Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
Text
Text Image
Image
XML
Thumbnail overview
Document information
None
Concordance
Figures
Thumbnails
Page concordance
<
1 - 30
31 - 60
61 - 90
91 - 120
121 - 150
151 - 180
181 - 210
211 - 240
241 - 270
271 - 300
301 - 320
>
Scan
Original
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
<
1 - 30
31 - 60
61 - 90
91 - 120
121 - 150
151 - 180
181 - 210
211 - 240
241 - 270
271 - 300
301 - 320
>
page
|<
<
of 320
>
>|
<
archimedes
>
<
text
>
<
body
>
<
chap
>
<
pb
xlink:href
="
003/01/060.jpg
"
pagenum
="
46
"/>
<
p
type
="
head
">
<
s
>CHAP. V.</
s
>
</
p
>
<
p
type
="
head
">
<
s
>
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Of the lower Courſes or Foundations, according to the Precepts and Example
<
lb
/>
of the Ancients.
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
</
s
>
</
p
>
<
p
type
="
main
">
<
s
>For making the lower Courſes, that is to
<
lb
/>
ſay, raiſing the Foundations up to the
<
lb
/>
Level of the Ground, I do not find any Precepts
<
lb
/>
among the Ancients, except this one, that all
<
lb
/>
Stones which, after being in the Air two Years,
<
lb
/>
diſcover any Defect, muſt be baniſh'd into the
<
lb
/>
Foundation. </
s
>
<
s
>For as in an Army, the ſluggiſh
<
lb
/>
and weak who cannot endure the Sun and
<
lb
/>
Duſt, are ſent home with Marks of Infamy,
<
lb
/>
ſo theſe ſoft enervated Stones ought to be re
<
lb
/>
jected, and left to an inglorious Repoſe in their
<
lb
/>
primitive Obſcurity. </
s
>
<
s
>Indeed I find by Hiſtorians,
<
lb
/>
that the Ancients took as much Care of the
<
lb
/>
Strength and Soundneſs of their Foundation in
<
lb
/>
all its Parts as of any other Part of the Wall.
<
lb
/>
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Aſithis,
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
the Son of
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Nicerinus,
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
King of
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Ægypt,
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
<
lb
/>
(the Author of the Law, that whoever was
<
lb
/>
ſued for Debt ſhould give the Corpſe of his
<
lb
/>
Father in Pawn) when he built a Pyramid of
<
lb
/>
Bricks to make his Foundations, drove Piles
<
lb
/>
into the Marſh, and laid his Bricks upon them.
<
lb
/>
</
s
>
<
s
>And we are inform'd that
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Cteſipho,
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
the excel
<
lb
/>
lent Architect that built the famous Temple
<
lb
/>
of
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Diana
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
at
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Epheſus,
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
having made Choice of
<
lb
/>
a level Piece of Ground, thoroughly drain'd,
<
lb
/>
and likely to be free from Earthquakes; that
<
lb
/>
he might not lay the Foundations of ſuch a
<
lb
/>
huge Pile in ſo looſe and unfaithful a Soil
<
lb
/>
without due Precautions, firſt made a Bottom
<
lb
/>
of Coals pounded to Duſt; then drove in Piles
<
lb
/>
with Fleeces and Coals wedged in between
<
lb
/>
Pile and Pile; and over theſe a Courſe of
<
lb
/>
Stone with very long Junctures.</
s
>
</
p
>
<
p
type
="
main
">
<
s
>WE find that about
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Jeruſalem,
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
in the
<
lb
/>
Foundations of their Publick Works, they
<
lb
/>
ſometimes uſed Stones thirty Feet long, and
<
lb
/>
not leſs than fifteen high. </
s
>
<
s
>But I have ob
<
lb
/>
ſerved, that in other Places, the Ancients,
<
lb
/>
who were wonderfully expert in managing of
<
lb
/>
great Works, followed different Rules and
<
lb
/>
Methods in filling up the Foundations. </
s
>
<
s
>In
<
lb
/>
the Sepulchre of the
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Antonini
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
they filled them
<
lb
/>
up with little Pieces of very hard Stone, each
<
lb
/>
not bigger than a Handful, and which they
<
lb
/>
perfectly drowned in Mortar. </
s
>
<
s
>In the
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Forum
<
lb
/>
Argentarium,
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
with Fragments of all Sorts of
<
lb
/>
broken Stones; in the
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Comitia,
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
with Bits of
<
lb
/>
the very worſt Sort of ſoft Stuff. </
s
>
<
s
>But I am
<
lb
/>
mightily pleaſed with thoſe who in the
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Tarpeia
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
<
lb
/>
imitated Nature, in a Contrivance particularly
<
lb
/>
well adapted to Hills; for as ſhe, in the For
<
lb
/>
mation of Mountains, mixes the ſofteſt Mate
<
lb
/>
rials with the hardeſt Stone, ſo theſe Work
<
lb
/>
men ſirſt laid a Courſe of ſquared Stone, as
<
lb
/>
ſtrong as they could get, to the Heighth of
<
lb
/>
two Feet; over theſe they made a Kind of
<
lb
/>
Plaiſter of Mortar, and broken Fragments,
<
lb
/>
then another Courſe of Stone, and with another
<
lb
/>
of Plaiſter they finiſhed their Foundation. </
s
>
<
s
>I
<
lb
/>
have known other Inſtances, where the An
<
lb
/>
cients have made much the ſame Sort of Foun
<
lb
/>
dations and Structures too, of coarſe Pit-gra
<
lb
/>
vel, and common Stone that they have picked
<
lb
/>
up by chance, which have laſted many Ages.
<
lb
/>
</
s
>
<
s
>Upon pulling down a very high and ſtrong
<
lb
/>
Tower at
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Bologna,
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
they diſcovered that the
<
lb
/>
Foundations were filled with nothing but
<
lb
/>
round Stones and Chalk, to the Heighth of
<
lb
/>
nine Feet; the other Parts were built with
<
lb
/>
Mortar. </
s
>
<
s
>We find therefore that very different
<
lb
/>
Methods have been uſed, and which to ap
<
lb
/>
prove moſt I confeſs myſelf at a Loſs, all of
<
lb
/>
them have ſo long endured firm and ſound.
<
lb
/>
</
s
>
<
s
>So that I think we ought to chuſe that which
<
lb
/>
is leaſt expenſive, provided we do not throw
<
lb
/>
in all manner of old Rubbiſh, and any thing
<
lb
/>
apt to moulder. </
s
>
<
s
>There are alſo other Sorts
<
lb
/>
of Foundations; one belongs to Porticoes,
<
lb
/>
and all other Places where Rows of Columns
<
lb
/>
are to be ſet; the other to Maritime Places,
<
lb
/>
where we cannot pick and chuſe the Good
<
lb
/>
neſs of our Bottom as we could wiſh. </
s
>
<
s
>Of
<
lb
/>
the Maritime we will conſider when we come
<
lb
/>
to treat of making of Ports, and running Moles
<
lb
/>
out into the Sea; becauſe theſe do not relate
<
lb
/>
to the general Work of all manner of Build
<
lb
/>
ings, which is the Subject of our Diſcourſe here,
<
lb
/>
but only to one particular Part of the City,
<
lb
/>
which we ſhall treat of together with other
<
lb
/>
Things of the like Nature, when we give an
<
lb
/>
Account of all Publick Works, Member by
<
lb
/>
Member. </
s
>
<
s
>In laying Foundations under Rows
<
lb
/>
of Columns, there is no Occaſion to draw an
<
lb
/>
even continued Line of Work all the Way </
s
>
</
p
>
</
chap
>
</
body
>
</
text
>
</
archimedes
>