CHAP. XIII.
Whether the Obſervation of Times and Seaſons is of any Uſe in beginning a
Building; what Seaſon is moſt convenient; as alſo, with what Auguries or
Prayers we ought to ſet out upon our Work.
Building; what Seaſon is moſt convenient; as alſo, with what Auguries or
Prayers we ought to ſet out upon our Work.
Having got ready the Materials before
ſpoken of, it remains now that we pro
ceed to treat of the Work itſelf. For as to the
providing of Iron, Braſs, Lead, Glaſs, and the
like, it requires no Care, but merely the Buy
ing, and having them in Readineſs, that your
Building may not ſtand ſtill for them; tho'
we ſhall in due Time lay down ſome Inſtruc
tions about the Choice and Diſtribution of
them, which is of Conſequence to the com
pleating and adorning the Work. And we
ſhall take and conſider the Structure from the
Foundation, in the ſame Manner as if we were
actually about doing the Work ourſelves. But
here I muſt again admoniſh you to conſider
the Times, both with Relation to the Publick,
and to yourſelf and Family, whether they are
troubleſome or peaceable, proſperous or cala
mitous, leſt we expoſe ourſelves to Envy, if we
go on with our Undertaking, or to Loſs if we
give it over. We ſhould alſo have a particu
lar Regard to the Seaſon of the Year; for we
ſee that Buildings begun and proſecuted
in Winter, eſpecially in a cold Climate,
are taken with the Froſt, or in Summer,
in a hot Climate, dry'd up with the Heat before
ever they have faſten'd. For this Reaſon it
was that Frontinus, the Architect, advis'd us
never to undertake ſuch a Work but in a pro
per Seaſon of the Year, which is from the Be
ginning of April to the Beginning of Novem
ber, reſting, however, in the greateſt Heat
of Summer. But I am for haſtening or delay
ing the Work juſt according to the Difference
of the Climate and of the Weather; and there
fore if you are prepar'd with all the Things before
recited, and your Convenience ſuits, you have
nothing to do but to mark out the Area of
your Structure in the Ground, with all its
Lines, Angles and Dimenſions. But there are
ſome who tell us that in Building we ſhould
obſerve and wait for happy Auſpices, and that
it is of the utmoſt Importance from what par
ticular Point of Time the Structure is to date
its Being. They relate, that Lucius Tarutius
found out the exact Nativity of Rome, only
by the Obſervation of the Turns in its For
tune. The wiſeſt Men among the Ancients
had ſuch an Opinion of the Conſequence of
the Moment of the Beginning a Thing might
have as to its future Succeſs, that Julius Fer
micus Maturnus tells us of ſome Mathematici
ans that pretended to have diſcover'd the very
inſtant when the World had its Beginning,
and that wrote very accurately about it: For
Æſculapius, and Anubius, and Petoſiris, and
Necepſo, who only wrote from them, ſay that
it begun juſt at the Riſing of the Crab, when
the Moon was fourteen Days old, the Sun
being in Leo, Saturn in Capricorn, Jupiter in
Sagittary, Mars in Scorpio, Venus in Libra,
and Mercury in Virgo. And indeed, if we
rightly conſider them, the Times may have a
great Influence in Things. For how is it elſe,
that in the ſhorteſt Day of the Year, the
Penny-royal, tho' quite dry, ſprouts and flou
riſhes; Bladders that are blown up burſt; the
Leaves of Willows, and the Kernels of Apples
turn and change Sides; and that the ſmall
Fibres of a Shell-fiſh correſpond, increaſe and
decreaſe with the Increaſe and Decreaſe of
the Moon. I muſt confeſs, though I have
not ſo much Faith in the Profeſſors of this
Science, and the Obſervers of Times and Sea
ſons, as to believe their Art can influence the
Fortune of any Thing, yet I think they are not
to be deſpiſed when they argue for the Happi
neſs or Adverſity of ſuch ſtated Times as theſe
from the Diſpoſition of the Heavens. But let
this be as it will, the following their Inſtructi
ons may be of great Service, if true; and can
do little harm, if falſe. I might here add ſome
ridiculous Circumſtances which the Ancients
obſerved in the Beginning of their Undertakings;
but I would not have them interpreted in a
wrong Senſe; and indeed they deſerve only to
be laughed at, who would perſwade us that
the very Marking out of the Platform ought
to be done under proper Auſpices. The An
cients were ſo governed by theſe Superſtitions,
that in making out the Liſts of their Armies,
ſpoken of, it remains now that we pro
ceed to treat of the Work itſelf. For as to the
providing of Iron, Braſs, Lead, Glaſs, and the
like, it requires no Care, but merely the Buy
ing, and having them in Readineſs, that your
Building may not ſtand ſtill for them; tho'
we ſhall in due Time lay down ſome Inſtruc
tions about the Choice and Diſtribution of
them, which is of Conſequence to the com
pleating and adorning the Work. And we
ſhall take and conſider the Structure from the
Foundation, in the ſame Manner as if we were
actually about doing the Work ourſelves. But
here I muſt again admoniſh you to conſider
the Times, both with Relation to the Publick,
and to yourſelf and Family, whether they are
troubleſome or peaceable, proſperous or cala
mitous, leſt we expoſe ourſelves to Envy, if we
go on with our Undertaking, or to Loſs if we
give it over. We ſhould alſo have a particu
lar Regard to the Seaſon of the Year; for we
ſee that Buildings begun and proſecuted
in Winter, eſpecially in a cold Climate,
are taken with the Froſt, or in Summer,
in a hot Climate, dry'd up with the Heat before
ever they have faſten'd. For this Reaſon it
was that Frontinus, the Architect, advis'd us
never to undertake ſuch a Work but in a pro
per Seaſon of the Year, which is from the Be
ginning of April to the Beginning of Novem
ber, reſting, however, in the greateſt Heat
of Summer. But I am for haſtening or delay
ing the Work juſt according to the Difference
of the Climate and of the Weather; and there
fore if you are prepar'd with all the Things before
recited, and your Convenience ſuits, you have
nothing to do but to mark out the Area of
your Structure in the Ground, with all its
Lines, Angles and Dimenſions. But there are
ſome who tell us that in Building we ſhould
obſerve and wait for happy Auſpices, and that
it is of the utmoſt Importance from what par
ticular Point of Time the Structure is to date
its Being. They relate, that Lucius Tarutius
found out the exact Nativity of Rome, only
by the Obſervation of the Turns in its For
tune. The wiſeſt Men among the Ancients
had ſuch an Opinion of the Conſequence of
the Moment of the Beginning a Thing might
have as to its future Succeſs, that Julius Fer
micus Maturnus tells us of ſome Mathematici
ans that pretended to have diſcover'd the very
inſtant when the World had its Beginning,
and that wrote very accurately about it: For
Æſculapius, and Anubius, and Petoſiris, and
Necepſo, who only wrote from them, ſay that
it begun juſt at the Riſing of the Crab, when
the Moon was fourteen Days old, the Sun
being in Leo, Saturn in Capricorn, Jupiter in
Sagittary, Mars in Scorpio, Venus in Libra,
and Mercury in Virgo. And indeed, if we
rightly conſider them, the Times may have a
great Influence in Things. For how is it elſe,
that in the ſhorteſt Day of the Year, the
Penny-royal, tho' quite dry, ſprouts and flou
riſhes; Bladders that are blown up burſt; the
Leaves of Willows, and the Kernels of Apples
turn and change Sides; and that the ſmall
Fibres of a Shell-fiſh correſpond, increaſe and
decreaſe with the Increaſe and Decreaſe of
the Moon. I muſt confeſs, though I have
not ſo much Faith in the Profeſſors of this
Science, and the Obſervers of Times and Sea
ſons, as to believe their Art can influence the
Fortune of any Thing, yet I think they are not
to be deſpiſed when they argue for the Happi
neſs or Adverſity of ſuch ſtated Times as theſe
from the Diſpoſition of the Heavens. But let
this be as it will, the following their Inſtructi
ons may be of great Service, if true; and can
do little harm, if falſe. I might here add ſome
ridiculous Circumſtances which the Ancients
obſerved in the Beginning of their Undertakings;
but I would not have them interpreted in a
wrong Senſe; and indeed they deſerve only to
be laughed at, who would perſwade us that
the very Marking out of the Platform ought
to be done under proper Auſpices. The An
cients were ſo governed by theſe Superſtitions,
that in making out the Liſts of their Armies,