Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              Seventh; the Eighth was the Time they then
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              lived in under the Emperors, and the Ninth
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              was to come; and by theſe Prognoſticks they
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              thought it no hard Matter to diſcover even the
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              Events of future Ages. </s>
              <s>They conjectured that
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome
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              ſhould come to be Miſtreſs of the World,
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              from this Symptom, namely, becauſe a Man
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              born on the Day of her Foundation became in
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              Time her Maſter. </s>
              <s>And this Man, I find, was
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Numa:
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              for
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              Plutarch
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              inſorms us, that on the
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              Nineteenth of
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              April, Rome
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              was begun, and
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Numa
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              born. </s>
              <s>But the
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              Spartans
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              gloried in ha­
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              ving no Walls at all about their City; for con­
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              fiding in the Valour and Fortitude of their
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              Citizens, they thought there was no Occaſion
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              for any Fortification beſides good Laws. </s>
              <s>The
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægyptians
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              and
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              Perſians,
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              on the contrary, en­
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              cloſed their Cities with the ſtrongeſt Walls;
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              for not to mention others,
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              Nineveh
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              and
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              Semi­
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              ramis
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              made the Walls of their Towns ſo thick,
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              that two Chariots might paſs upon the Top
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              abreaſt, and ſo high, that they were above an
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              hundred Cubits.
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              Arrian
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              relates that the Walls
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              of
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              Tyre
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              were an hundred and Fifty Foot high.
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              </s>
              <s>Some again have not been ſatisfied with one
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              Wall: The
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              Carthaginians
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              encloſed their City
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              with Three; and
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              Herodotus
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              writes that
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              Deioces
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              fortiſied his Town of
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              Ecbatana,
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              though it
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              was ſeated upon an Hill with Seven. </s>
              <s>Now
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              as it is certain that Walls are a very
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              powerful Defence both of our Perſons and
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              Liberties, when the Enemy happens to be
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              ſuperior either in Number or Fortune, I can­
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              not join in with thoſe who are for having their
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              City quite naked without any Wall, neither
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              with ſuch as ſeem to place all their Hopes of
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              Defence in their Wallalone. </s>
              <s>I agree with what
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Plato
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              obſerves, that every City ſtands con­
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              tinually expoſed to the Danger of being brought
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              under Subjection; ſince, whether it be owing
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              to Nature or Cuſtom, neither publick Bodies
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              nor private Perſons can ever ſet Bounds to their
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              inſatiable Deſire of getting and poſſeſſing ſtill
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              more and more; from which one Source
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              ariſes all the Miſchiefs of War. </s>
              <s>So that what
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              is there to be ſaid againſt adding Security to
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              Security, and Fortification to Fortification?
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              </s>
              <s>From what has been already ſaid, we may
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              conclude that of all Cities, the moſt Capacious
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              is the round One; and the moſt Secure, that
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              which is encompaſſed with Walls broken here
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              and there into Angles or Baſtions jutting out at
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              certain Diſtances, as
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              Tacitus
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              inſorms us
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              Jeru­
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              ſalem
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              was: Becauſe it is certain, the Enemy
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              cannot come up to the Wall between two
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              Angles jutting out, without expoſing them­
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              ſelves to very great Danger; nor can their
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              military Engines attack the Heads of thoſe
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              Angles with any Hopes of Succeſs. </s>
              <s>But,
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              however, we ſhould be ſure to make uſe of all
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              the natural Advantages that offer themſelves
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              for the Security of our Town or Fortification;
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              as we may obſerve the Ancients did, accor­
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              ding to the Opportunity or Neceſſity of the
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              Situation. </s>
              <s>Thus
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              Antium,
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              an ancient City of
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              the
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              Latins,
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              in order to embrace the Winding
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              of the Shore, appears from the old Ruins
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              which are left, to have been built of a very
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              great Length.
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              Cairo,
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              upon the
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              Nile,
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              is ſaid
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              alſo to be a very long City.
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              Palimbrota,
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              a
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              City of
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              India,
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              belonging to the
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              Graſii,
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              as
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Metaſthenes
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              informs us, was ſixteen Miles long,
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              and three broad, running along the Side of the
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              River. </s>
              <s>We read that the Walls of
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              Babylon
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              were ſquare; and thoſe of
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              Memphis
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              built in
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              Shape of a D. </s>
              <s>But whatever Shape is choſen
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              for the Walls,
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              Vegetius
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              thinks it ſufficient for
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              Service, if they are ſo broad, that two armed
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              Soldiers poſted there for Defence, may eaſily
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              paſs without being in one anothers Way; and
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              ſo high, that they cannot be ſcaled with Lad­
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              ders; and built ſo firm and ſtrong, as not to
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              yield to the battering Rams and other En­
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              gines. </s>
              <s>The military Engines are of two Sorts;
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              one Sort are thoſe which break and demoliſh
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              the Wall by Battery; the other are ſuch as
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              attack and undermine the Foundation, and ſo
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              bring down the Superſtructure. </s>
              <s>Now the
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              greateſt Security againſt both theſe, is not ſo
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              much a Wall as a good Ditch. </s>
              <s>The Wall is
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              of no Uſe in the laſt Caſe, unleſs its Founda­
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              tion lies under Water, or upon a ſolid Rock.
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              </s>
              <s>The Ditch ought to be very broad and very deep;
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              for then it will hinder the moveable Tortoiſe­
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              ſhell, Towers, or other ſuch Machines from ap­
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              proaching the Wall; and when the Founda­
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              tion is under Water, or on a Rock, it will be in
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              vain to think of undermining it. </s>
              <s>It is a Diſ­
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              pute among the military Men, whether it is
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              beſt for the Ditch to be full of Water, or to
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              be kept dry; but it is allow'd, that the firſt
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              Thing to be conſulted is, which is moſt for
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              the Health of the Inhabitants; and then ſome
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              ſay thoſe Ditches are certainly beſt which are
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              ſo contrived, that if by the Force of Battery
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              any Part of the Wall is beaten into them, it
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              may be ſoon removed, and the Ditch kept
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              clear, that it may not be filled up, and ſo
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              make a Path for the Enemy.</s>
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