Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              and indeed, I do not think them inferior to
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              thoſe of Iron. </s>
              <s>The Cramps of Braſs and Iron
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              are ſaſtened in with Lead: But thoſe of Wood
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              are ſufficiently ſecured by their Shape, which
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              is made in ſuch Manner, that for Reſemblance,
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              they are called Swallow, or Dove-tailed. </s>
              <s>The
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              Cramps muſt be ſo placed that no Drops of
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              Rain may penetrate to them; and it is
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              Thought that the Braſs ones are yet more
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              ſtrengthened againſt old Age, if in Caſting
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              they are mixed with one thirtieth Part of Tin:
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              They will be leſs liable to ruſt if they are
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              anointed with Pitch, or Oil. </s>
              <s>It is affirmed
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              that Iron may be ſo tempered by White-lead,
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              Plaiſter, and Liquid Pitch, as not to ruſt.
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              </s>
              <s>Wooden Cramps done over with Maiden-wax
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              and Lees of Oil, will never rot. </s>
              <s>I have
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              known them pour ſo much Lead upon Cramps,
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              and that ſo boyling Hot, that it has burſt the
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              Stones. </s>
              <s>In ancient Structures we often meet
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              with very ſtrong Walls made of nothing but
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              Rubbiſh and broken Stuff; theſe are built like
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              the Mud-Walls common in
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              Spain
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              and
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              Africa,
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              by faſtening on each Side Planks or Hurdles,
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              inſtead of Shells, to keep the Stuff together till
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              it is dry and ſettled: But herein they differ,
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              that the Ancients filled up their Work with
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              Mortar liquid, and in a Manner floating;
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              whereas, the other only took a clammy Sort
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              of Earth which they trod and rammed with
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              their Feet, and with Beetles, after having firſt
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              made it tractable by thorough wetting and
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              kneading. </s>
              <s>The Ancients alſo in thoſe rough
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              Works of theirs, at the Diſtance of every three
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              Foot made a Kind of Band of Pieces of large
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              Stone, eſpecially of the ordinary Sort, or at
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              leaſt angular; becauſe round Stones, though
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              they are very hardy againſt all Sorts of Injuries,
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              yet if they are not ſurrounded with ſtrong Sup­
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              ports, are very unfaithful in any Wall. </s>
              <s>In
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              theſe other Works, that is to ſay, in the
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              African
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              Buildings of Earth, they mixed with their Clay
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              the
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              Spaniſh
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              -Broom, or Sea-Bullruſh, which
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              made a Stuff admirably good for Working,
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              and which remained unhurt either by Wind or
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              Weather. </s>
              <s>In
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              Pliny
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              's Time there was to be
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              ſeen upon the Ridges of Mountains ſeveral
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              little Towers for viewing the Country built of
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              Earth, which had endured quite from the Days
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              of
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              Hanibal.
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              </s>
              <s> We make this Sort of Cruſt
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              (which is a fitter Name for it than Shell) with
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              Hurdles and Mats, made of Reeds not freſh
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              gathered; a Work indeed not very magni­
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              ficent, but generally uſed by the Old
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              Plebeian
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              Romans.
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              </s>
              <s> They rough Caſt the Hurdles over
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              with Clay, beat up for three Days running
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              with the Reeds, and then (as we ſaid before)
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              cloath it with Mortar, or Plaiſter of
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              Paris,
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              which they afterwards adorn with Painting
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              and Statues. </s>
              <s>If you mix your Plaiſter up with
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              a third Part of broken Tile, or Brick pounded,
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              it will be the leſs injured by wet: If you mix
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              it with Lime, it will be the Stronger: But in
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              damp Places, or ſuch as are expoſed to Cold and
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              Froſt, Plaiſter of
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              Paris
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              is very unſerviceable.
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              </s>
              <s>I will now, by Way of Epilogue, give you a
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              Law of very great Antiquity among Arch­
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              itects, which in my Opinion ought no leſs to
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              be obſerved than the Anſwers of Oracles: And
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              it is this. </s>
              <s>Make your Foundation as ſtrong as
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              poſſible: Let the Superſtructure lie exactly
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              plum to its Centre: Fortify the Corners and
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              Ribs of the Wall from the Bottom to the Top
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              with the largeſt and the ſtrongeſt Stones: Soak
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              your Lime well: Do not uſe your Stone till
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              it is thoroughly watered: Set the hardeſt Sort
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              to that Side which is moſt expoſed to Injuries:
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              Raiſe your Wall exactly by the Square, Level
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              and Plum-line: Let the Middle of the upper
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              Stone lie directly upon the Meeting of the two
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              below it: Lay the entire Stones in the Courſes,
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              and fill up the Middle with the broken Pieces:
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              Bind the inward and outſide Shells to one
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              another by frequent Croſs or Band-ſtones. </s>
              <s>Let
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              this ſuffice with Relation to the Wall; we
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              come now to the Covering. </s>
              <s>But I will not
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              paſs over one Thing which I find the Ancients
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              obſerved very religiouſly. </s>
              <s>There are ſome
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              Things in Nature which are endued with
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              Properties by no means to be neglected; par­
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              ticularly, that the Lawrel-tree, the Eagle, and
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              the Sea-calf, are never to be touched by
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              Lightening. </s>
              <s>There are ſome therefore who
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              ſuppoſe that if theſe are incloſed in the Wall,
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              the Lightening will never hurt it. </s>
              <s>This I take
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              to be juſt as probable as another wonderful
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              Thing which we are told, that the Land-toad,
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              or Rudduck, if ſhut up in an earthen Pot,
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              and burned in a Field, will drive away the
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              Birds from devouring the Seeds; and that the
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              Tree
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              Oſtrys,
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              or
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              Oſtrya
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              brought into a Houſe,
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              will obſtruct a Woman's Delivery; and that
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              the Leaves of the Lesbian Oemony kept but
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              under the Roof, will give a Flux of the Belly
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              and an Evacuation that will certainly prove
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              Mortal. </s>
              <s>Let us now return to our Subject,
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              for the better underſtanding of which, it will
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              be proper to look back to what we have
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              formerly ſaid of the Lines of Building</s>
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