Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              Notice of what
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              Varro
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              ſays, that the
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              Tuſcans
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              uſed to build their Country Houſes of Stone,
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              but the
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              Gauls
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              of baked Brick, the
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              Sabines
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              of
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              Brick unbaked, the
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              Spaniards
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              of Mud and lit­
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              tle Stones mixed together. </s>
              <s>But of theſe we
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              ſhall ſpeak elſewhere. </s>
              <s>The ordinary Sort of
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              Structure, is that in which ſquared Stones,
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              either the middling or rather the large Sort, are
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              placed with their Fronts exactly anſwering to
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              the ſquare level and plumb Line; which is the
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              ſtrongeſt and moſt laſting Way of all. </s>
              <s>The
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              chequered Way is when ſquared Stones, either
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              the middle ſized, or rather very ſmall ones, are
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              placed not on their Sides, but on their Corners,
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              and lie with their Fronts anſwering to the
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              ſquare and plumb Line. </s>
              <s>The irregular Way
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              is where ordinary rough Stones are placed with
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              their Sides anſwering, as well as the Inequality
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              of their Forms will permit, one to the other;
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              and this is the Method uſed in the Pavement
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              of the publick Ways. </s>
              <s>But theſe Methods muſt
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              be uſed differently in different Places; for in
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              the Baſes, or firſt Courſe above the Ground, we
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              muſt make our Shell of nothing but very large
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              and very hard ſquare Stones; for as we ought
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              to make the whole Wall as firm and entire as
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              poſſible, ſo there is no Part of it that requires
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              more Strength and Soundneſs than this; inſo­
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              much that if it were poſſible for you to make
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              it all of one ſingle Stone you ſhould do it, or
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              at leaſt make it only of ſuch a Number as may
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              come as near as may be to the Firmneſs and
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              Durableneſs of one ſingle Stone. </s>
              <s>How theſe
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              great Stones are to be mov'd and manag'd,
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              belonging properly to the Article of Ornaments,
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              we ſhall conſider of it in another Place.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>RAISE your Wall ſays
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              Cato,
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              of hard Stone
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              and good Mortar to at leaſt a Foot high above
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              the Ground, and it matters not if you build
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              the reſt even of Brick unbak'd. </s>
              <s>His Reaſon
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              for this Admonition is plainly becauſe the Rain­
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              Water falling from the Roof might not rot
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              this Part of the Wall. </s>
              <s>But when we examine
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              the Works of the Ancients, and find that not
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              only in our own Country the lower Parts of
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              all good Buildings are compos'd of the hardeſt
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              Stone, but that even among thoſe Nations
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              which are under no Apprehenſions from Rain,
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              as in
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              Ægypt,
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              they uſed to make the Baſes of
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              their Pyramids of a black Stone of an extreme
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              Hardneſs; we are obliged to look more nearly
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              into this Matter. </s>
              <s>We ſhould therefore con­
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              ſider that as Iron, Braſs, and the like hard
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              Metals, if bent ſeveral Times firſt this way
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              and then that, will at laſt crack and break; ſo
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              other Bodies, if wearied with a repeated Change
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              of Injuries, will ſpoil and corruptinconceivably;
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              which is what I have obſerved in Bridges,
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              eſpecially of Wood: Thoſe Parts of them
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              which ſtand all the Changes of Weather, ſome­
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              times burnt with the Rays of the Sun, and
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              ſharp Blaſts of Wind, at other Times ſoak'd
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              with Night-dews or Rains, very ſoon decay
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              and are quite eaten away by the Worms. </s>
              <s>The
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              ſame holds good of thoſe Parts of the Wall
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              which are near to the Ground, which by theal­
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              ternate injuries of Duſt and Wet are very apt to
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              moulder and rot. </s>
              <s>I therefore lay it down as an
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              indiſpenſible Rule, that all the firſt Courſe of
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              Work from the Level, ſhould be compos'd of
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              the hardeſt, ſoundeſt, and largeſt Stones, to
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              ſecure it againſt the frequent Aſſaults of con­
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              trary Injuries: Which Stone is hardeſt and beſt,
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              we have ſhewn ſufficiently in the Second Book.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. VII.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
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              Of the Generation of Stones; how they are to be diſpos'd and join'd together, as
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              alſo, which are the Strongeſt and which the Weakeſt.
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              </s>
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              <s>It is certainly of very great Conſequence in
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              what Manner we diſpoſe and join our
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              Stone in the Work, either in this or any other
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              Part; for as in Wood ſo alſo in Stone, there
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              are Veins and Knots, and other Parts, of
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              which ſome are weaker than others, inſomuch
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              that Marble itſelf will warp and ſplit. </s>
              <s>There
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              is in Stones a Kind of Impoſtumes, or Collections
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              of putrid Matter, which in Time ſwell and
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              grow, by means, as I ſuppoſe of the Humidity
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              of the Air, which they ſuck in and imbibe
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              which breeds larger Puſtules, and eats away
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              the Building. </s>
              <s>For beſides what we have
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              already ſaid of Stones in their proper Place, it
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              is neceſſary to conſider here that they are
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              created by Nature, lying flat as we ſee them
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              in the Ground, of a liquid and fluxible Sub­
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              ſtance, which, as we are told, when it is af­
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              terwards harden'd and grown, reſerves in the
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              Maſs the original Figure of its Parts. </s>
              <s>Hence </s>
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          </chap>
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