Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/114.jpg" pagenum="96"/>
              and making a brave Defence. </s>
              <s>The whole Pur­
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              poſe of an Aſſault is to break in either upon a
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              Town or a Fortification. </s>
              <s>I ſhall not ſpeak here
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              either of Scaling-ladders, by Means whereof
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              you mount the Wall in ſpite of the Enemy;
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              nor of Mines, moveable Towers, Engines for
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              Battery, nor of any other Methods of Offence
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              either by Fire, Water, or any other Force: In­
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              aſmuch as we intend to treat of theſe military
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              Engines more clearly in another Place. </s>
              <s>Thus
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              much it may be proper here to mention, that
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              againſt the Violence of Battery we ſhould op­
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              poſe Beams, Planks, Parapets of ſtrong Tim­
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              ber, Hurdles, Ropes, Faſcines, Sacks ſtuffed
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              with Wool, Ruſhes, or Earth; and they ſhould
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              be ſo contrived as to hang looſe and pliable.
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              </s>
              <s>Againſt Fire theſe Things ought to be wetted,
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              and eſpecially with Vinegar, or Mud, and co­
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              vered with Brick unbaked; againſt Water, to
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              prevent the Bricks from being waſhed away,
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              they ſhould be covered over with the Hides of
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              Beaſts; and laſtly, againſt Battery, that the
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              Hides may not be broken through or torn
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              away, add any coarſe Cloths or Tarpawlins
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              thoroughly wetted and ſoaked. </s>
              <s>Circumvalla­
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              tions or Trenches round the Place beſieged,
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              ought for ſeveral Reaſons to be drawn pretty
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              near it; for by that Means their Circuit will
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              be leſs, they will require fewer Hands, Ex­
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              pence and Materials, to finiſh them, and when
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              finiſhed, the fewer Men will be neceſſary to
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              defend them: But they muſt not run ſo cloſe
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              under the Wall, that the Beſieged may an­
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              noy your Men within their Trenches by En­
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              gines upon the Wall. </s>
              <s>If the Circumvallation
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              be only intended to cut off from the Beſieged
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              all Manner of Supplies, either of Men or Pro­
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              viſions from without; you may do this by
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              ſtopping up all the Ways and Paſſages, either
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              by barracading the Bridges, and Fords, and
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              blocking up the Roads with ſtrong Fences of
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              Wood or Stones; or by running up a continu­
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              ed Rampart to joyn together the Lakes, Bogs,
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              Marſhes, Rivers and Hills; or if you can any
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              Ways lay the Country under Water. </s>
              <s>To theſe
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              Precautions we ſhould add thoſe which relate
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              to the Defence of our own Camp: For the
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              Trenches, Ramparts, Towers and the like
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              ought to be ſo well fortified both towards the
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              Place beſieged, and on the Side of any Coun­
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              try that might throw in Succours, that the
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              former may not be able to annoy you by Sallies,
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              nor the Latter by Incurſions. </s>
              <s>Moreover, in
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              convenient Places erect Watch-towers and
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              Forts, that your Men may go out to forage for
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              Wood, Water and Proviſions with Safety and
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              Freedom. </s>
              <s>But do not let your Troops be diſ­
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              perſed up and down in Places ſo remote from
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              one another, that they cannot obey the Orders
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              of a ſingle General, nor fight with united
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              Forces, nor be ready at Hand to aſſiſt one an­
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              other upon any ſudden Emergency. </s>
              <s>It will
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              not be foreign to our Purpoſe to ſet down here
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              an Account of a Fortification out of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Appian,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              well worthy to be remembered. </s>
              <s>He tells us,
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              that when
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Octavianus Auguſtus
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              beſieged
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              Lu­
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              cius Antonius
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              in
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              Peruſia,
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              he made a Trench
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              quite to the
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              Tyber,
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              ſeven Miles long, thirty
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              Foot broad, and as many deep: Which he for­
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              tified with a high Wall, and with a thouſand
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              and fifty wooden Towers ſtanding up, each
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              threeſcore Foot above the Wall, and made the
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              Whole ſo ſtrong, that the Beſieged were not
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              more ſtraitened in by it, than they were ex­
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              cluded from annoying the Enemy in any Part.
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              </s>
              <s>And thus much may ſuffice for Incampments
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              or Stations by Land, unleſs it may be thought
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              neceſſary to add, that we ought to chuſe out a
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              Place of the greateſt Dignity and Honour,
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              wherein to plant the Standard of the Com­
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              monwealth with befitting Majeſty, where the
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              Rites of Religion may be performed with all
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              due Reverence, and where the Generals and
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              other chief Officers may meet either in Coun­
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              cil or for the Adminiſtration of Juſtice.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. XII.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of Incampments or Stations at Sea, which are Fleets; of Ships and their
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              Parts; as alſo of Havens and their proper Fortification.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>Some perhaps will not allow that Fleets
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              are Sea Incampments; but will be rather
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              for ſaying, that we uſe Ships like a Kind of
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              Water Elephant, which we direct as we pleaſe
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              by its Bridle; and that the Haven is much
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              more like a Sea Incampment, than the Fleet.
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              </s>
              <s>Others on the Contrary, will ſay, that a Ship
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              is no other than a travelling Fortreſs. </s>
              <s>We ſhall </s>
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