Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

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              <s>
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              from a fruitful Soil, enriches the Ground.
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              </s>
              <s>Horſes do not love a very clear Water, but
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              grow fat with any that is moſſy and warm.
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              </s>
              <s>The hardeſt is beſt for Fullers. </s>
              <s>The Phyſicians
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              ſay, that the Neceſſity of Water to the Health
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              and Life of Man is of two Sorts; one for
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              quenching the Thirſt, and the other, to ſerve
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              as a Vehicle to carry the Nutriment extracted
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              from the Food into the Veins, that being there
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              purified and digeſted it may ſupply the Mem­
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              bers with their proper Juices. </s>
              <s>Thirſt they tell
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              us is an Appetite of Moiſture, and chiefly of a
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              cold one; and therefore they think that cold
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              Water, eſpecially after Meals, fortifies the Sto­
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              mach of thoſe that are in good Health; but if
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              it be exceſſively cold it will throw the moſt ro­
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              buſt into a Numbneſs, occaſion Gripes in the
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              Bowels, ſhake the Nerves, and by its Rawneſs
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              extinguiſh the digeſtive Faculty of the Sto­
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              mach. </s>
              <s>The Water of the River
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              Oxus
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              being
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              always turbid, is very unwholeſome to drink.
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              </s>
              <s>The Inhabitants of
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              Rome,
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              from the frequent
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              Changes of the Air, and the nocturnal Vapours
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              which ariſe from the River, as alſo from the
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              Winds which commonly blow in the After­
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              noon, are very ſubject to dangerous Fevers;
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              for theſe Winds generally blow very cold about
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              three o' Clock in Summer, at which Time
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              Mens Bodies are extreamly heated, and even
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              contract the very Veins. </s>
              <s>But in my Opinion
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              theſe Fevers, and indeed moſt of the worſt
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              Diſtempers there proceed, in a great Meaſure,
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              from the Water of the
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              Tyber,
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              which is com­
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              monly drank when it is foul; to which Pur­
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              poſe it may not be amiſs to obſerve, that the
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              ancient Phyſicians, for the Cure of theſe
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              Ro­
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              man
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              Fevers, order the Uſe of the Juice of
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              Squills and of Inciſives. </s>
              <s>But to return. </s>
              <s>We
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              are upon the Search of the beſt Water.
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              Celſus
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              the Phyſician, ſays of Waters, that of all the
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              different Sorts the Rain-water is the lighteſt;
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              the ſecond is that of the Spring; in the third
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              Place is the River-water; in the fourth, that
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              of a Well; in the fifth and laſt, that which
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              diſſolves from Snow or Ice. </s>
              <s>The Lake-water
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              is heavier than any of theſe, and that of a Marſh
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              is the worſt of all. </s>
              <s>The
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              Mazaca,
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              which ſtands
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              under the Hill
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              Argæus,
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              abounds with good
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              Water; but having no Way to run off in
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              Summer, it grows unwholeſome and peſtifer­
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              ous. </s>
              <s>The Definition which the beſt Philoſo­
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              phers give us of Water, is, that it is naturally
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              a Body ſimple and unmixed, whereof Coldneſs
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              and Humidity are two Properties. </s>
              <s>We may
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              therefore conclude that to be the beſt, which
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              deviates the leaſt from its own Nature; be­
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              cauſe, if it be not perfectly pure, and entirely
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              free from Mixture, Taſte, or Smell, it will cer­
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              tainly very much endanger the Health, by
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              loading the inward Paſſages of the Lungs,
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              choaking up the Veins, and clogging the Spirits,
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              the Miniſters of Life, For this Reaſon we
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              are told that the Rain-water, as it conſiſts of the
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              lighteſt Vapours, is the beſt of all, provided it
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              be not of ſuch a Sort as eaſily corrupts and ſtinks,
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              which when it grows foul is very apt to harden
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              the Belly. </s>
              <s>Some believe that the Occaſion of
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              this is, that it falls from Clouds formed of a
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              Mixture of too many different Vapours com­
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              pounded together, drawn, for Inſtance, from
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              the Sea, which is the great Receptacle of all
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              the different Sorts of Springs; becauſe indeed
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              nothing can be more liable to Corruption, than
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              a confuſed Medley of Things in their Nature
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              diſſimilar. </s>
              <s>Thus the Juice of different Sorts of
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              Grapes mixed together, will never keep.</s>
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              <s>IT was an ancient Law among the
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              Hebrews,
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              that no Man ſhould ſow any Seed but what was
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              pick'd and unmixed; it being their Notion,
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              that Nature totally abhorred a Medley of differ­
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              ent Particles. </s>
              <s>Thoſe who follow
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              Ariſtotle,
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              thinking that the Vapours which are extracted
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              from the Earth, when they are raiſed up to the
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              cold Region of the Air, are by the Cold com­
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              preſſed into Clouds, and afterwards diſſolve in
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              Rain, are of quite a different Opinion. </s>
              <s>Thus
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              Theophraſtus
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              ſays, that cultivated and Garden
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              Fruits fall more caſily into Diſtempers than
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              wild ones, which being of a tough Contexture
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              never tamed, more vigorouſly reſiſt any Injury
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              from without; whereas the other being made
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              tender by Culture, have not the ſame hardy
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              Conſtitution. </s>
              <s>The ſame he tells us will hold
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              good as to Waters, and the more tender we
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              make them (to uſe his own Words) the more
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              liable they will be to ſuffer Alteration. </s>
              <s>For
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              this Reaſon ſome ſay, that Water which has been
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              boyled and ſoften'd by the Fire will ſooneſt
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              grow cold, and ſo be ſooneſt made hot again.
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              </s>
              <s>Thus much of Rain-water. </s>
              <s>Next to this the
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              Spring-water is certainly the beſt. </s>
              <s>Thoſe who
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              prefer the River to the Spring, ſay, what elſe is
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              a River, but an Abundance and Concourſe of
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              many different Springs united together, and
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              maturated by the Sun, Winds and Motion? </s>
              <s>So
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              they tell us too, that a Well is nothing but a
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              Spring lying very deep: from whence they in­
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              fer, if we will allow the Rays of the Sun to be
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              of any Service to Water, that it is no hard mat­
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              ter to judge which of theſe Springs muſt be the </s>
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