Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

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              <s>
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              ſee with our Eyes, that Water naturally tends
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              downwards; that it cannot ſuffer the Air to
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              be any where beneath it; that it hates all Mix­
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              ture with any Body that is either lighter or
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              heavier than itſelf; that it loves to fill up every
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              Concavity into which it runs; that the more
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              you endeavour to force it, the more obſtinate­
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              ly it ſtrives againſt you, nor is ever ſatisfied till
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              it obtains the Reſt which it deſires, and that
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              when it is got to its Place of Repoſe, it is con­
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              tented only with itſelf, and deſpiſes all other
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              Mixtures; laſtly, that its Surface is always an
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              exact Level. </s>
              <s>There is another Enquiry relat­
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              ing to Water, which I remember to have read
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              in
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              Plutarch;
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              namely, whether upon digging a
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              Hole in the Earth, the Water ſprings up like
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              Blood out of a Wound; or whether it diſtills
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              out like Milk engendering by Degrees in the
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              Breaſt of a Nurſe. </s>
              <s>Some are of Opinion, that
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              perpetual Springs do not run from any full
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              Veſſel from whence they have their ſupply,
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              but that in the Places from whence they flow,
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              the Water is continually engendering of Air,
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              and not of all Sorts of Air, but only of ſuch as
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              is moſt apt to be formed into Vapour, and that
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              the Earth, and eſpecially the Hills, are like
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              Spunges, full of Pores, through which the Air
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              is ſucked in and condenſed and ſo turned into
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              Water by the Cold: For Proof of which they
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              alledge, that the greateſt Rivers ſpring from
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              the greateſt Hills. </s>
              <s>Others do not agree with
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              this Opinion, obſerving that ſeveral Rivers, and
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              particularly the
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              Pyramus,
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              one of no ſmall Note,
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              being navigable, does not take its Riſe from
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              any Hill, but from the Middle of a Plain. </s>
              <s>For
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              this Reaſon, he who ſuppoſes that the Ground
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              imbibes the Moiſture of the Rain, which by
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              its Weight and Subtilty penetrates through the
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              Veins and ſo diſtills into the Cavities of the
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              Earth, may perhaps be not much miſtaken in
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              his Conjecture: For we may obſerve, that thoſe
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              Countries which have leaſt Rain, have the
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              greateſt Scarcity of Springs.
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              Libya
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              is ſaid to
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              have been ſo called
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              quaſi Lipygia,
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              as wanting
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              Rain, by which means it is ſcantily ſupplied
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              with Water. </s>
              <s>And, indeed, who can deny,
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              that where it Rains much, there is the greateſt
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              Plenty of it? </s>
              <s>It is alſo to our preſent Purpoſe
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              to obſerve, that a Man who digs a Well never
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              meets with Water, till he has ſunk it to the
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              Level of the next River. </s>
              <s>At
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              Volſconio,
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              a Town
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              ſtanding upon a Hill in
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              Tuſcany,
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              they dug a
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              Well no leſs then two hundred and twenty
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              Foot deep before they came to any Vein of
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              Water, not meeting with any till they came
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              to the Level of the Springs which riſe from the
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              Side of the Hill; and you will generally find
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              the ſame Obſervation hold good of all Wells
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              dug upon Hills. </s>
              <s>We find by Experiment that
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              a Spunge will grow wet by the Humidity of
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              the Air, upon which I have made a Pair of
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              Scales to determine the Heavineſs or Dryneſs
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              of the Air and Winds. </s>
              <s>I cannot indeed deny
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              that the Moiſture of the nocturnal Air is at­
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              tracted from the Superficies of the Earth, and
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              ſo conſequently may return again into its Pores,
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              and be eaſily converted once more into Hu­
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              mour; but I cannot pretend to determine any
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              thing certain with Relation to this Queſtion,
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              finding ſo much Variety among Authors upon
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              the Subject, and ſo many different Conſiderati­
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              ons offering themſelves to the Mind when we
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              think upon it. </s>
              <s>Thus it is certain that in many
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              Places, either by ſome Earthquake, or even
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              from no apparent Cauſe, Springs have burſt out
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              of a ſudden, and continued a great While, and
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              again, that others have failed in different Sea­
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              ſons, ſome growing dry in Summer, others in
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              Winter, and that thoſe which have dried up
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              have afterwards again afforded great Plenty of
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              Water: Nay, and that Springs of freſh Wa­
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              ter not only ariſe from the Earth, but have
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              been found even in the Middle of the Sea; and
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              it has been affirmed, that Water alſo iſſues from
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              the Plants themſelves. </s>
              <s>In one of thoſe Iſlands
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              which are called Fortunate, we are told there
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              grows a Sort of Cane as high as a Tree, ſome
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              black, ſome white; from the black comes a
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              bitter Juice, and from the white diſtills a fine
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              clear Water, very beautiful to the Eye and good
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              to drink.
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              Strabo,
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              a very grave Author, ſays
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              that in the Mountains of
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              Armenia,
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              they find a
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              Sort of Worms bred in the Snow, which are
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              full of a Water excellent to drink. </s>
              <s>At
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              Fiezole
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              and
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              Urbino,
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              though both Towns ſtanding up­
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              on Hills, there is Plenty of Water to be had
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              for the leaſt digging, which is becauſe thoſe
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              Hills are formed of a ſtony Soil mixed with a
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              Chalk. </s>
              <s>We are told further, that there are
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              certain Clods of Earth which within their
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              Coats contain a Quantity of the fineſt Water.
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              </s>
              <s>Amidſt all this wonderful Variety, the Know­
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              ledge of the Nature of Springs cannot be other­
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              wiſe than extremely difficult and obſcure.</s>
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