Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              paſs by theſe Diſputes, and proceed to ſhew
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              that there are two Things by Means of which
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              the Art of Building may contribute to the
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              Saſety and Victory of Generals of Fleets and
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              their Forces: The Firſt conſiſts in the right
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              Conſtruction and Rigging of the Veſſels, and
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              the Second in the proper fortifying the Haven;
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              whether you are to go to attack the Enemy,
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              or to ſtay to defend yourſelf. </s>
              <s>The primary
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              Uſe of Shipping is to convey you and yours:
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              The Second, is to fight without Danger. </s>
              <s>The
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              Danger muſt ariſe either from the Ships them­
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              ſelves, in which Caſe it ſeems to be innate and
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              incorporate with them; or elſe muſt happen to
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              them from without. </s>
              <s>That from without, is
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              from the Force and Violence of Winds and
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              Waves, from Rocks and Shelves; all which are
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              to be avoided by Experience in Sea-affairs, and
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              a thorough Knowledge of Places and Winds:
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              But the Danger incorporate and innate with
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              the Veſſel itſelf, ariſes either from the Deſign,
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              or the Timbers; againſt which Defects it falls
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              under our Province to provide. </s>
              <s>We ſhould
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              reject all Timber that is brittle, or apt to ſplit,
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              too heavy or liable to rot ſoon. </s>
              <s>Nails and Pins
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              of Braſs or Copper, are reckoned better than
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              thoſe of Iron. </s>
              <s>I have obſerved by Means of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Trajan
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              's Ship, which while I was writing this
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              Treatiſe was dug up out of the
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              lago di Nemi,
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              where it had lain under Water above thirteen
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              hundred Years, that the Pine and Cypreſs
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              Wood which was in it had remained ſurpriz­
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              ingly ſound. </s>
              <s>It was covered on the Outſide
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              with double Planks, done over with
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              Greek
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              Pitch, to which ſtuck a Coat of Linen Cloth,
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              and that again was plated over with Sheets of
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              Lead faſtened on with braſs Nails. </s>
              <s>The anci­
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              ent Architects took the Model of their Ships
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              from the Shape of a Fiſh; that Part which
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              was the Back of the Fiſh, in the Ship was the
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              Keel; that which in the Fiſh was the Head,
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              in the Ship was the Prow; the Tail was the
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              Helm, and inſtead of Fins and Gills, they made
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              Oars. </s>
              <s>Ships are of two Sorts, and are built
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              either for Burthen or for Speed: A long Veſ­
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              ſel cuts its Way quickeſt through the Water,
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              eſpecially when it Sails before the Wind; but
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              a ſhort one is moſt obedient to the Helm. </s>
              <s>I
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              would not have the Length of a Veſſel of Bur­
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              then leſs than three Times its Breadth; nor
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              that of a Veſſel for Speed, more than nine
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              Times. </s>
              <s>We have treated more particularly of
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              every Thing relating to a Veſſel in a Book in­
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              tended wholly for that Purpoſe, called the
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              Ship; and therefore ſhall have Occaſion to ſay
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              no more of it here, than what is juſt neceſſary.
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              </s>
              <s>The Parts of a Ship are theſe, the Keel, the
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              Poop, the Prow, the two Sides, to which you
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              may, if you pleaſe, add the Sail, the Helm,
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              and the Reſt of the Parts that belong to the
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              Courſe of the Ship. </s>
              <s>The Hollow of the Veſſel
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              will bear any Weight that is equal to the
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              Weight of Water that would fill it quite up to
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              the Top. </s>
              <s>The Keel muſt be ſtraight, but all
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              the other Parts made with curve Lines. </s>
              <s>The
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              broader the Keel is, the greater Weight the
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              Veſſel will carry, but then it will be the ſlow­
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              er; the narrower the Keel is, the Swiſter will
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              be the Ship, but then it will be unſteady, un­
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              leſs you fill it with Ballaſt. </s>
              <s>The broad Keel is
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              moſt convenient in ſhallow Water; but in deep
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              Seas the narrow one will be more ſecure. </s>
              <s>The
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              Sides and Prow built high will make the ſtout­
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              eſt Reſiſtance againſt the Waves, but then
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              they are more expoſed to Danger from the
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              Winds; the Sharper the Head is, the Swifter
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              the Ship will make its Way; and the Thinner
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              the Stern, the more Steady will be the Veſſel
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              in its Courſe. </s>
              <s>The Sides of the Ship towards
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              the Head ought to be very ſtout, and a little
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              Swelling outwards to throw off the Waves
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              when it ploughs through the Water both with
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              Sails and Oars; but towards the Stern they
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              ſhould grow narrower, in order to ſlip through
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              the Waves with the more Eaſe. </s>
              <s>A Number
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              of Helms adds Firmneſs to the Veſſel, but takes
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              off from its Swiftneſs. </s>
              <s>The Maſt ſhould be as
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              long as the whole Ship. </s>
              <s>We ſhall not here
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              deſcend to other minute Particulars neceſſary
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              both to the Way and Defence of the Veſſel,
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              ſuch as Oars, Ropes, ſharp Beaks, Towers,
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              Bridges and the like; but ſhall only obſerve,
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              that the Planks and Timbers which hang
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              down by the Sides and ſtick out by the Beak
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              of the Veſſel, will ſerve inſtead of a Fortifica­
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              tion againſt the Attacks of the Enemy as will
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              Poles ſtuck upright, inſtead of Towers, and
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              the Boom, or the Skiff laid over the Boom, in­
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              ſtead of Bridges. </s>
              <s>The Ancients uſed in the
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              Prow of their Ships to place a military En­
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              gine, which they called a
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              Corvus:
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              But our
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              Mariners now in the Head and Stem of their
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              Veſſels near the Maſts have learnt to ſet up
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              Towers, which they fence round with old
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              coarſe Cloths, Ropes, Sacks, and the like, to
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              deaden the Force of any Violence that might
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              attack them; and to keep off any Enemy that
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              ſhould attempt to board them, they ſet up a
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              Fence of Net-work. </s>
              <s>I have in another Place
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              contrived and ſhewn how the Floor of the Ship </s>
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