Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

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              <s>
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              with a Shade, is colder and clearer, but more
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              undigeſted, than thoſe warmed by the Sun;
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              and, on the contrary, Waters too much heated
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              by the Sun, are brackiſh and viſcous. </s>
              <s>The
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              being deep is of Service to either Sort, becauſe
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              it prevents the latter from being made too hot,
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              and the former from being too eaſily affected
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              by Froſt. </s>
              <s>Laſtly it is thought that even the
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              Marſh is not always to be deſpiſed: becauſe
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              where-ever Eels are found, the Water is reckoned
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              to be not very bad. </s>
              <s>Of all Marſh-water that
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              is accounted the very worſt which breeds Horſe­
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              leeches, which is ſo abſolutely without Moti­
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              on that it contracts a Scurf on the Top, which
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              has an offenſive Smell, which is of a black or
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              livid Colour, which being put into a Veſſel will
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              continue ſoul a great while, which is heavy and
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              clammy with a moſſy Slime, and which being
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              uſed in waſhing your Hands, they are a long
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              Time before they dry. </s>
              <s>But as a ſhort Summary
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              of what has been ſaid of Water, it ſhould be ex­
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              tremely light, clear, thin and tranſparent, to
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              which muſt be added thoſe Particulars which
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              we have ſlightly touched in the firſt Book.
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              <s>Laſtly it will be a ſtrong Confirmation to you
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              of the Goodneſs of your Water, if you find that
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              the Cattle which have waſhed and drank in it
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              for ſeveral Months together, are in good Con­
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              dition and perfectly healthy; and you have a
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              ſure Way to judge whether they are ſound or
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              not by inſpecting their Livers; for what is
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              noxious injures with Time, and the Injury
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              which is lateſt felt is of the worſt Conſequence.</s>
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              <s>CHAP. VII.</s>
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              Of the Method of conveying Water and accommodating it to the Uſes of Men.
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              <s>Having found Water and approved
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              it to be good, the next Work is to convey
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              it artfully and accommodate it properly to the
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              Uſes of Men. </s>
              <s>There are two Ways of convey­
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              ing Water, either by a Trench or Canal, or by
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              Pipes or Conduits. </s>
              <s>In either of theſe Methods,
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              the Water will not move, unleſs the Place to
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              which you would convey it be lower than that
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              from which it is to be brought. </s>
              <s>But then there
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              is this Difference, that the Water which is brought
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              by a Canal muſt deſcend all the Way with a
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              continued Slope, whereas that which is conveyed
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              in Pipes may aſcend in ſome Part of the Way.
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              </s>
              <s>Of theſe two Methods we are now to treat.
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              </s>
              <s>But firſt we muſt premiſe ſome Things for the
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              clearer Explication of our Subject. </s>
              <s>The
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              Searchers into Nature tell us, that the Earth is
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              Spherical, tho' in many Places it riſes into
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              Hills, and in many others ſinks into Seas: but
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              in ſo vaſt a Globe this Roughneſs is not per­
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              ceptible; as in an Egg, which tho' it is far
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              from being of a ſmooth Superficies, yet its lit­
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              tle Inequalities bearing but an inconſiderable
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              Proportion to its whole Circumference, they
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              are ſcarce obſerved.
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              Eratoſthenes
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              tells us, that
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              the Compaſs of this great Globe is two hun­
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              dred and fifty two thouſand Furlongs, or about
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              thirty one thouſand five hundred Miles, and
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              that there is no Hill ſo high or Water ſo deep
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              as to be above fifteen thouſand Cubits perpen­
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              dicular; not even Mount
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              Caucaſus,
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              whoſe Top
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              enjoys the Sun three Hours in the Night.
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              </s>
              <s>There is a prodigious high Mountain in
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              Ar­
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              cadia
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              called
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              Cyllene;
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              and yet thoſe who have
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              meaſured its perpendicular, affirm, that it does
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              not exceed twenty Furlongs. </s>
              <s>Even the Sea it­
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              ſelf is thought to be no more upon this Globe
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              of Earth, than the Summer's Dew is upon the
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              Body of an Apple. </s>
              <s>Some have wittily ſaid,
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              that the Creator of the World made uſe of the
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              Concavity of the Sea as of a Seal with the Im­
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              preſſion whereof he ſtampt the Hills. </s>
              <s>What
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              the Geometers teach us upon this Head is very
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              much to our preſent Purpoſe. </s>
              <s>They ſay, that
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              if a ſtraight Line touching the Globe of the
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              Earth at one End were to be drawn on exactly
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              horizontal a Mile in Length, the Space be­
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              tween the other End and the Surface of the
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              Globe would not be above ten Inches. </s>
              <s>For
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              this Reaſon Water will never move on in a
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              Canal, but ſtand ſtill like a Lake, unleſs every
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              eight Furlongs the Trench has a Slope of one
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              whole Foot from the Place where the Water
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              was firſt found and its Bed cut; which Place
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              the ancient Lawyers called Incile, from the In­
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              ciſion which is made either in the Rock or
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              Bank for conveying the Water: But if in this
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              Space of eight Furlongs it had a Slope of more
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              than ſix Foot, it is ſuppoſed that the Rapidity
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              of its Current would make it inconvenient for
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              Boats. </s>
              <s>In order to find whether the Trench
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              which is to convey the Water be lower than </s>
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