Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755
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              that conccaled Water, they muſt pierce into
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              the Body of the Hill, and eſpecially in one of
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              thoſe Parts where the Lines or Junctures of the
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              ſeveral Strata met together, which was likely
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              to be the moſt proper Place for what they
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              wanted, becauſe the Muſeles of the Hill meet­
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              ing together muſt in all Probability form a na­
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              tural Reſervoir. </s>
              <s>Beſides the ſeveral Coats
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              themſelves ſeemed to be of different Natures,
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              ſome likely to imbibe, others to retain the Wa­
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              ter. </s>
              <s>Thus the reddiſh Stone is hardly ever
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              without Water; but then it is apt to deceive
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              you, for it often runs out through the Veins
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              with which that Stone abounds. </s>
              <s>The moiſt and
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              living Flint which lies about the Roots of the
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              Hill, broken and very ſharp, ſoon affords Wa­
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              ter. </s>
              <s>The light Soil too gives you an eaſy Op­
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              portunity of finding Plenty of Water; but then
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              it is of a bad Savour. </s>
              <s>But the Male-ſand and
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              the hard Grit are ſure to afford the beſt of
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              Water, and with the leaſt Danger of being ex­
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              hauſted. </s>
              <s>It is quite the contrary with Chalk,
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              which being too cloſe, yields no Water; but
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              it is very good for retaining that which diſtills
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              into it. </s>
              <s>In common Sand we find but very
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              ſmall Veins, and thoſe foul, and apt to have a
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              Sediment. </s>
              <s>From white Clay we have but
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              ſmall Veins, but thoſe ſweeter than any other.
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              </s>
              <s>The ſoft Stone yields a very cold Water; the
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              black Earth a very clear one. </s>
              <s>In Gravel, if it
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              is looſe, we cannot dig with any very great
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              Hope; but if it grows cloſer as we come deeper,
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              there is no Danger of finding Water, and when
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              found, in either of them, there is no doubt of
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              its being well taſted. </s>
              <s>It is alſo certain, that by
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              the Help of Art there is no great Difficulty in
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              finding out the Spot under which the Vein lies:
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              And the Method by which we are taught to
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              do it, is as follows. </s>
              <s>In the Morning extremely
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              early, when the Air is perfectly clear and ſerene,
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              lay yourſelf flat with your Chin reſting upon
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              the Ground: Then take a careful Survey of
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              the Country all round you, and where-ever
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              you ſee a Vapour riſing out of the Earth, and
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              curling up into the Air like a Man's Breath in
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              a clear Froſt, there you may be pretty certain
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              of finding Water. </s>
              <s>But in order to be ſtill
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              more ſure of it, dig a Pit four Cubits deep and
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              as many broad, and in this Pit, about the Time
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              of Sun-ſet, put either an carthen Pot juſt freſh
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              taken out of the Furnace, or a ſmall Quantity
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              of unwaſhed Wool, or an earthen Pot unbak­
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              ed, or a braſs Pot with the Mouth downwards
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              and rubbed over with Oil; then make up the
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              Mouth of the Pit with Boards and cover it
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              with Earth: If next Morning the baked Pot
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              be much heavier than it was over Night; if
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              the Wool be moiſtened; if the unbaked Pot be
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              wet; if the braſs Pot have Drops hanging up­
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              on it, and if a Lamp left in the ſame Pit have
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              not conſumed much Oil, or if upon making a
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              Fire in it, the Earth emits a good deal of
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              Smoke, you may be very ſure that there are
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              Veins of Water concealed. </s>
              <s>In what Seaſon it
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              is beſt to make theſe Trials has not been ſo
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              clearly declared; but in ſome Writers I find
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              the following Obſervations. </s>
              <s>In the Dog-days,
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              not only the Earth, but alſo the Bodies of Ani­
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              mals are very full of Humidity: Whence it
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              happens, that in this Seaſon the Trees grow
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              very moiſt under the Bark with Exceſs of Hu­
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              mour; about this Time alſo Men are very ſub­
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              ject to Fluxes of the Belly, and through exceſ­
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              ſive Humectation, fall into frequent Fevers;
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              and the Waters ſpring out more abundantly at
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              this Time of the Year, than any other.
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              Theo­
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              phraſtus
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              thinks the Reaſon of this to be, that
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              about this Time we have generally ſoutherly
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              Winds, which in their Nature are moiſt and
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              cloudy.
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              Ariſtotle
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              affirms, that in this Seaſon
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              the Ground is forced to emit Vapours by means
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              of the natural Fire which lies mixed in the
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              Bowels of the Earth. </s>
              <s>If this be true, thoſe
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              Times muſt be beſt for the above-mentioned
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              Trials, when thoſe Fires are moſt potent, or
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              leaſt oppreſſed with Exuberance of Humour,
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              as alſo when the Earth is not too much burnt
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              up and too dry. </s>
              <s>The Seaſon therefore which
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              I would recommend for this Purpoſe, ſhould
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              be the Spring in dry Places, and Autumn in
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              Places of more Shade. </s>
              <s>When your Hopes of
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              not being diſappointed are confirmed in the
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              Manner before ſhewn, you may begin to dig.</s>
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              *</s>
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              <s>CHAP. V.</s>
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              Of the digging and walling of Walls and Conduits.
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              <s>The Work of Digging is performed in
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              two Manners; for either we dig a Well
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              perpendicularly down, or we dig a Conduit
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              horizontally. </s>
              <s>The Workmen in digging are
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              ſometimes expoſed to Danger, either from un­
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              wholeſome Vapours, or from the falling in of
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              </s>
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