Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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          <chap>
            <pb xlink:href="003/01/044.jpg" pagenum="33"/>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. IX.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Some Things worthy Memorial, relating to Stones, left us by the Ancients.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>It will not be foreign to our Purpoſe to hear
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              what a Variety there is in Stones, and
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              what admirable Qualities ſome are endued
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              with, that we may be able to apply each to its
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              propereſt Uſe. </s>
              <s>In the Territory of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Bolſena
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              and
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Stratone,
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              they tell us there is a Stone extremely
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              proper for all Manner of Buildings, which nei­
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              ther Fire nor any Injuries of Weather ever af­
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              fects, and which preſerves the Lineaments of
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              Statues beyond any other.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Tacitus
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              writes, that
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              when
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Nero
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              repaired the City, which lay in
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              Ruins by the Flames, he made uſe of the
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              Al­
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              banian
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              and
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              Gabinian
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              Stone for Beams, becauſe
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              the Fire never hurts that Stone.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>IN the Territory of the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Genoeſe
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              and of
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              Ve­
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              nice,
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              in the Dutchy of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Spoletto,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              in the March
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              of
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              Anconia,
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              and near
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              Burgundy,
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              they find a
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              white Stone, which is eaſily cut with a Saw
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              and poliſh'd, which if it were not for the
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              Weakneſs and Brittleneſs of its Nature, would
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              be uſed by every body; but any thing of
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              Froſt or Wet rots and breaks it, and it is not
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              ſtrong enough to reſiſt the Winds from the
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              Sea.
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              Iſtria
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              produces a Stone very like Marble,
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              but if touch'd either by Flame or Vapour, it
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              immediately flies in Pieces, which indeed is
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              ſaid to be the Caſe of all Stones, eſpecially of
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              Flint both white and black, that they cannot
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              endure Fire.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>IN the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Campagna di Roma
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              is a Stone of the
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              Colour of black Aſhes, in which there ſeems
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              to be Coals mix'd and interſpers'd, which is
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              beyond Imagination eaſy to be wrought with
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              Iron, thoroughly ſound, and not weak againſt
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              Fire or Weather; but it is ſo dry and thirſty,
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              that it preſently drinks and burns up the Moi­
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              ſture of the Cement, and reduces it perfectly
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              into Powder, ſo that the Junctures opening,
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              the Work preſently decays and falls to Ruins.
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              </s>
              <s>But round Stones, and eſpecially thoſe which
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              are found in Rivers, are of a Nature directly
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              contrary; for being always moiſt, they never
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              bind with the Cement. </s>
              <s>But what a ſurprizing
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              Diſcovery is this which has been made, name­
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              ly, that the Marble in the Quarry grows! in
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              theſe our Days they have found at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              under
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              Ground a Number of ſmall Pieces of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Trever­
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              tine
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              Stone, very porous and ſpungy, which by
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              the Nouriſhment (if we may ſo call it) given
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              it by the Earth and by Time, are grown to­
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              gether into one Piece.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>IN the Lake
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              di pie di Luco,
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              in that Part
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              where the Water tumbles down a broken Pre­
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              cipice into the River
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              Nera,
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              you may perceive
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              that the upper Edge of the Bank has grown
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              continually, inſomuch that ſome have believ'd
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              that this Encreaſe and Growth of the Stone
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              has in Length of Time cloſed up the Mouth
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              of the Valley and turn'd it into a Lake.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>BELOW
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              la Baſilicata,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              not far from the River
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Silari,
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              on that Side where the Water flows
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              from ſome high Rocks towards the Eaſt, there
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              are daily ſeen to grow huge Pieces of hanging
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              Stone, of ſuch a Magnitude, that any one of
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              them would be a Load for ſeveral Carts. </s>
              <s>This
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              Stone while it is freſh and moiſt with its natu­
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              ral Juices, is very ſoft; but when it is dry, it
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              grows extremely hard, and very good for all
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              Manner of Uſes. </s>
              <s>I have known the like hap­
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              pen in ancient Aqueducts, whoſe Mouths,
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              having contracted a Kind of Gummineſs, have
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              ſeem'd incruſted all over with Stone. </s>
              <s>There
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              are two very remarkable Things to be ſeen at
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              this Day in
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              Romania:
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              In the Country of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Imola
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              is a very ſteep Torrent, which daily
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              throws out, ſometimes in one Place and ſome­
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              times in another, a great Number of round
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              Stones, generated within the Bowels of the
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              Earth: In the Territory of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Faenza,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              on the
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              Banks of the River
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              Lamona,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              there are found a
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              great many Stones, naturally long and large,
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              which continually throw out a conſiderable
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              Quantity of Salt, which in Proceſs of Time is
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              thought to grow into Stone too. </s>
              <s>In that of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Florence,
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              near the River
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              Chiane,
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              there is a Piece
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              of Ground all ſtrew'd over with hard Stones,
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              which every ſeven Years diſſolve into Clods of
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              Earth.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Pliny
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              relates, that near
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cizicus,
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              and about
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Caſſandra,
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              the Clods of Earth turn into Stone.
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              </s>
              <s>In
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Pozzuolo
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              there is a Duſt which hardens into
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              Stone, if mix'd with Sea-water. </s>
              <s>All the Way
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              upon the Shore from
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              Oropus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              to
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              Aulis,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              every
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              thing that is waſh'd by the Sea is petrified.
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Diodorus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              writes, that in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Arabia
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              the Clods dug
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              out of the Ground have a ſweet Smell, and </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
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    </archimedes>
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