Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              fore go on to collect thoſe Rules which the
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              moſt approved Ancients have left us in many
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              and various Places, and to theſe, according to
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              our Cuſtom, we ſhall add whatever we our­
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              ſelves have deduced from antique Works, or
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              the Inſtructions of moſt experienced Artificers,
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              if we happen to know any Thing that may be
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              ſerviceable to our Purpoſe. </s>
              <s>And I believe it
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              will be the beſt Method, following Nature
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              herſelf, to begin with thoſe Things which were
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              ſirſt in Uſe among Men in their Buildings;
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              which, if we miſtake not, were Timber Trees
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              which they fell'd in the Woods: Though
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              among Authors, I find, ſome are divided
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              upon this very Subject. </s>
              <s>Some will have it,
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              that Men at firſt dwelt in Caves, and that
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              they and their Cattle were both ſheltered
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              under the ſame Roof; and therefore they
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              believe what
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              Pliny
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              tells us, that one
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              Gellius
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              Texius
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              was the firſt, that, in Imitation of Na­
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              ture built himſelf a Houſe of Mud.
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              Diodorus
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              ſays that
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              Veſta,
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              the Daughter of
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              Saturn,
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              was
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              the firſt that invented Houſes.
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              Euſebius
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              Pamphilus,
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              an excellent Searcher into Antiqui­
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              ty, tells us from the Teſtimony of the Ancients,
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              that the Grandſons of
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              Protogenes
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              firſt taught
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              Men the Building of Houſes, which they
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              patch'd up of Reeds and Bullruſhes: But to
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              return to our Subject. </s>
              <s>The Ancients, then,
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              and particularly
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              Theophraſtus,
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              inform us, that
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              moſt Trees, and eſpecially the Fir, the Pitch­
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              tree and the Pine, ought to be cut immediately,
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              when they begin to put forth their young
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              Shoots, when through their abundance of Sap
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              you moſt eaſily ſtrip off the Bark. </s>
              <s>But that
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              there are ſome Trees, as the Maple, the Elm,
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              the Aſh, and the Linden, which are beſt cut
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              after Vintage. </s>
              <s>The Oak if cut in Summer,
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              they obſerve is apt to breed Worms; but if in
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              Winter, it will keep ſound and not ſplit.
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              </s>
              <s>And it is not foreign to our Purpoſe what they
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              remark, that Wood which is cut in Winter, in
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              a North Wind, though it be green, will never­
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              theleſs burn extremely well, and in a Manner
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              without Smoak; which manifeſtly ſhews that
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              their Juices are not crude, but well digeſted.
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Vitruvius
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              is for cutting Timber from the be­
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              ginning of Autumn, till ſuch Time as the ſoft
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              Weſterly Winds begin to blow. </s>
              <s>And
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              Heſiod
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              ſays, that when the Sun darts his burning Rays
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              directly upon our Heads, and turns Mens Com­
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              plections to brown, then is the Time for Har­
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              veſt, but that when the Trees drop their
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              Leaves, then is the Seaſon for cutting of Tim­
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              ber.
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              Cato
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              moderates the Matter thus; let the
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              Oak, ſays he, be felled during the Solſtice, be­
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              cauſe in Winter it is always out of Seaſon; other
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              Woods that bear Seed may be cut when that
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              is mature; thoſe that bear none, when you
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              pleaſe. </s>
              <s>Thoſe that have their Seeds green and
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              ripe at the ſame Time, ſhould be cut when
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              that is fallen, but the Elm when the Leaves
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              drop. </s>
              <s>And they ſay it is of very great Im­
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              portance, what Age the Moon is of when you
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              fell your Timber: For they are all of Opini­
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              on, and eſpecially
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              Varro,
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              that the Influence of
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              the Moon is ſo powerful over Things of this
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              Nature, that even they who cut their Heir in
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              the Wane of the Moon, ſhall ſoon grow bald;
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              and for this Reaſon, they tell us,
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              Tiberius
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              ob­
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              ſerved certain Days for cutting his Hair. </s>
              <s>The
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              Aſtrologers affirm, that your Spirits will al­
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              ways be oppreſſed with Melancholly, if you
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              cut your Nails or Hair while the Moon is op­
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              preſſed or ill diſpoſed. </s>
              <s>It is to our preſent
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              Purpoſe what they ſay, that ſuch Things as
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              are deſigned in their Uſes to be moveable,
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              ought to be cut and wrought when the Moon
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              is in
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              Libra
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              or
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              Cancer;
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              but ſuch as are to be
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              fixed and immoveable, when ſhe is in
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              Leo,
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              Taurus,
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              or the like. </s>
              <s>But that Timber ought
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              to be cut in the Wane of the Moon, all the
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              Learned are agreed, becauſe they hold that the
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              flegmatick Moiſture, ſo very liable to immedi­
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              ate Putrefaction, is then almoſt quite dried up,
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              and it is certain, that when it is cut in ſuch a
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              Moon, it is never apt to breed Worms. </s>
              <s>Hence
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              they ſay you ought to reap the Corn which
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              you intend to ſell, at full Moon; becauſe then
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              the Ears are full; but that which you intend
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              to keep in the Wane. </s>
              <s>It is alſo evident, that
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              the Leaves of Trees cropt in the Wane of the
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              Moon do not rot.
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              Columella
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              thinks it beſt to
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              fell Timber from the twentieth to the thirtieth
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              Day of the Moon's Age;
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              Vegetius,
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              from the
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              fifteenth to the two and twentieth; and hence
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              he ſuppoſes the religious Ceremony to ariſe, of
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              celebrating all Myſteries relating to Eternity
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              only on thoſe Days, becauſe Wood cut then
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              laſted in a Manner for ever. </s>
              <s>They add, that
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              we ſhould likewiſe obſerve the Setting of the
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              Moon. </s>
              <s>But
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              Pliny
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              thinks it a proper Time to
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              fell Trees when the Dog-ſtar reigns, and when
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              the Moon is in Conjunction with the Sun,
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              which Day is called an
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              Interlunium,
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              and ſays
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              it is good to wait for the Night of that Day
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              too, till the Moon is ſet. </s>
              <s>The Aſtronomers
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              ſay, the Reaſon of this is, becauſe the Action
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              of the Moon puts the Fluids of all Bodies into
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              Motion; and that therefore when thoſe Fluids </s>
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