Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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1continual Wet, rots and decays, and always
exhales
Vapours extreamly noxious to the
Health
of its Inhabitants.
In ſuch a Place,
the
Underſtanding can never be clear, the
Spirits
being dampt and ſtupified; nor will
any
Kind of Bodies endure long.
The Books
will
grow mouldy and rot; the Arms will
ruſt
, nothing in the Storehouſe will keep, and
in
ſhort, the Exceſs of Moiſture will ſpoil and
deſtroy
every Thing.
If the Sun ſhines in,
you
will be ſcorched inſufferably by the fre­
quent
Reflection of his Rays, which will be
beat
back upon you from every Side, and if it
does
not, you will be dried and withered by
the
continual Shade.
Add to this, that if the
Winds
gets in, being confined as it were in a
Channel
, it will rage there with greater Fury
than
in other Places; and if it never enters,
the
Air for want of Motion will grow thick
and
muddy; ſuch a Valley may not impro­
perly
be called a Puddle, or Bog of Air.
The
Form
of the Place therefore in which we in­
tend
to build, ought to be graceful and plea­
ſant
, not mean and low, as if it were buried
below
the reſt of the Earth, but lofty, and as
it
were a Hawk to look clear round about, and
conſtantly
refreſhed on every Side with de­
lightful
Breezes.
Beſides this, let there be
Plenty
of every Thing neceſſary, either to the
Convenience
or Pleaſure of Life, as Water,
Fire
and Proviſions: But Care muſt be taken,
that
there is nothing in any of theſe Things
prejudicial
to the Health.
The Springs muſt
be
opened and taſted, and the Water tried by
Fire
, that there be no Mixture in it of mucous,
viſcous
or crude Particles, that may affect the
Conſtitutions
of the Inhabitants.
I omit the
ill
Effects that often proceed from Water, as
breeding
Wens in the Throat, and giving the
Stone
; as likewiſe thoſe other more wonderful
Effects
of Water, which Vitruvius the Archi­
tect
has learnedly and elegantly ſummed up.
It is the Opinion of the Phyſician Hipocrates,
that
they who drink Water not well purged,
but
heavy and ill-taſted, grow Cholicky, and
to
have large ſwelled Bellies, while the reſt of
their
Members, their Arms, their Shoulders and
their
Faces become thin and extenuated.
Add
to
this, that though the Fault of the Spleen ill
digeſting
of the Blood, they fall into ſeveral
Kinds
of Diftempers, ſome even peſtilential.
In Summer, Fluxes of the Belly by the ſtir­
ring
of the Choler, and the diſſolving of the
Humours
waſte all their Strength; and all the
Year
round they are continually liable to heavy
and
tedious Infirmities, ſuch as the Dropſy,
Aſthma
and Pleuriſy.
The young loſe their
Senſes
by melancholy Bile; the old are burnt
by
the Inflammation of the Humours; the
Women
with Difficulty conceive, and with
more
Difficulty bring forth: In a Word, every
Age
and every Sex will fall by early and un­
timely
Deaths, deſtroyed and worn away by
Diſeaſes
; nor will they enjoy a ſingle Day
while
they live, without being tormented with
Melancholy
or black Humours, and fretted
with
Spleen and Vapours; ſo that their Minds
will
never be free from Vexation and Uneaſi­
neſs
.
Many other Things might be ſaid of
Water
, which have been obſerved by the an­
cient
Hiſtorians, very curious and remarkable,
and
of extream Efficacy to the Health of Man­
kind
; but they are uncommon, and might
ſeem
rather intended to make a Shew of
Knowledge
than for actual Uſe; beſides that
we
ſhall ſpeak more copiouſly of Waters in
their
proper Place.
Thus much certainly is
not
to be neglected, and is moſt manifeſt,
namely
, that Water gives Nouriſhment to all
Plants
, Seeds, and every Thing elſe that has
the
vegetative Life, with the Plenty of whoſe
Fruits
Men are refreſhed and ſupported.
If
all
this be granted, certainly we ought very
carefully
to examine what Veins of Water the
Country
is furniſhed with, in which we intend
to
dwell. Diodorus tells us, that the Indians
are
generally luſty ſtrong Men, and very ſharp
witted
, which he imputes to their having a
wholeſome
Air and good Water.
Now that
Water
we conceive to be the beſt taſted which
has
no Taſte, and that is beſt coloured which
has
no Colour at all.
It is agreed, that the
beſt
Water is clear, tranſparent and light, ſuch
as
being poured upon a white Cloth leaves no
Stain
; and upon boiling has no Sediment, and
which
does not cover the Bed it flows in with
Moſs
or Slime, nor eſpecially the Stones which
it
runs over.
A further Proof of the Goodneſs
of
Water is, when boiling any Kind of Pulſe in
it
makes them tender, and when it makes good
Bread
.
Neither ſhould we be leſs careful to ex­
amine
and note, whether the Region ingenders
nothing
peſtiferous or venemous, that the Inha­
bitants
may be in no Danger.
I paſs over
ſome
Things, which are recorded by the An­
cients
, to wit, that in Colchos there diſtills from
the
Leaves of the Trees a Honey, which who­
ſoever
taſtes falls ſenſeleſs, and for a whole Day
ſeems
to be dead: As alſo what is ſaid to have
happened
in Antony's Army, occaſioned by

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