Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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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. </
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>But of theſe we
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ſhall ſpeak elſewhere. </
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>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. </
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>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. </
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<
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>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. </
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>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. </
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>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.</
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<
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>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. </
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>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. </
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<
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>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. </
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<
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>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. </
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<
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>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. </
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<
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>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.</
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>CHAP. VII.</
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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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<
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>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. </
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<
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>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. </
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<
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>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. </
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<
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>Hence </
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