Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              Mountains; others damp and waſhy, as are
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              thoſe which lie near Seas or Lakes, or in Bot­
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              toms between Hills. </s>
              <s>Others are ſo ſituated as
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              to be neither always dry nor always wet, which
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              is the Nature of caſy Aſcents, where the
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              Water does not lie and ſoak, but runs gently
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              off. </s>
              <s>We muſt never truſt too haſtily to any
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              Ground, tho' it does reſiſt the Pick-axe, for
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              it may be in a Plain, and be infirm, the Con­
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              ſequence of which might be the Ruin of the
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              whole Work. </s>
              <s>I have ſeen a Tower at
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              Meſtri,
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              a Place belonging to the
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              Venetians,
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              which in
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              a few Years after it was built, made its Way
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              thro' the Ground it ſtood upon, which, as
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              the Fact evinced, was a looſe weak Soil, and
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              bury'd itſelf in Earth, up to the very Battle­
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              ments. </s>
              <s>For this Reaſon they are very much
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              to be blamed, who not being provided by Na­
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              ture with a Soil fit to ſupport the Weight of
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              an Edifice, and Lightning upon the Ruins or
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              Remains of ſome old Structure, do not take
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              the Pains to examine the Goodneſs of its Foun­
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              dation, but inconſiderately raiſe great Piles of
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              Building upon it, and out of the Avarice of
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              ſaving a little Expence, throw away all the
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              Money they lay out in the Work. </s>
              <s>It is there­
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              fore excellent Advice, the firſt Thing you do
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              to dig Wells, for ſeveral Reaſons, and eſpeci­
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              ally in order to get acquainted with the Strata
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              of the Earth, whether ſound enough to bear
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              the Superſtructure, or likely to give way. </s>
              <s>Add,
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              likewiſe, that the Water you find in them, and
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              the Stuff you dig out, will be of great Service
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              to you in ſeveral Parts of your Work; and
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              moreover, that the Opening ſuch Vents will be
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              a great Security to the Firmneſs of the Build­
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              ing, and prevent its being injured by ſubter­
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              rancous Exhalations. </s>
              <s>Having therefore, either
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              by digging a Well, or a Ciſtern, or a Shoar, or
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              any other Hole of that Nature, made yourſelf
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              thoroughly acquainted with the Veins or
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              Layers of the Earth, you are to make Choice
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              of that which you may moſt ſafely truſt with
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              your Superſtructure. </s>
              <s>In Eminences, or where­
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              ever elſe the Water is running down waſhes
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              away the Ground, the deeper you make your
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              Trench, the better. </s>
              <s>And that the Hills are
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              actually eaten and waſh'd away, and waſted
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              more and more daily by continual Rains, is
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              evident ſrom the Caverns and Rocks which
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              every Day grow more viſible, whereas at firſt
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              they were ſo cover'd with Earth that we could
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              hardly perceive them. </s>
              <s>Mount
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              Morello,
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              which
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              is about
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              Florence,
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              in the Days of our Fathers
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              was all over cover'd with Firs; and now it is
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              quite wild and naked; occaſion'd, as I ſup­
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              poſe, by the Waſhing of the Rain In Situ­
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              ations upon Slopes,
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              Columella
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              directs us to be­
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              gin our Foundations at the loweſt Part of the
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              Slope firſt; which is certainly very right, for
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              beſides that whatever you lay there will always
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              ſtand firm and unmoveable in its Place, it will
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              alſo ſerve as a Prop or Buttreſs, to whatever
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              you add to the upper Parts, if you aftewards
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              think fit to enlarge your Structure. </s>
              <s>You will
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              alſo thereby diſcover and provide againſt thoſe
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              Defects which ſometimes happen in ſuch Tren­
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              ches by the cracking or falling in of the Earth. </s>
              <s>In
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              marſhy Grounds, you ſhould make your Trench
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              very wide, and fortify both Sides of it with
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              Stakes, Hurdles, Planks, Sea-weeds, and Clay,
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              ſo ſtrongly that no Water may get in; then
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              you muſt draw off every drop of Water that
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              happens to be left within your Frame-work,
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              and dig out the Sand, and clear away the Mud
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              from the Bottom till you have firm dry Ground
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              to ſet your Foot upon. </s>
              <s>The ſame you are to
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              do in ſandy Ground, as far as Neceſſity requires.
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              </s>
              <s>Moreover, the Bottom of the Trench
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              muſt be laid exactly level, not ſloping on
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              either Side, that the Materials laid upon it may
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              be equally balanced. </s>
              <s>There is a natural in­
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              ſtinct in all heavy Bodies to lean and preſs
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              upon the loweſt Parts. </s>
              <s>There are other
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              Things which they direct us to do in marſhy
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              Situations, but they belong rather to the Wal­
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              ling than to the Foundations. </s>
              <s>They order us to
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              drive into the Ground a great Number of
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              Stakes and Piles burnt at the End, and ſet
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              with their Heads downwards, ſo as to have
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              a Surface of twice the Breadth that we intend
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              for our Wall; that theſe Piles ſhould never be
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              leſs in length than the eighth Part of the
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              Heighth of the Wall to be built upon them,
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              and for their Thickneſs, it ſhould be the
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              twelſth Part of their Length, and no leſs. </s>
              <s>Laſtly
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              they ſhould be drove in ſo cloſe that their is
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              not room for one more. </s>
              <s>The Inſtrument we
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              uſe for driving in theſe Piles, whatever Sort it
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              it is of, ſhould do its Buſineſs by a great many
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              repeated Strokes; for when it is too heavy,
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              coming down with an immenſe and intolerable
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              Force, it breaks and ſplits the Timber; but the
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              continual Repetition of gentle Strokes wearies
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              and overcomes the greateſt Hardneſs and Obſti­
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              nacy of the Ground. </s>
              <s>You have an Inſtance of this
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              when you go to drive a ſmall Nail into a hard
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              Piece of Timber; if you uſe a great heavy
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              Hammer, it won't do; but if you work with
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              a manageable light one, it penetrates imme-</s>
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