Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. IV.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
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              By what Marks to find any hidden Water.
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              </s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>Let us now return to our Subject. </s>
              <s>Hid­
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              den Waters are to be found out by cer­
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              tain Marks. </s>
              <s>Theſe Marks are the Form and
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              Face of the Spot of Ground, and the Nature
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              of the Soil where you are to ſearch for the
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              Water, and ſome other Methods diſcovered by
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              the Induſtry and Diligence of Men. </s>
              <s>Accord­
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              ing to the ordinary Courſe of Nature, a Place
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              which is ſunk down into a Hollow, or into a
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              Sort of concave Pit, ſeems to be a Kind of Veſ­
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              ſel ready prepared for the retaining of Water.
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              </s>
              <s>In thoſe Places where the Sun has much Pow­
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              er, all Humidity is ſo much dried up by the
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              Force of his Rays, that few or no Veins of
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              Water are to be found; or if any are diſco­
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              vered in a very open Place, they are heavy,
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              thick and brackiſh. </s>
              <s>On the north Side of
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              Hills, and where-ever there is a very thick
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              Shade, you may very ſoon meet with Water.
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              </s>
              <s>Hills whoſe Tops are uſed to be long covered
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              with Snow, afford great Plenty of Springs. </s>
              <s>I
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              have obſerved, that Hills which have a flat
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              Meadow at the Top, never want Water; and
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              you will find almoſt all Rivers have their Riſe
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              from ſome ſuch Place. </s>
              <s>I have alſo obſerved,
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              that their Springs ſeldom flow from any other
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              Spot of Ground, but where the Soil beneath or
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              about them is ſound and firm, with either an
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              even Slope over them, or ſoft looſe Earth: So
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              that if you conſider the Matter, you will be of
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              Opinion with me, that the Water which has
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              been gathered there, runs out as from the Side
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              of a broken Baſon. </s>
              <s>Hence it happens that the
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              cloſeſt Soil has the leaſt Water, and what there
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              is, lies very near the Surface: But the looſeſt
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              Earth has the moſt Humidity; but then the
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              Water generally lies pretty deep.
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              Pliny
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              writes,
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              that in ſome Places, upon cutting down the
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              Woods, Springs burſt out: And
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              Tacitus
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              ſays,
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              that when
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              Moſes
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              journeyed through the De­
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              ſart, and his Followers were fainting with
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              Thirſt, he diſcovered Springs of Water, only
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              by taking Notice where there were freſh Spots
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              of Graſs.
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              Æmilius,
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              when his Army ſuffered a
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              Dearth of Water near Mount
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              Olympus,
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              found
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              out a Supply by the freſh Verdure of the
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              Woods. </s>
              <s>Some Soldiers who were in queſt of
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              Water were directed to ſome little Veins by a
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              young Girl in the
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              Via Collatina,
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              where, upon
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              digging they found a very plentiful Spring, over
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              which they built a little Chapel, and in it left
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              the Memory of the Accident deſcribed in Paint­
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              ing. </s>
              <s>If the Earth eaſily gives Way to the
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              Tread, or cleaves to the Foot, it ſhews that
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              there is Water under it. </s>
              <s>One of the moſt cer­
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              tain Marks of concealed Water, is the Growth
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              and Flouriſhing of thoſe Plants which love
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              Water, or are uſed to be produced by it, ſuch
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              as Willows, Ruſhes, Withes, Ivy, or any others
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              which without Plenty of Moiſture could never
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              have attained the Perfection in which we find
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              them.
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              Columella
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              tells us, that the Ground
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              which produces Vines very thick of Leaves,
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              and eſpecially that which bears Dwarſ-elder,
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              Trefoil and wild Plumbs is a good Soil, and
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              does not want Veins of ſweet Water. </s>
              <s>More­
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              over great Quantities of Frogs, Earth-worms,
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              with Gnats and other ſmall Flies ſwarming
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              together in the Air, are Tokens of Water con­
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              cealed beneath. </s>
              <s>The Methods for finding
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              Water invented by the Diligence of Men are
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              as follows: The curious Searchers into Nature
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              have obſerved, that the Earth, and eſpecially
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              the Hills, conſiſt of different Coats or Layers,
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              ſome cloſer, ſome looſer, and others thinner;
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              and they have found, that the Hills were com­
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              poſed of theſe Coates placed one above the
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              other, in ſuch a Manner that towards the Sur­
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              face or outſide theſe Layers or Coats, and their
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              ſeveral Junctures lie level from the Right to
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              Left: But on the Inſide, towards the Center
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              of the Hill the Layers incline downwards in an
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              oblique Line, with all their upper Superficies
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              inclining equally, but then the ſame Line does
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              not continue on, quite to the Center of the
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              Hill, for, ſuppoſe at the Diſtance of every
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              hundred Foot the Line is broken off by a Kind
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              of tranſverſe Step, which makes a Diſcontinu­
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              ance in the Layer; and ſo with theſe Breaks
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              and Slopes the Coats run from each Side to the
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              Center of the Hill. </s>
              <s>From an Obſervation of
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              theſe Particulars, Men of acute Underſtanding
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              ſoon perceived that the Waters were either en­
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              gendered, or rather that the Rains gathered
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              between theſe Strata, and in the Junctures of
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              the ſeveral Coats, by which means the Middle
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              of the Hill muſt needs have Water in it.
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              </s>
              <s>Hence they concluded that in order to come at </s>
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