Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/017.jpg" pagenum="8"/>
              ture of all the Parts is preſently broken and
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              diſſolved, and ſalls into dangerous Diſtempers
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              and immature old Age. </s>
              <s>A City ſtanding at
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              the Foot of a Hill, and looking towards the
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              ſetting Sun, is accounted unhealthy, more for
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              this Reaſon than any other, that it feels too
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              ſuddenly the cold chilling Breezes of the Night.
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              </s>
              <s>It may likewiſe be convenient by looking back
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              into Times paſt, according to the Obſervations
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              of the Wiſe, to examine into Properties yet
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              more hidden, if there be ſuch in the Place:
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              For there are Countries which have in their
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              Nature ſome Secret undiſcovered Qualities,
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              which confer Happineſs or Unhappineſs.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Lo­
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              cris
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              and
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              Crotona
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              are ſaid to have never been
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              infected with any Plague. </s>
              <s>In the Iſle of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Candia
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              there is no miſchievous Creature. </s>
              <s>In
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              France
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              very few Monſters are born; in other
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              Places the Naturaliſts ſay, that in the Middle
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              either of Summer or Winter it never Thunders:
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              But in
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              Campania,
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              according to
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              Pliny,
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              it Thun­
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              ders at thoſe very Times over thoſe Cities that
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              ſtand to the South; and the Mountains near
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Albania
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              are ſaid to be called
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              Ceraunia,
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              from
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              the frequent Lightnings that fall upon it. </s>
              <s>The
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              Iſle of
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              Lemnos
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              too being very ſubject to Light­
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              ning, was the Reaſon,
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              Servius
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              informs us, of
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              the Poets feigning that
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              Vulcan
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              fell there from
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              Heaven. </s>
              <s>About the Streights of
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              Gallipoli
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              and
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              the
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              Eſſedones,
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              it was never known either to
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              Thunder or Lighten. </s>
              <s>If it Rains in
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              Ægypt
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              it is reckoned a Prodigy. </s>
              <s>Near the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Hydaſpes
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              in the Beginning of Summer it Rains continu­
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              ally. </s>
              <s>They ſay that in
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              Lybia
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              the Air is ſo ſeldom
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              ſtirred by Winds, that it grows ſo thick, that
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              ſeveral Kinds of Vapours are viſible in the Sky:
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              And on the Contrary, in moſt Parts of
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              Gala­
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              tia,
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              the Winds blow in Summer with ſo much
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              Violence, that it drives along the very Stones
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              like Sand. </s>
              <s>In
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              Spain
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              near the
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              Ebro,
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              they ſay
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              the North-Weſt Wind blows ſo hard, that it
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              overturns Carts heavy laden: In
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              Æthiopia
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              we
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              are told the South never blows, and Hiſtorians
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              write, that this Wind in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Arabia
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              and the
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              Country of the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Troglodites
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              burns up every
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              Thing that is green: And
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              Thucydides
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              affirms,
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              that
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              Delos
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              was never troubled with Earth­
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              quakes, but always ſtood firm upon the ſame
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              Rock, though the other Iſlands all about it
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              were often laid in Ruins by Earthquakes, We
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              ourſelves ſee, that the Part of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Italy,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              which
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              runs from the
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              Selva dell' Aglio
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              below
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              Rome,
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              all along the Ridge of Hills of the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Campagna
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              di Roma
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              quite to
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Capua,
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              is perpetually ſtript
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              and almoſt quite laid waſte by Earthquakes.
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              </s>
              <s>Some believe
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Achaia
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              was ſo called from its ſre­
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              quent Inundations of Water. </s>
              <s>I find that
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              was always ſubject to Agues, and
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Galen
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              takes
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              thoſe Agues to be a new Kind of double Ter­
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              tian, which muſt have varions and almoſt di­
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              rect Remedies applied to it at different Sea­
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              ſons. </s>
              <s>It is an old Fable among the Poets, that
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Typho
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              the Giant being buried in the Iſland of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Prochyta,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              often turns himſelf about, and with
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              his turning ſhakes the whole Iſland from its
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              very Foundation. </s>
              <s>The Reaſon of this Ficti­
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              on of the Poets was, becauſe that Iſland was ſo
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              tormented with Earthquakes and Eruptions,
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              that the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Erythreans
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              and
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              Chalcidians,
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              who in­
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              habited it, were forced to fly for it. </s>
              <s>And a­
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              gain, aftewards thoſe who were ſent by
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              Hiero
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Syracuſe
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              to build a new City there, frightened
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              with the continual Danger of Deſtruction, de­
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              ſerted it too. </s>
              <s>Wherefore all Things of this
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              Nature are to be ſifted out from long Obſer­
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              vation, and examined and compared by other
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              Places, in order to come at a clear and full
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              Knowledge of every Particular.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. VI.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of ſome more hidden Conveniencies and Inconveniencies of the Region which a
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              wiſe Man ought to enquire into.
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              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>We ought further to enquire carefully,
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              whether the Region is uſed to be mo­
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              leſted with any more hidden Inconveniency.
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Plato
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              believed, that in ſome Places the Influ­
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              ence of Spirits often reigned, and was at ſome­
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              times miſchievous, and at others propitious to
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              the Inhabitants. </s>
              <s>It is certain there are ſome
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              Places where Men are very ſubject to run mad,
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              others where they are caſily diſpoſed to do
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              themſelves a Miſchief, and where they put an
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              End to their own Lives by Halters or Preci­
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              pices, Steel or Poiſon. </s>
              <s>It is therefore very ne­
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              ceſſary to examine by the moſt occult Traces
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              of Nature, every Thing that can be attended
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              with ſuch Effects. </s>
              <s>It was an ancient Cuſtom
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              brought down even from
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Demetrius
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              's Time, </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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