Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              to adorn our Work, I ſhall omit them, and
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              proceed to treat of the Method of Building as
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              addreſſing myſelf to Artificers approv'd for
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              Skill and Experience, with more Freedom
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              than perhaps would be allow'd by thoſe who
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              are ſor more exact philoſophiſing.
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              Cato
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              adviſes
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              to dig the Stone in Summer, to let it lie in the
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              open Air, and not to uſe it under two Years:
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              In Summer, to the Intent that it may grow
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              accuſtom'd by Degrees to Wind, Rain, and
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              Froſt, and other Inclemencies of the Weather,
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              which it had not felt before. </s>
              <s>For if Stone,
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              immediately upon its being dug out of the
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              Quarry, while it is full of its native Juice and
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              Humidity, is expos'd to ſevere Winds and
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              ſudden Froſts, it will ſplit and break to Pieces.
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              </s>
              <s>It ſhould be kept in the open Air, in order to
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              prove the Goodneſs of each particular Stone,
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              and how well it is able to reſiſt the Accidents
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              that injure it, making Experiment by this ſmall
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              Trial, how long they are likely to hold againſt
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              the Aſſaults of Time. </s>
              <s>They ſhould not be
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              uſed under two Years, to the Intent that you
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              may have Time to find out ſuch among them
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              as are weak in their Nature, and likely to dam­
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              age the Work, and to ſeperate them from the
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              good ones; for it is certain, in one and the
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              ſame Kind of Stones there is a Difference in
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              Goodneſs of any Sort of Stone, and its Fit­
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              neſs for this or that particular Situation, is beſt
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              learnt from Uſe and Experience; and you
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              may much ſooner come at their Values and
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              Properties from old Buildings, than from the
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              Writings and Precepts of Philoſphers. </s>
              <s>How­
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              ever, to ſay ſomething briefly of Stones in ge­
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              neral, we will beg Leave to offer the follow­
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              ing Obſervations.</s>
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              <s>ALL white Stone is ſofter than red, the clear
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              is more eaſily wrought than the Cloudy, and
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              the more like Salt it looks, the harder it is to
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              work. </s>
              <s>Stone that looks as if it were ſtrew'd
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              over with a bright ſhining Sand, is harſh; if
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              little Sparks, as it were, of Gold are intermix'd,
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              it will be ſtubborn; if it has a Kind of little
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              black Points in it, it will be hard to get out
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              of the Quarry: That which is ſpotted with
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              angular Drops is ſtronger than that which has
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              round ones, and the ſmaller thoſe Drops are,
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              the harder it will be; and the finer and clearer
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              the Colour is, the longer it will laſt. </s>
              <s>The
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              Stone that has feweſt Veins, will be moſt
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              entire, and when the Veins come neareſt in
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              Colour to the adjoining Parts of the Stone, it
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              will prove moſt equal throughout: The ſmaller
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              the Veins, the handſomer; the more winding
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              they run, the more untoward; and the more
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              knotty, the worſe, Of theſe Veins that is
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              moſt apt to ſplit which has in the Middle a
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              reddiſh Streak, or of the Colour of rotten
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              Oker. </s>
              <s>Much of the ſame Nature is that which
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              is ſtain'd here and there with the Colour of
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              faded Graſs, but the moſt difficult of all is
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              ſuch as looks like a cloudy Piece of Ice. </s>
              <s>A
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              Multitude of Veins ſhews the Stone to be de­
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              ceitful and apt to crack; and the ſtraiter they
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              are, the more unſaithful. </s>
              <s>Upon breaking a
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              Stone, the more fine and poliſh'd the Frag­
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              ments appear, the cloſer bodied it is; and that
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              which when broken has its Outſide the leaſt
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              rugged, will be more manageable than thoſe
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              which are rough. </s>
              <s>Of the Rough ones, thoſe
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              which are whiteſt will be worſt for working;
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              whereas, on the Contrary, in brown Stones,
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              thoſe of the ſmalleſt and fineſt Grain are leaſt
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              obedient to the Tool. </s>
              <s>All mean ordinary
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              Stones are the Harder for being ſpungy, and
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              that which being ſprinkled with Water is long­
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              eſt in drying, is the moſt crude.</s>
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              <s>ALL heavy Stones are more ſolid and eaſier
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              to poliſh than light ones, which upon rubbing
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              is much more apt to come off in Flakes than
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              ſuch as are heavy. </s>
              <s>That which upon being
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              ſtruck gives the beſt Sound, is cloſer made than
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              that which ſounds dull; and that which upon
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              ſtrong Friction ſmells of Sulphur, is ſtronger
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              than that which yields no Smell at all. </s>
              <s>Laſt­
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              ly, that which makes the moſt Reſiſtance againſt
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              the Chizzel will be moſt firm and rigid againſt
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              the Violence of Storms. </s>
              <s>They ſay, that thoſe
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              Stones which hold together in the largeſt Scant­
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              lings at the Mouth of the Quarry, are firmeſt
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              againſt the Weather. </s>
              <s>All Stone too is ſofter
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              when it is juſt dug up, than after it has been
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              ſome Time in the Air, and when it is wetted,
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              or ſoſtened with Water, is more yielding to the
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              Tool than when it is dry. </s>
              <s>Alſo ſuch Stones as
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              are dug out of the moiſteſt Part of the Quarry,
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              will be the cloſeſt when they come to be dry;
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              and it is thought that Stones are eaſier wrought
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              in a South-wind than in a North, and are more
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              apt to ſplit in a North-wind than in a South.
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              </s>
              <s>But if you have a Mind to make an Experi­
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              ment how your Stone will hold out againſt
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              Time, you may judge from hence: If a Piece
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              of it, which you ſoak in Water, increaſes much
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              of its Weight, it will be apt to be rotted by
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              Moiſture; and that which flies to Pieces in
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              Fire, will bear neither Sun nor Heat. </s>
              <s>Neither
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              do I think that we ought to omit here ſome
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              Things worthy Memorial, which the Ancients
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              relate of ſome Stones.</s>
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