw up a Trench an
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              hundred and twenty-two Miles long, which
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              divided the Iſland clear from Sea to Sea.
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              An­
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              tiochus Soter
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              encompaſſed
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              Margiana
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              a Province
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              of
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              India,
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              where he built
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              Antiochia,
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              with a
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              Wall fifteen hundred Furlongs in Length; and
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Seoſoſis
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              carried a Wall of the ſame Length from
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              the Borders of
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              Ægypt
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              towards
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              Arabia,
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              thro'
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              a Deſart quite from the City of the Sun, which
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              was called
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              Thebes.
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              </s>
              <s> The
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              Neritones,
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              whoſe Coun­
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              try formerly joined to
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              Leucadia,
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              cutting away
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              the Neck of Land, and letting in the Sea,
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              made it an Iſland: On the contrary, the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Chal­
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              cidians
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              and the
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              Boeotians
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              raiſed a Dike over the
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              Straits, called the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Euripus,
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              to join
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              Euboia
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              to
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Boeotia,
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              that they might be able to ſuccour each
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              other.
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              Alexander
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              the Great built ſix Towns
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              near the River
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              Oxus,
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              not ſar diſtant from each
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              other, that upon any ſudden Attack from the
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              Enemy, they might have Aſſiſtance at Hand.
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              </s>
              <s>The Ancients frequently made uſe of little Re­
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              doubts, which they called
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              Tyrſes,
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              fortified with
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              very high Ramparts, like Caſtles, to put a Stop
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              to Incurſions from their Enemies. </s>
              <s>The
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              Per­
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              ſians
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              ſtopt up the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Tygris
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              with Sluices, that none
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              of the Enemy's Veſſels might get up the River:
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              But
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Alexander
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              took them away and opened
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              the Stream, alledging that it was a mean and
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              cowardly Defence, and exhorting them rather
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              to truſt to their own Valour for their Securi­
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              ty. </s>
              <s>Some have overflowed their Country and </s>
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