Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              tated and drove about by the Winds, which
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              puſh on the Waves in great Rows to the Shore,
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              where if they meet with Oppoſition, eſpecially
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              from any hard rugged Body they beat againſt
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              them with their whole Strength, and being
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              daſhed back again they break, and falling from
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              on high with continual Repetition dig up and
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              demoliſh whatever reſiſts their Fury. </s>
              <s>A full
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              Proof of this is the great Depth of Water
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              which we conſtantly find under high Rocks
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              by the Sea-ſide. </s>
              <s>But when the Shore runs off
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              with an eaſy Deſcent, the raging Sea not find­
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              ing any Thing to exert its Force againſt, grows
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              quiet, and falls back leſs furious upon itſelf;
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              and if it has brought any Sand along with it,
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              leaves it there; by which Means we ſee ſuch
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              Shores growing higher and higher into the Sea
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              every Day. </s>
              <s>But when the Sea meets with a
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              Promontory, and afterwards with a Bay, the
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              Current runs impetuouſly along the Shore, and
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              turns back again upon itſelf; which is the Rea­
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              ſon that in ſuch Places we frequently meet with
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              deep Channels cut under the Shore. </s>
              <s>Others
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              maintain, that the Sea hath a Breath and Reſ­
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              piration of its own, and pretend to obſerve,
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              that no Man ever dies naturally but when the
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              Tide is going off, whence they would infer, that
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              our Life has ſome Connection and Relation
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              with the Motion and Life of the Sea: but this
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              is not worth Dwelling upon. </s>
              <s>It is certain, that
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              the Tides riſe and fall variouſly in different
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              Places. </s>
              <s>The
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              Negropont
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              has no leſs than ſix
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              Tides every Day. </s>
              <s>At
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              Conſtantinople
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              it has no
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              other Change but by flowing into the
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              Pontus.
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              In the
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              Propontis
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              the Sea naturally throws upon
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              the Shore every Thing that is brought down
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              into it by the Rivers: becauſe every Thing
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              which is put into an unnatural Agitation reſts
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              of Courſe where-ever it finds a Place which is
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              not diſturbed. </s>
              <s>But as upon almoſt all Shores
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              we ſee Heaps of Sand or Stones thrown up, it
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              may not be a miſs juſt to mention the Conjec­
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              tures of the Philoſophers upon this Occaſion.
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              </s>
              <s>I have ſaid elſewhere, that Sand is form'd of
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              Mud dried by the Sun, and ſeparated by the
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              Heat into very minute Particles. </s>
              <s>Stones are
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              ſuppoſed to be engendered by the Sea-water;
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              ſor they tell us, that by Means of the Sun's
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              Heat and of Motion, the Water grows warm,
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              dries, and its lighter Parts evaporating hardens
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              into a Conſiſtence, which grows to have ſo
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              much Solidity, that if the Sea is but a little
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              while at reſt, it by degrees contracts a ſlimy
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              Cruſt, of a bituminous Nature; this Cruſt in
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              Time is afterwards broken, and by new Motion
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              and Colliſion the new-made Subſtance becomes
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              globular, and grows ſomewhat like a Spunge:
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              Theſe globular Spunges are carried to the Shore,
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              where by their Slimineſs they lick up the
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              Sand which is put into Agitation, which again
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              is dried and concocted by the Heat of the
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              Sun, and by the Salts, till by Length of Time
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              it hardens into Stone. </s>
              <s>This is the Conjecture
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              of the Philoſophers. </s>
              <s>We frequently ſee the
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              Shore grow higher and higher towards the
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              Mouth of Rivers, eſpecially if they flow through
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              looſe Grounds, and are much ſubject to Land­
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              floods; for ſuch Rivers throw up vaſt Quan­
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              tities of Sand and Stones before their Mouths
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              into the Sea, and ſo lengthen out the Shore.
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              </s>
              <s>This manifeſtly appears from the
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              Danube,
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              the
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Phaſis
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              in
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              Colchis,
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              and others, and eſpecially in
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              the
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              Nile.
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              </s>
              <s> The Ancients called
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              Ægypt
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              the
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Nile
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              's Houſe, and tell us, that it was formerly
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              covered by the Sea quite as far as the
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              Peluſian
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              Marſhes. </s>
              <s>So it is related, that a great Part of
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cilicia
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              was added to it by the River.
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              Ariſtotle
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              ſays, that all Things are in perpetual Motion,
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              and that in length of Time the Sea and the
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              Hills will change Places with one another.
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              </s>
              <s>Hence the Saying of the Poet:</s>
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              <s>
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              All that the Earth in her dark Womb conceals,
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              Time ſhall dig up and drag to open Light.
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              </s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>BUT to return. </s>
              <s>The Waves have this par­
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              ticular Property, that when they meet with any
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              Bank which reſiſts them, they daſh againſt it
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              with the more Fury; and being beaten back,
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              according to the Height they fall from, the
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              more Sand they root up. </s>
              <s>This appears from
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              the great Depth of the Sea under the Rocks, a­
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              gainſt which they beat with much more Vio­
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              lence, than they fall upon a ſoft and ſloping
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              Sand. </s>
              <s>This being the Caſe, it requires great
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              Diligence and the moſt careful Contrivance to
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              reſtrain the Rage and Strength of the Sea,
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              which will many Times defeat all our Art and
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              Ability, and is not eaſily ſubdued by the Pow­
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              er of Man. </s>
              <s>However, the Sort of Work which
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              we formerly recommended for the Foundati­
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              ons of a Bridge may be of ſome Service in this
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              Caſe. </s>
              <s>But if it is neceſſary for us to carry
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              out a Pier into the Sea in order to fortify a
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              Port, we muſt begin our Work upon the dry
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              Ground, and ſo by Additions work it forwards
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              into the Sea. </s>
              <s>Our firſt and greateſt Care muſt
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              be to chuſe a firm Soil for this Structure; and
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              where-ever you raiſe it, raiſe it up with a
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              Slope of the lighteſt Stones that can be got, in </s>
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