Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              And we ſhall find, that if they are well rubb'd
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              and poliſhed, they will defy the Fury of the
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              Weather. </s>
              <s>The ſame is true of Stones that are
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              poliſhed, which thereby eſcape being eaten
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              with Ruſt. </s>
              <s>And it is thought that Bricks
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              ſhould be rubbed and ground either immedi­
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              ately upon their being taken out of the Kiln,
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              before they are wetted; or when they have
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              been wetted, before they are dry again; be­
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              cauſe when once they have been wetted and
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              afterwards dryed, they grow ſo hard that they
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              will turn and break the Edge of the Tool;
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              but they are eaſier to grind when they are new,
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              and hardly cold. </s>
              <s>There were three Sorts of
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              Bricks among the Ancients; the Firſt was a
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              Foot and an Half Long, and a Foot Bread, the
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              Second fifteen Inches every Way, the Third a
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              Foot. </s>
              <s>We ſee in ſome of their Buildings, and
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              eſpecially in their Arches and
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              Moſaick
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              Works,
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              Bricks two Foot every Way. </s>
              <s>We are told that
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              the Ancients did not uſe the ſame Sort of Brick
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              in their publick as in their private Edifices. </s>
              <s>I
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              have obſerved in ſeveral of their Structures, and
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              particularly in the
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              Appian
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              Way, ſeveral dif­
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              ferent Sorts of Bricks, ſome bigger, ſome ſmall­
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              er; ſo that I ſuppoſe they uſed them indiffe­
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              rently, and put in Practice not only what was
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              abſolutely neceſſary for Uſe, but any Thing
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              that came into their Fancy, or which they
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              thought would conduce to the Beauty of the
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              Work. </s>
              <s>But, not to mention others, I have
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              ſeen ſome not longer than ſix Inches, and not
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              thicker than one, nor broader than three; but
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              theſe they chiefly uſed in their Pavements,
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg3"/>
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              where they were laid edgeways. </s>
              <s>I am beſt
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              pleaſed with their triangular ones, which they
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              made in this Manner; they made one large
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              Brick, a Foot Square, and an Inch and an
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              Half Thick; and while it was freſh they cut
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              it in two Lines croſſways from one Angle to
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              the other, which divided it into four equal
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              Triangles. </s>
              <s>Theſe Bricks had the follow­
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              ing Advantages, they took up leſs Clay, they
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              were eaſier to diſpoſe in the Kiln and to take
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              out again, they were more convenient for
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              working, becauſe the Bricklayer could hold
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              four of them in one Hand, and with a ſmail
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              Stroke divide the one ſrom the other; when
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              placed in the Wall, with their Fronts ſoremoſt
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              and their Angles inward, they appeared like
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              compleat Bricks of a Foot Long: This made
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              the Expence leſs, the Work more graceful, and
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              the Wall ſtronger; for as there ſeemed to be
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              none but entire Bricks in the Wall, the Angles
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              being ſet like Teeth in the Rubbiſh that was
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              laid in the Middle, made it extremely ſtrong
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              and durable. </s>
              <s>After the Bricks are moulded,
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              they direct that they ſhould not be put into the
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              Kiln till they are perfectly dry, and they ſay
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              they never are ſo under two Years; and they
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              are reckoned to dry better in the Shade than in
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              the Sun: But of theſe too enough, unleſs we
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              will add that in all this Sort of Works, which
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              are called Plaſtick, they reckon excellent,
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              among others, the Earth that is called
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              Samian,
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              the
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              Aretinian,
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              and the
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              Modeneze;
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              in
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              Spain,
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              the
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              Saguntan;
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              and the
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              Pergamean
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              in
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              Aſia.
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              Nor will I conſult Brevity ſo much as to omit,
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              that whatever I have here ſaid of Bricks, will
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              hold good of all Sorts of Tiles for Roofs of
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              Houſes or Gutters, and in a Word, of all Man­
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              ner of Works made of baked Earth. </s>
              <s>We have
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              treated of Stone, let us now proceed to ſpeak
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              of Lime.</s>
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              <s>
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              *</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. XI.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>
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              Of the Nature of Lime and Plaiſter of Paris, their Uſes and Kinds, wherein
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              they agree and wherein they differ, and of ſome Things not unworthy of
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              Memory.
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              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cato
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              the Cenſor, condemns Lime made
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              of different Sorts of Stone, and takes that
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              which is made of Flint to be good for no Man­
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              ner of Work whatſoever; beſides, in making
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              of Lime all Stone is extremely improper that
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              is dry and exhauſted, or rotten, and which in
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              burning has nothing in it for the Fire to con­
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              ſume, as all mouldering Stone, and the reddiſh
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              and pale ones, which are found near
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              Rome
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              in
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              the Country of the
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              Fidenates
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              and
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              Albanians.
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              The Lime commended by the beſt Judges, is
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              that which loſes a third Part of its Weight by
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              burning; beſides, Stone that is too moiſt in its
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              Nature, is apt to vitrify in the Fire, ſo as to be
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              of no Uſe for making of Lime.
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              Pliny
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              ſays,
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              that the green, or
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              Serpentine
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              -ſtone mightily
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              reſiſts the Fire; but we know very well that
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              the
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              Porphiry
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              will not only not burn itſelf, but
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              </s>
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