Archimedes Texts

92
Distempers: They ought to have Places en
tirely seperate. The Ancients dedicated their
Buildings of this Nature to Æculapius, Apollo,
and Health, Gods among them to whom they
ascribed the Cure of Sickness and Preservation
Health, and situated them in the best Air they
could find out, and near Plenty of the clearest
Water, where the Sick might recover their
Health, not so much by the Assistanc of those
Gods, as the natural Healthiness of the Place:
And certainly nothing can be more reasonable
than to carry the Sick, whether under a private
or a publick Cure, into the most healthy Places;
and perhaps none are more so, than those which
are very dry and stony, fanned with continual
Breezes, not burnt up by the Sun, but cool and
temperate: Since we find that all Moisture is
the Mother of Corruption. We see that Na
ture in every Thing loves a Medium; and even
Health itself is nothing but a due Moderation
of the Qualities of the Body; and indeed no
thing that is in Extreams can please. For the
Rest, those who are seized with Diseases which
are contagious, should be taken Care of not on
ly without the City, but remote even from any
high Road; the others may be kept in the
City. The Apartments for all these should be
so laid out and distributed, that there may be
distinct Places for those who are curable, and
those whom you take in rather to maintain
them for the Remainder of their unhappy
Days, than to cure them: Of this Sort are the
Superannuated, and those who want their
Senses. Add further, that the Men and Wo
men, as well the Patients, as the Persons that
attend them, should have Apartments separate
from one another; and as some Parts of the
Building should be for Particulars, others should
be in common, according as it shall be found
necessary for the Management of the Patients,
and the more easy cohabiting together: Of
which there is no Occasion to say more in this
Place. We shall only observe that all these
Conveniencies are to be contrived according to
the Rules hereafter to be laid down for the
Houses of private Persons. We shall there
fore now proceed according to the Method
which we have prescribed to ourselves.

Of the Senate-house, the Temple, and the Tribunals for the Administration of
Justice.

Having already observed that the Re
publick consists of two Parts, the Sacred
and the Profane, and having treated of the
Sacred as much as was requisite, and in a good
Measure too of the Profane, where we took
Notice of the Place in the Palace of the Prince
where the Senate was to meet, and where
Causes were to be heard; we shall now very
briefly speak of those Things which seem neces
sary to be further added, then proceed to In
campments and Fleets, and lastly treat of
Things relating to the Uses of private Persons.
The Ancients used to call their Senates together
in Temples, and afterwards it grew a Custom
for them to meet somewhere out of the City.
But at length, both for greater Dignity and
Conveniency in transacting the publick Affairs,
it was found necessary to raise Structures for
this Purpose only; where neither the Length
of the Way, nor any Inconveniency in the
Place itself, might deter the aged Fathers from
meeting often, and continuing a good while
together; and for this Reason they placed the
Senate-house in the Middle of the City, with
the Place for the Administration of Justice and
the Temple near adjoining, that not only those
who made Interest for Offices, or were obliged
to attend Law-suits, might with greater Con
venience, and without losing their Time or
Opportunity, look after their Affairs of both
Natures; but also that the Fathers (as Men are
generally most devoted to Religion in their old
Age) might first pay their Devotions in the
Temple, and afterwards repair immediately to
the Transaction of the publick Business. Add
to all this, that when any Ambassador or fo
reign Prince desires Audience of the Senate, it
becomes the Republick to have a Place suitable
to the Dignity both of the Stranger and of the
City, to receive them in, while they wait for
Introduction. Lastly, in publick Buildings of
this Sort, you must neglect none of those Rules
which belong to the convenient and honoura
ble Reception of a Multitude of Citizens, and
their easy Dismission: And above all you must
take particular Care, that there is not the least