Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              Perhaps a Coloſſus or ſome ſmall Church is
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              ſunk to one Side in its whole Foundation. </s>
              <s>In
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              this Caſe, you muſt either raiſe that Part which
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              is ſunk, or take away that Part which is too
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              high; both very bold Attempts. </s>
              <s>The firſt
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              Thing you are to do, is to bind and faſten to­
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              gether, as ſtrongly as poſſible, the Foundation
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              and thoſe Parts which will be in Danger of
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              being ſeparated by Motion, with good Timbers
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              and the ſtrongeſt Braces. </s>
              <s>There are no bet­
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              ter Sort of Braces than ſtrong Hoops of Iron
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              with Wedges drove in between them to keep
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              them tight. </s>
              <s>Then we raiſe up the Side of the
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              Wall which is ſunk with ſtrong Timbers put
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              under it aſter the Manner of Levers, as above.
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              </s>
              <s>If you would rather rectify the Fault by taking
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              away from the Side which is too high, you
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              may do it in the following Manner: Dig away
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              the Ground about the Middle of that Side
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              quite below the Foundation, in the Bottom of
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              which you muſt there open a Break, not very
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              wide, but high enough for you to make it good
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              with ſtrong ſquare Stone. </s>
              <s>In making good
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              this Break you muſt not work it up quite to
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              the reſt of the Building, but leave ſome Inches
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              ſpace between the new Work and the Old;
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              and this Space you muſt fill up with Wedges
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              of the tougheſt Oak drove in at very ſmall Diſ­
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              tances from each other. </s>
              <s>In this Manner you
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              muſt go on to ſhore up all that Side which you
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              want to let down lower. </s>
              <s>When the whole
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              Weight is thus ſupported, knock out the
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              Wedges by degrees, as gently and cautiouſly as
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              poſſible, till the Wall is ſunk to its juſt Perpen­
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              dicular. </s>
              <s>Then fill up the Spaces between the
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              Wedges which are left, with other Wedges of
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              the ſtrongeſt Stone that can be got. </s>
              <s>In the
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              great Baſilique of St.
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              Peter
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              at
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              Rome,
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              ſome Parts
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              of the Wall which were over the Columns
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              being ſwerved from their Uprights, ſo as to
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              threaten even the Fall of the whole Roof; I
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              contrived how the Defect might be remedied
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              as follows. </s>
              <s>Every one of thoſe Parts of the
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              Wall which had given Way, let it reſt upon
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              what Column it would, I determined ſhould
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              be taken clear out, and made good again with
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              ſquare Stone which ſhould be worked true to
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              its Perpendicular, only leaving in the old Wall
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              ſtrong Catches of Stone to unite the additional
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              Work to the former. </s>
              <s>Laſtly, I would have
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              ſupported the Beam under which thoſe uneven
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              Parts of the Wall were to be taken out, by
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              means of Engines, called
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              Capra
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              's, erected
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              upon the Roof, ſetting the Feet of thoſe En­
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              gines upon the ſtrongeſt Parts of the Roof and
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              of the Wall. </s>
              <s>This I would have done at dif­
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              ferent Times over the ſeveral Columns where
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              theſe Defects appear. </s>
              <s>The
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              Capra
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              is a naval
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              Engine conſiſting of three Timbers, the Heads
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              of which meet and are ſtrongly braced or
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              bound together, and the Feet ſtretch out to a
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              Triangle. </s>
              <s>This Engine, with the Addition of
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              Pullies and a Capſtern is very uſeful for raiſing
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              great Weights. </s>
              <s>If you are to lay a new Coat
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              over an old Wall or an old plaiſtered Floor, firft
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              waſh it well with clean Water, and then with
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              a Bruſh whiten it over with Whiting diſſolved
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              and mixed with marble Duſt; and this will
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              prepare it for holding the new Coat of Plaiſter
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              or Stuc. </s>
              <s>If a Pavement which is expoſed to
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              the open Air has any Cracks in it, you may
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              ſtop them up with Aſhes ſifted fine, and tem­
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              pered Oil, eſpecially of Linſeed. </s>
              <s>But the beſt
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              Material for this Sort of Reparation is Chalk
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              mixed with quick Lime well beat together and
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              thoroughly burnt in the Kiln, and then ſlaked
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              immediately with Oil; taking Care before you
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              fill up the Cracks with it to clean them from
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              all manner of Duſt, which you may do with
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              Feathers, or by blowing it out with Bellows.
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              </s>
              <s>Nor let us under this Article of Amendments,
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              quite forget all Ornament. </s>
              <s>If any Wall looks
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              unhandſome from being too high, embelliſh it
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              either by faſtening on a Cornice of Stuc-work,
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              or by Painting it like Pannels, in order to divide
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              its Height into more decent Proportions. </s>
              <s>If
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              a Wall be too long, adorn it with Columns
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              reaching from the Top to the Bottom, not ſet
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              too cloſe to each other, which will be a kind of
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              Reſting-places to the Eye, and make the ex­
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              ceſſive Length appear leſs offenſive. </s>
              <s>There is
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              another Thing not foreign to our preſent Pur­
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              poſe. </s>
              <s>Many Parts of a Building, from being
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              either placed too low or encompaſſed with
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              Walls not high enough, ſeem leſs, and more
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              contracted than they really are; whereas when
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              they are either raiſed upon a higher Platfom,
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              or have ſome Addition made to the Height of
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              their Walls, they ſeem at a Diſtance much
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              larger than they did before. </s>
              <s>It is alſo certain,
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              that a handſome Diſpoſition of the Apertures,
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              and placing the Door and Windows gracefully,
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              gives all the Aparments a greater Share both
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              of Dignity and Elegance than is to be imagined.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
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              The End of Book X.
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              </s>
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