Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              Pay, only to preſerve and look after the pub­
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              lick Buildings.
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              Agrippa
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              left Pay for two hun­
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              dred and fifty for this Purpoſe, and
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              Cæſar
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              for
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              no leſs than four hundred and ſixty; and they
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              dedicated the next fifteen Feet to the Structure
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              to lie quite clear by their Aqueducts, that their
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              Sides or Arches might not breed any Weeds
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              to demoliſh them. </s>
              <s>The ſame ſeems to have
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              been done even by private Perſons, with re­
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              lation to thoſe Edifices which they were de­
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              ſirous to have eternal; for we find, that the
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              Inſcription upon their Sepulchres generally
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              mentioned how many Foot of Ground was
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              conſecrated to Religion in that Structure;
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              ſometimes it was fifteen, ſometimes twenty.
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              </s>
              <s>But not to fall into a Repetition of theſe Things,
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              the Ancients thought, that you might entirely
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              deſtroy a Tree even after it was pretty well
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              grown, if in ſome Part of the Dog-days you
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              cut it down to the Height of one Foot, and
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              boring a Hole through the Heart, pour into it
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              Oil of Vitriol mixed with Powder of Brimſtone,
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              or elſe ſprinkling it plentifully with a Decoc­
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              tion of burnt Bean-ſhells.
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              Columella
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              ſays, that
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              you may deſtroy a Wood with the Flower of
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              Hops ſteept one Day in Juice of Hemlock,
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              ſtrewed about the Roots.
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              Solinus
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              ſays, that a
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              Tree touched with the Menſtrua will loſe its
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              Leaves, and ſome affirm, that it will even kill
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              the Tree.
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              Pliny
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              ſays, that a Tree may be
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              killed by touching the Root with a wild Car­
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              rot. </s>
              <s>But to return to the Defects of a Wall.
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              </s>
              <s>If a Wall be thinner than it ought to be, we
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              muſt either apply a new Wall to the old one,
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              in ſuch a Manner that they may make but
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              one; or, to avoid the Expence of this, we
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              may only ſtrengthen it with Ribs, that is to
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              ſay, with Pilaſters or Columns. </s>
              <s>A new Wall
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              may be ſuperinduced to an old one, as follows.
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              </s>
              <s>In ſeveral Parts of the old Wall fix ſtrong
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              Catches made of the ſoundeſt Stone, ſticking
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              out in ſuch a Manner as to enter into the Wall
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              which you are going to join to the other, and
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              to be in the Nature of Bands between the two
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              Walls; and your Wall in this Caſe ſhould al­
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              ways be built of ſquare Stone. </s>
              <s>You may for­
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              tify an old Wall with a new Pilaſter, in the
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              following Manner. </s>
              <s>Firſt mark out its future
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              Breadth upon the Wall with red Oker. </s>
              <s>Then
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              open a Break in the Bottom of the Wall quite
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              down below the Foundation, in Breadth ſome
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              ſmall Matter more than your Pilaſter, but not
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              very high. </s>
              <s>Then immediately fill up this Break
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              with ſquare Stone worked together ſtrong and
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              even. </s>
              <s>By this Means that Part of the Wall
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              which is between the red Marks will be ſhored
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              up by the Thickneſs of the Pilaſter, and ſo the
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              whole will be made ſtronger. </s>
              <s>Then in the
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              ſame Manner that you have laid the Bottom of
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              this Pilaſter you muſt go on to work up the
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              Body of it quite to the Top. </s>
              <s>Thus much of
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              a Wall that is too thin. </s>
              <s>Where the Wall has
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              not made good Bond, we muſt uſe Cramps or
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              Spars of Iron, or rather of Braſs; but you
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              muſt take great Care that you do not weaken
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              the Ribs by boring the Holes from them. </s>
              <s>If
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              the Weight of any crumbling Earth puſhes
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              againſt ſome Part of the Wall, and threatens
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              Injury to it by its Humidity, dig a Trench
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              along the Wall as broad as you find it neceſ­
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              ſary, and in this Trench build ſome Arches to
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              ſupport the Weight of the Earth which is
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              falling in, with a Current or Drain through
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              theſe Arches for the Humidity to purge off
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              by; ot elſe lay ſome Girders along the Ground
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              with the Heads ſetting againſt the Wall which
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              is ſhoved out by the Weight of the Earth, and
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              let the Heads of theſe Girders into Summers,
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              which you may cover over with new Earth.
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              </s>
              <s>This will ſtrengthen the Foundation, becauſe
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              this new Earth will conſolidate, and grow
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              compact, before the Strength of the Girders
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              will give Way.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. XVII.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
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              Of ſome Defects which cannot be provided againſt, but which may be repaired
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              after they have happened.
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              </s>
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              <s>I now proceed to thoſe Defects which can­
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              not be foreſeen, but which when they have
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              happened may be repaired. </s>
              <s>Cracks in the
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              Wall and Inclination from the Perpendicular,
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              are ſometimes occaſioned by the Arches over it,
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              which puſh out the Wall, or becauſe it is not
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              ſufficiently ſtrong to bear the Weight which is
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              laid upon it. </s>
              <s>But the greateſt Defects of this
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              Sort almoſt conſtantly proceed from ſome Faults
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              in the Foundation; however we may eaſily </s>
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