Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              have begun concerning Water only for Drink­
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              ing, and proceed afterwards to Canals for Na­
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              vigation. </s>
              <s>Canals are either worked up with
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              Maſonry, or elſe are only Trenches dug. </s>
              <s>Tren­
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              ches are of two Sorts, cut either through an
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              open Country, or through the Bowels of a Hill,
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              which is called a Mine or ſubterraneous Con­
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              duit. </s>
              <s>In both theſe, when you meet with either
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              Stone, Chalk, or compact Earth that does not
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              imbibe the Water, you will have no Occaſion
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              for Maſonry; but where the Bottom or Sides of
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              the Canal are not ſound, then you muſt fortify
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              them. </s>
              <s>If you are obliged to carry your Canal
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              through the Heart of a Hill, you muſt obſerve
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              the Rules above laid down. </s>
              <s>In ſubterraneous
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              Conduits, at the Diſtance of every hundred
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              Foot, you ſhould open Ventiges like Wells for­
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              tified according as the Nature of the Earth
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              through which you dig requires. </s>
              <s>I have ſeen
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              ſuch Ventiges in the Country of the
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              Marſi
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              near
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome,
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              where the Water falls into the ancient
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              Lake
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              Fucinus
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              (now called the
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              Pie di Luco
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              )
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              built very finely with burnt Brick, and of an
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              incredible Depth. 'Till the four hundred and
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              forty-firſt year after the building of the City,
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              there was no ſuch thing as an Aqueduct built
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              at
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              Rome;
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              but afterwards thoſe Works were
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              brought to ſuch a Pitch, that whole Rivers
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              were conveyed to it through the Air, and we
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              are told, that there were ſo many of them, that
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              every ſingle Houſe was abundantly ſupplied
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              with Water. </s>
              <s>At firſt they began with ſubter­
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              raneous Conduits; which indeed had a great
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              many Conveniencies. </s>
              <s>This hidden Work was
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              leſs ſubject to Injuries and being expoſed neither
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              to the Severity of Froſts, nor to the ſcorching
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              Dog-day Sun brought the Water freſher and
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              cooler, nor could eaſily be deſtroyed or turned
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              away by Enemies that might happen to make
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              Inroads into the Country. </s>
              <s>Theſe Works were
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              afterwards brought to ſuch a Magnificence,
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              that in order to have high Jets of Water in their
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              Gardens and in their Bathes, they built vault­
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              ed Aqueducts, in ſome Places above an hundred
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              and twenty Foot high, and carried on for above
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              threeſcore Miles together. </s>
              <s>From theſe too they
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              reaped Conveniencies. </s>
              <s>In ſeveral Places, and
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              particularly beyond the
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              Tyber,
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              the Water of
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              theſe Aqueducts ſerved to grind their Corn,
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              and upon their being deſtroyed by the Enemy,
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              they were forced to make Mills for that Pur­
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              poſe in Ships. </s>
              <s>To this add, that by means of
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              this Plenty of Water the City was kept cleaner
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              and the Air made freſher and more wholeſome.
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              </s>
              <s>The Architects alſo added ſome ingenious In­
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              ventions to ſhew the Hours of the Day to the
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              great Recreation of the Beholders, by the Con­
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              trivance of ſome little moving Statues of Braſs,
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              placed in the Front of the Head of the Aque­
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              duct, which repreſented the publick Games and
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              the Ceremony of the Triumph. </s>
              <s>At the ſame
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              Time, the Sound of muſical Inſtruments and
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              ſweet Voices was heard, which were cauſed by
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              the Motion of the Water. </s>
              <s>Theſe Aqueducts
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              were covered in with an Arch of a good Thick­
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              neſs, to prevent the Water from being heated
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              by the Sun; and this Vault was plaiſtered on
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              the Inſide with ſuch a Compoſition as we have
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              formerly in this Book recommended for Floors,
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              to the Thickneſs of at leaſt ſix Inches. </s>
              <s>The
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              Parts of the ancient Aqueduct were theſe.
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              </s>
              <s>Joining to the Incile was the
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              Septum;
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              along
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              the Courſe of the Conduit were the
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              Caſtella;
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              where any higher Ground interfered the
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              Specus
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              was dug; laſtly, to the Head was annexed the
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Calix.
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              </s>
              <s> An ancient Lawyer gives us the fol­
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              lowing Deſcription of theſe ſeveral Parts. </s>
              <s>An
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              Aqueduct is a Conduit for conveying Water to
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              a certain Place by means of a gentle Slope.
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              </s>
              <s>The
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              Septum
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              is a Flood-gate or Water-ſtop
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              made at the Sluice for letting the Water into
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              the Aqueduct. </s>
              <s>The
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              Caſtella
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              are Water-houſes
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              or Conduit-heads for the Reception of the
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              publick Water. </s>
              <s>The
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              Specus
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              is a Kind of Mill­
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              dam dug in the Earth. </s>
              <s>The
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              Calix
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              is the End
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              or Mouth of the Aqueduct, which diſcharges
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              the Water. </s>
              <s>All theſe muſt be made of very
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              ſtout Work, the Bottom as ſtrong as poſſible,
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              the Plaiſtering tight and by no means ſubject
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              to crack. </s>
              <s>The Mouth of the Sluice muſt be
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              ſtopt with a Flood-gate, with which you may
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              ſhut out the Water when it happens to be tur­
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              bid, and by means whereof you may have an
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              Opportunity to mend any Part of the Aque­
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              duct which is decayed, without being prevent­
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              ed by the Water; and this Flood-gate muſt
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              have a Grate of Braſs to it, that Water may
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              flow into the Aqueduct clearer and more re­
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              fined, leaving behind it the Leaves, Boughs
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              and other Traſh that fall into it. </s>
              <s>At every
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              hundred Cubits muſt be either a Conduit-head,
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              or a Mill-dam twenty Foot broad, thirty long,
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              and fifteen deep below the Bottom of the Chan­
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              nel; and theſe are made to the Intent that
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              thoſe Waters which either fall into the Aque­
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              duct from the Earth, or are thrown into it too
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              violently, may have a Place to ſubſide below
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              the other Stream, which by that means will
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              have room to flow on more refined and clear.
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              </s>
              <s>The Mouth of the Aqueduct for diſcharging </s>
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          </chap>
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