Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/016.jpg" pagenum="7"/>
              certain Herbs, which the Soldiers eating for
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              want of Bread, grew beſotted, and employed
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              themſelves in nothing but digging Stones out
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              of the Ground, till their Choler being ſtirred
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              they fell down dead; nor was any Remedy
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              found againſt this Plague, as we are informed
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              by
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              Plutarch,
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              but drinking of Wine; theſe
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              Things are commonly known. </s>
              <s>But good
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              Heavens! what ſhall we ſay to what has hap­
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              pened in our own Days in
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              Apulia
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              in
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              Italy;
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              what incredible Effects of Poiſon have we ſeen
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              there! the Bite of a ſmall Earth Spider, com­
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              monly called a
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              Tarantula,
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              throwing Men into
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              various Kinds of Madneſs, and even Fury; a
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              Thing ſtrange to be told. </s>
              <s>No Swelling, no
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              livid Spot appearing in any Part of the Body
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              from the ſharp Bite or Sting of the venomous
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              Beaſt; but ſuddenly loſing their Senſes, they
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              fall piteouſly to bewail themſelves, and if no
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              Aſſiſtance is given them they die. </s>
              <s>They cure
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              this Diſtemper with
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              Theophraſtus
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              's Remedy,
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              who ſays, that Perſons bit by Vipers uſed to
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              be cured by the Sound of Pipes. </s>
              <s>The Muſi­
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              cians therefore with different Kinds of Har­
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              mony try to aſſwage the Pain, and when they
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              hit upon the Kind proper to the Patient, im­
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              mediately, as if he were ſuddenly awakened,
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              he ſtarts up, and tranſported with Joy, falls to
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              beſtirring himſelf to the Muſick with all his
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              Strength, in whatever his Fancy prompts him
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              to. </s>
              <s>Some that are thus bit, you ſhall ſee ex­
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              erciſe themſelves in Dancing, others in Singing,
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              and others ſtirring in other Motions, juſt as
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              their Inclination or Madneſs guides them, till
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              through mere Wearineſs they are forced to
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              give over. </s>
              <s>And thus without giving them­
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              ſelves the leaſt Reſt, they will ſweat themſelves
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              for ſome Days, and ſo recover their Health
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              merely by their Madneſs having quite ſpent it­
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              ſelf. </s>
              <s>We read too of ſomething like this that
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              happened among the
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              Albanians,
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              who ſought
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              againſt
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              Pompey
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              with ſuch a Power of Horſe;
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              that there was a Sort of Cobweb among them,
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              which whoever touched ſurely died, ſome
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              Laughing, and others on the contrary Weeping.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. V.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
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              By what Marks and Characters we are to know the Goodneſs of the Region.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>Nor are thoſe Things alone ſufficient for
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              the chuſing of the Region, which are
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              obvious and manifeſt of themſelves; but we
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              muſt weigh every Circumſtance, and conſider
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              the moſt occult Tokens. </s>
              <s>Thus it will be a
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              good Sign of an excelient Air and of good Wa­
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              ter, if the Country produces Plenty of good
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              Fruits, if it foſters a good Number of Men of
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              a good old Age, if it abounds with luſty hand­
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              ſome Youth, if the People are fruitful, and if
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              the Births are natural and never monſtrous. </s>
              <s>I
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              have myſelf ſeen ſome Cities, which out of Re­
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              ſpect to the Times I forbear to name, where
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              there is ſcarce a Woman, but what ſees herſelf
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              at the ſame Inſtant, the Mother both of a Man
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              and of a Monſter. </s>
              <s>Another City I know in
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Italy,
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              where there are ſo many People Hump­
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              backed, Squint-eyed, Crooked and Lame, that
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              there is ſcarce a Family, but what has Some­
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              body in it defective or diſtorted. </s>
              <s>And cer­
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              tainly, where we ſee ſuch frequent and great
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              Inequalities of Pody to Body, and Member to
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              Member; we may well conclude, that it pro­
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              ceeds from ſome Defect in the Climate or Air,
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              or from ſome more hidden Cauſe of the Cor­
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              ruption of Nature. </s>
              <s>Nor is it foreign to our
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              Purpoſe what has been obſerved, that in a groſs
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              Air we are more inclined to Hunger, and in a
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              thin One to Thirſt: and we may not impro­
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              bably draw ſome Conjectures from the Shape
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              and Looks of other Animals, what Conſtituti­
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              ons the Men will have in the ſame Place; for
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              if the Cattle look lively, fat and large, you
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              may not unreaſonably hope to have Children
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              that will be ſo too. </s>
              <s>Neither will it be amiſs to
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              gather Notice of the Air and Winds, even
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              from other Bodies not endued with animal
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              Life; thus if the Walls of the neighbouring
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              Buildings are grown ruſty and rugged, it ſhews
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              that ſome malignant Influence has Power
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              there. </s>
              <s>The Trees too bending all one Way,
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              as if by general Conſent, ſhew that they have
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              ſuffered the Force of high rough Winds; and
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              the very Stones, whether growing in their na­
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              tive Seats, or placed in Buildings, if their Tops
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              are any thing conſiderably rotted, ſhew the
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              Intemperature of the Air, ſometimes too hot
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              and ſometimes over cold. </s>
              <s>A Region ſo ex­
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              poſed to the furious Aſſaults of Tempeſts is to
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              be avoided, as the very worſt of all; for if the
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              Bodies of Men are ſeized with too exceſſive
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              Cold or Heat, the whole Frame and Contex­</s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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