Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              obſerv'd that in Autumn the Leaves of Trees
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              always began to fall to the South-ſide ſirſt;
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              and in Buildings ruinated by Time, I have
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              taken Notice that they always began to decay
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              firſt towards the South. </s>
              <s>The Reaſon of this
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              may perhaps be that the Heat and Force of the
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              Sun lying upon the Work while it was ſtill
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              in Hand might exhauſt the Strength of the
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              Cement; and the Stone itſelf being frequently
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              moiſten'd by the South-wind, and then again
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              dry'd and burnt by the Rays of the Sun,
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              rots and moulders. </s>
              <s>Againſt theſe and the like
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              Injuries therefore, we ſhould oppoſe our beſt
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              and ſtouteſt Materials. </s>
              <s>What I think too is
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              principally to be obſerv'd, is to let every Row
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              or Courſe of Stone throughout the Wall be
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              even and equally proportion'd, not patch'd up
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              of great Stones on the right Hand and little
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              ones on the left; becauſe we are told that the
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              Wall by the Addition of any new Weight is
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              ſqueezed cloſer together, and the Mortar in
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              drying is hinder'd by this Preſſure from taking
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              due hold, which muſt of Courſe make Cracks
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              and Defects in the Work. </s>
              <s>But you may be
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              ſafely allow'd to make the inward Shell, and
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              all the Front of the Wall of that Side, of a
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              ſofter and weaker Stone; but whatever Shell
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              you make, whether inward or outward, it
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              muſt be always perpendicular, and its Line
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              exactly even. </s>
              <s>Its Line muſt always anſwer
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              juſtly to the Line of the Platform, ſo as not in
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              any Part to ſwell out or ſink in, or to be
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              wavy, or not exactly plum, and perfectly well
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              compacted and finiſhed. </s>
              <s>If you rough. </s>
              <s>Caſt
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              your Wall as you build it, or while it is freſh,
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              whatever Plaiſtering or Whitening you do it
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              over with afterwards will laſt, in a Manner, for
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              ever. </s>
              <s>There are two Sorts of Stuffing; the
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              one is that with which we fill the Hollow that
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              is left between the two Shells, conſiſting of
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              Mortar and broken Fragments of Stone thrown
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              in together without any Order; the other con­
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              ſiſting of ordinary rough Stone, with which
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              we may be ſaid rather to wall than only to fill
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              up. </s>
              <s>Both plainly appears to have been in­
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              vented by good-husbandry, becauſe any ſmall
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              Coarſe Stuff is uſed in this Kind of Work.
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              </s>
              <s>But if there was Plenty of large ſquare Stone
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              eaſily to be had, who I wonder, would chooſe
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              to make Uſe of ſmall Fragments? </s>
              <s>And indeed
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              herein alone the Ribs of the Wall differ from
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              what we call the Finiſhing, that between the
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              two Shells of this latter we ſtuff in coarſe Rub­
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              biſh or broken Pieces that come to Hand;
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              whereas, in the Former we admit very ſew
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              or no unequal Stones, but make thoſe Parts of
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              the Wall quite through, of what we have
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              call'd the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              ordinary
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              Sort of Work. </s>
              <s>If I were to
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              chooſe, I would have the Wall throughout
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              made of nothing but regularCourſes of ſquared
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              Stone, that it might be as laſting as poſſible;
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              but whatever hollow you leave between the
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              Shells to be filled up with Rubbiſh, you ſhould
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              take Care to let the Courſes of each Side be
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              as even as poſſible and it will be proper be­
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              ſides to lay a good many large Stones, at con­
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              venient Diſtances, that may go quite through
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              the Wall to both Shells, in order to bind and
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              gird them together, that the Rubbiſh you
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              ſtuff them with may not burſt them out.
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              </s>
              <s>The Ancients made it a Rule in ſtuffing their
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              Walls, not to continue the Stuffing uninterrup­
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              ted to the Heigth of above five Foot, and then
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              they laid over it a Courſe of whole Stone. </s>
              <s>This
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              faſten'd and bound the Wall, as it were, with
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              Nerves and Ligaments; ſo that if any Part of
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              the Stuffing, either through the Fault of the
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              Workman, or by Accident, happen'd to ſink,
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              it could not pull every Thing elſe along with
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              it, but the Weight above had in a Manner
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              a new Baſis to reſt upon. </s>
              <s>Laſtly, we are
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              taught what I find conſtantly obſerved
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              among the Ancients, never to admit any Stone
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              among our Stuffing that weighs above a Pound,
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              becauſe they ſuppoſe that ſmall ones unite
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              more eaſily, and knit bettter with the Cement
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              than large ones.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>IT is not altogether foreign to our Pur­
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              poſe, what we read in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Plutarch
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              of King
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              Minos,
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              that he divided the Plebeans into ſeveral Claſ­
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              ſes, according to their ſeveral Profeſſions, upon
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              this Principle, that the ſmaller the Parts are
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              a Body is ſplit into, the more eaſily it may
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              be governed and managed. </s>
              <s>It is alſo of no
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              little Conſequence to have the Hollow com­
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              pletly fill'd up, and every the leaſt Crevice
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              cloſe ſtopt, not only upon the Account of
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              Strength, but likewiſe to hinder any Animals
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              from getting in and making their Neſts there,
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              and to prevent the Gathering of Dirt and
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              Seeds, which might make Weeds grow in the
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              Wall. </s>
              <s>It is almoſt incredible what huge
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              Weights of Stone, and what vaſt Piles I have
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              known moved and opened by the ſingle Root
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              of one Plant. </s>
              <s>You muſt take Care therefore
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              to let your whole Structure be girt and fill'd
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              compleatly.</s>
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          </chap>
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