HOUSES are built to live in, and not to look on; therefore let use be preferred before uniformity, except where both may be had. Leave the goodly fabrics of houses, for beauty only, to the enchanted palaces of the poets; who build them with small cost. He that builds a fair house, upon an ill seat, committeth himself to prison. Neither do I reckon it an ill seat, only where the air is unwholesome; but likewise where the air is unequal; as you shall see many fine seats set upon a knap of ground, environed with higher hills round about it; whereby the heat of the sun is pent in, and the wind gathereth as in troughs; so as you shall have, and that suddenly, as great diversity of heat and cold as if you dwelt in several places. Neither is it ill air only that maketh an ill seat, but ill ways, ill markets; and, if you will consult with Momus, ill neighbors. I speak not of many more; want of water; want of wood, shade, and shelter; want of fruitfulness, and mixture of grounds of several natures; want of prospect; want of level grounds; want of places at some near distance for sports of hunting, hawking, and races; too near the sea, too remote; having the commodity of navigable rivers, or the discommodity of their overflowing; too far off from great cities, which may hinder business, or too near them, which lurcheth all provisions, and maketh everything dear; where a man hath a great living laid together, and where he is scanted: all which, as it is impossible perhaps to find together, so it is good to know them, and think of them, that a man may take as many as he can; and if he have several dwellings, that he sort them so that what he wanteth in the one, he may find in the other. Lucullus answered Pompey well; who, when he saw his stately galleries, and rooms so large and lightsome, in one of his houses, said, Surely an excellent place for summer, but how do you in winter? Lucullus answered, Why, do you not think me as wise as some fowl are, that ever change their abode towards the winter?
Houses are built to live in, not to look at. So put practical use before symmetry, except where you can have both. Leave houses built for beauty alone to the enchanted palaces of poets, who build them at little cost. Anyone who builds a beautiful house in a bad location makes himself a prisoner. By a bad location, I mean more than a place with unhealthy air. I also mean a place where temperatures vary sharply. Many fine houses stand on a small rise surrounded by higher hills. These trap the sun’s heat and channel the wind as though through troughs. You can suddenly experience changes of heat and cold as great as if you were living in different places. Nor is bad air the only thing that makes a location poor. Bad roads and poor markets do too. And, if you consult Momus, the god of faultfinding, so do bad neighbors. There are many other drawbacks I will not discuss in detail. These include a lack of water, wood, shade, and shelter. They include poor soil and a lack of varied kinds of land. There may be no good view, no level ground, or no nearby places for hunting, hawking, and racing. A house may be too near the sea or too far from it. Navigable rivers offer convenience, but their flooding brings trouble. Being too far from great cities may hinder business. Being too near them means they swallow up all supplies and make everything expensive. Consider, too, whether you have a large estate gathered together around your house or very little land. Perhaps it is impossible to find all these advantages together. Still, it is worth knowing and considering them so you can secure as many as possible. If you have several homes, choose them so that one supplies what another lacks. Lucullus gave Pompey a good answer on this point. Pompey saw the magnificent galleries and the large, bright rooms in one of Lucullus’s houses. He said, “Certainly an excellent place for summer, but how do you manage in winter?” Lucullus replied, “Why, do you not think me as wise as some birds, which always move elsewhere as winter approaches?”
To pass from the seat, to the house itself; we will do as Cicero doth in the orator's art; who writes books De Oratore, and a book he entitles Orator; whereof the former, delivers the precepts of the art, and the latter, the perfection. We will therefore describe a princely palace, making a brief model thereof. For it is strange to see, now in Europe, such huge buildings as the Vatican and Escurial and some others be, and yet scarce a very fair room in them.
Let us move from the site to the house itself, following Cicero’s approach to the art of public speaking. He wrote several books called De Oratore and one called Orator. The former explain the rules of the art, while the latter presents its perfect form. We will therefore describe a princely palace, giving a brief outline of its design. For it is strange to see such huge buildings in Europe today as the Vatican, the Escorial, and others. Yet they contain scarcely a single truly fine room.
First, therefore, I say you cannot have a perfect palace except you have two several sides; a side for the banquet, as it is spoken of in the book of Hester, and a side for the household; the one for feasts and triumphs, and the other for dwelling. I understand both these sides to be not only returns, but parts of the front; and to be uniform without, though severally partitioned within; and to be on both sides of a great and stately tower, in the midst of the front, that, as it were, joineth them together on either hand. I would have on the side of the banquet, in front, one only goodly room above stairs, of some forty foot high; and under it a room for a dressing, or preparing place, at times of triumphs. On the other side, which is the household side, I wish it divided at the first, into a hall and a chapel (with a partition between); both of good state and bigness; and those not to go all the length, but to have at the further end, a winter and a summer parlor, both fair. And under these rooms, a fair and large cellar, sunk under ground; and likewise some privy kitchens, with butteries and pantries, and the like. As for the tower, I would have it two stories, of eighteen foot high apiece, above the two wings; and a goodly leads upon the top, railed with statuas interposed; and the same tower to be divided into rooms, as shall be thought fit. The stairs likewise to the upper rooms, let them be upon a fair open newel, and finely railed in, with images of wood, cast into a brass color; and a very fair landing-place at the top. But this to be, if you do not point any of the lower rooms, for a dining place of servants. For otherwise, you shall have the servants' dinner after your own: for the steam of it, will come up as in a tunnel. And so much for the front. Only I understand the height of the first stairs to be sixteen foot, which is the height of the lower room.
First, then, I say that a perfect palace must have two separate wings. One should be for banquets, as described in the Book of Esther, and the other for the household. One is for feasts and celebrations, the other for daily living. Both wings should extend back and also form part of the front. They should look alike outside, though divided differently inside. They should stand on either side of a great, stately tower in the middle of the front. This tower would, in effect, join them together. At the front of the banquet wing, I would have just one grand upstairs room, about forty feet high. Below it should be a room for dressing or preparations during celebrations. The household wing should begin with a hall and a chapel, separated by a partition. Both should be grand and spacious. They should not extend the full length of the wing. At the far end should be two fine parlors, one for winter and one for summer. Beneath these rooms should be a fine, large underground cellar. There should also be some secluded kitchens, with rooms for storing provisions and drink, pantries, and similar facilities. The tower should rise two stories above the wings, each story eighteen feet high. On top, I would have a fine, lead-covered terrace, with statues set at intervals along its railing. The tower itself should be divided into rooms as thought suitable. The stairs to the upper rooms should wind around a spacious, open central well. They should have fine railings decorated with wooden figures painted to look like brass. There should be a very fine landing at the top. But use this arrangement only if none of the lower rooms is assigned as a servants' dining room. Otherwise, you will have the servants' dinner after your own, since its steam will rise as through a chimney. That is all for the front. I should only add that the first flight of stairs should rise sixteen feet, the height of the lower room.
Beyond this front, is there to be a fair court, but three sides of it, of a far lower building than the front. And in all the four corners of that court, fair staircases, cast into turrets, on the outside, and not within the row of buildings themselves. But those towers, are not to be of the height of the front, but rather proportionable to the lower building. Let the court not be paved, for that striketh up a great heat in summer, and much cold in winter. But only some side alleys, with a cross, and the quarters to graze, being kept shorn, but not too near shorn. The row of return on the banquet side, let it be all stately galleries: in which galleries let there be three, or five, fine cupolas in the length of it, placed at equal distance; and fine colored windows of several works. On the household side, chambers of presence and ordinary entertainments, with some bed-chambers; and let all three sides be a double house, without thorough lights on the sides, that you may have rooms from the sun, both for forenoon and afternoon. Cast it also, that you may have rooms, both for summer and winter; shady for summer, and warm for winter. You shall have sometimes fair houses so full of glass, that one cannot tell where to become, to be out of the sun or cold. For inbowed windows, I hold them of good use (in cities, indeed, upright do better, in respect of the uniformity towards the street); for they be pretty retiring places for conference; and besides, they keep both the wind and sun off; for that which would strike almost through the room, doth scarce pass the window. But let them be but few, four in the court, on the sides only.
Beyond this front, there should be a fine courtyard, enclosed on the other three sides by much lower buildings. At all four corners, place handsome staircases in turrets outside the buildings, rather than within them. These towers should not reach the height of the front. Their height should instead suit the lower buildings. Leave the courtyard unpaved, since paving gives off great heat in summer and intense cold in winter. Pave only paths along the sides and two crossing through the center. Keep the four sections as grass, trimmed but not cut too short. Let the wing extending back along the banqueting side consist entirely of grand galleries. Along these galleries, place three or five fine cupolas at equal intervals, with beautiful colored windows in various designs. On the household side, provide formal reception rooms, rooms for everyday entertaining, and some bedrooms. Make all three wings two rooms deep, without rooms lit from both sides. This will provide rooms sheltered from the sun both in the morning and in the afternoon. Plan also for rooms suited to summer and winter, shady in summer and warm in winter. Sometimes fine houses have so much glass that you cannot find anywhere to escape the sun or cold. I consider bay windows useful. In cities, however, flat windows are better because they give the street a uniform appearance. Bay windows make pleasant, secluded places for conversation. They also keep out both wind and sun. What would otherwise reach almost across the room scarcely gets beyond the window. But use only a few, just four facing the courtyard, and only along its sides.
Beyond this court, let there be an inward court, of the same square and height; which is to be environed with the garden on all sides; and in the inside, cloistered on all sides, upon decent and beautiful arches, as high as the first story. On the under story, towards the garden, let it be turned to a grotto, or a place of shade, or estivation. And only have opening and windows towards the garden; and be level upon the floor, no whit sunken under ground, to avoid all dampishness. And let there be a fountain, or some fair work of statuas, in the midst of this court; and to be paved as the other court was. These buildings to be for privy lodgings on both sides; and the end for privy galleries. Whereof you must foresee that one of them be for an infirmary, if the prince or any special person should be sick, with chambers, bed-chamber, antecamera, and recamera joining to it. This upon the second story. Upon the ground story, a fair gallery, open, upon pillars; and upon the third story likewise, an open gallery, upon pillars, to take the prospect and freshness of the garden. At both corners of the further side, by way of return, let there be two delicate or rich cabinets, daintily paved, richly hanged, glazed with crystalline glass, and a rich cupola in the midst; and all other elegancy that may be thought upon. In the upper gallery too, I wish that there may be, if the place will yield it, some fountains running in divers places from the wall, with some fine avoidances. And thus much for the model of the palace; save that you must have, before you come to the front, three courts. A green court plain, with a wall about it; a second court of the same, but more garnished, with little turrets, or rather embellishments, upon the wall; and a third court, to make a square with the front, but not to be built, nor yet enclosed with a naked wall, but enclosed with terraces, leaded aloft, and fairly garnished, on the three sides; and cloistered on the inside, with pillars, and not with arches below. As for offices, let them stand at distance, with some low galleries, to pass from them to the palace itself.
Beyond this court, let there be an inner court of the same square dimensions and height. Let gardens surround it on all sides. Inside, let covered walks run along all sides, supported by graceful, beautiful arches as high as the first story. On the ground floor facing the garden, create a grotto or shaded place for summer retreat. Give it openings and windows only toward the garden. Keep its floor at ground level, not sunk below it at all, to avoid any dampness. In the middle of this court, place a fountain or a fine group of statues. Pave it like the other court. The buildings on both sides should contain private rooms, with private galleries at the far end. Make sure one gallery can serve as an infirmary if the prince or any person of distinction falls ill. It should have adjoining rooms, including a bedroom, an antechamber, and a withdrawing room. This should be on the second story. On the ground floor, provide a fine open gallery supported by pillars. On the third story, provide another open gallery on pillars, offering views and fresh air from the garden. At both corners of the far side, where the building turns, provide two elegant or richly decorated private rooms. Give them fine paving, rich wall hangings, clear crystal glass windows, and a splendid central cupola. Add every other refinement that can be imagined. In the upper gallery, too, I would like fountains flowing from the walls in several places, if space permits. Give them well-designed drains. So much for the palace’s design, except that three courts must stand before its main front. The first should be a plain grass court enclosed by a wall. The second should be similar but more decorated, with small turrets, or rather ornaments, along the wall. The third should form a square with the palace front. Do not enclose its other three sides with buildings or a bare wall. Instead, enclose them with handsome terraces, roofed with lead and richly decorated. On the inside below, provide covered walks supported by pillars rather than arches. As for the service buildings, place them at a distance. Connect them to the palace itself with low galleries.