Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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<
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>CHAP. IV.</
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Of the IV alls, Battlements, Towers, Corniſhes and Gates, and the Timber-work
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belonging to them.
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<
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>But to return to the Walls. </
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<
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>The Ancients
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adviſe us to build them after this Man
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ner. </
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<
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>Raiſe two Walls one within the other,
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leaving between them a Space of twenty Foot,
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which Space is to be fill'd up with the Earth
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dug out of the Ditch, and well ramm'd in;
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and let theſe Walls be built in ſuch a Manner,
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that you may mount from the Level of the
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City quite to the Top of the Battlements, by
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an eaſy Aſcent, as it were by Steps. </
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<
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>Others
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ſay, that the Earth which is dug out of the
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Ditch, ought to be thrown without the Wall,
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on the other Side of the Ditch, and there caſt
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up into a Rampart, and from the Bottom of
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the Ditch a Wall ſhould be run up, thick
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and ſtrong enough to ſupport the Weight of the
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aforeſaid Earth which bears upon it. </
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<
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>At a
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Diſtance from this another Wall ſhould be
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raiſed in the Town, higher than the other, and
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as far from it, as to leave Space enough for
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the Soldiers to be drawn up, and to have
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Room to fight in. </
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<
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>Beſides this, you ſhould
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between the principal Walls, and thoſe within,
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erect other Walls croſſways from one to the
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other, by the Help whereof, the principal
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Walls may unite with thoſe behind, and more
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eaſily ſupport the Weight of the Earth caſt in
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between them. </
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<
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>But indeed for my Part, I am
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beſt pleaſed with thoſe Walls which are ſo
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ſituated, that if they happen to be at length
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demoliſhed by the Force of Battery, they have
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ſomewhat of a Plain at the Foot of them,
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where they may lie and form a Kind of Ram
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part, and ſo be kept from filling up the Ditch
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with their Ruins. </
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<
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>In other Reſpects I am
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very well pleaſed with
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Vitruvius,
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who ſays
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the Wall ought to be built thus: Within the
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Body of the Wall we ſhould lay a good many
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Timbers of Olive-wood burnt, to the Intent
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that the two Sides of the Walls being faſtened
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together by theſe wooden Bracers, the Work
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may be the more durable. </
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<
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>Such a Wall as this,
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we are told by
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Thucydides,
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was made by the
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Platæans,
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to defend themſelves againſt the
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People of the
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Morea,
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by whom they were be
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ſieged; inaſmuch as they mixed Timbers a
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mong their Brick-work, and made a very ſtout
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Fortification of it. </
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<
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>And
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Cæſar
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informs us,
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that in
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France
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moſt of their Walls were built
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in this Manner: They laid Beams within the
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Wall, and braced them together at equal Di
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ſtances, filling up the Vacancies with huge
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Stones, ſo that one Beam never touched the
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other; and ſo proceeded with ſeveral Courſes
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of Work in the ſame Method, till they raiſed
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a Wall of a good conſiderable Height. </
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<
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>This
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Kind of Work was not unhandſome to the
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Sight, and was a very ſtrong Fortification, be
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cauſe the Stones ſecured it againſt Fire, and
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the Timbers againſt the Battering Rams. </
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<
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>But
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this mix'd Work others diſapprove of; becauſe
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they ſay the Lime and the Wood will not
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long agree together, for Timber is eaten and
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burnt up both by the Saltneſs and Heat of the
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Lime. </
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<
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>Beſides that, if the Wall ſhould hap
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pen to be demoliſh'd by Battery, they ſay,
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that as it is thus made in a Manner all of one
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Piece, the whole Wall will be apt to go all
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together at once. </
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<
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>In my Opinion one very
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good Way of Building a ſtrong Wall, capable
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to ſtand the Shocks of Engines, is this: make tri
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angular Projections out from the naked of the
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Wall, with one Angle facing the Enemy, at the
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Diſtance of every ten Cubits, and turn Arches
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from one Projection to the other; then fill up the
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Vacancies between them with Straw and Earth,
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well rammed down together. </
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<
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>By this Means
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the Force and Violence of the Shocks of the
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Engines, will be deadened by the Softneſs of the
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Earth, and the Wall will not be weakned by
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the Battery, only here and there, and thoſe
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ſmall Breaches, or rather Holes, that are made
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in it, will preſently be ſtopt up again. </
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<
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>In
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Sicily,
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their Pumice-ſtones, which they have in great
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Plenty, will do extreamly well for this Kind of
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Work: But in other Places, for want of Pu
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mice-ſtones and Earth, any ſoft Stone may
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be made uſe of; nor is Terraſs amiſs for this
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Purpoſe. </
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<
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>Laſtly, if any Part of ſuch a Struc
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ture ſtands expoſed to the moſt ſoutherly
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Winds, or nocturnal Vapours, cloath and face
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it with a Shell of Stone. </
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<
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>And particularly it
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will be of great Service to let the outer Bank
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of the Ditch have a good Slope, and lie a </
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