Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              continual Wet, rots and decays, and always
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              exhales Vapours extreamly noxious to the
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              Health of its Inhabitants. </s>
              <s>In ſuch a Place,
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              the Underſtanding can never be clear, the
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              Spirits being dampt and ſtupified; nor will
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              any Kind of Bodies endure long. </s>
              <s>The Books
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              will grow mouldy and rot; the Arms will
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              ruſt, nothing in the Storehouſe will keep, and
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              in ſhort, the Exceſs of Moiſture will ſpoil and
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              deſtroy every Thing. </s>
              <s>If the Sun ſhines in,
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              you will be ſcorched inſufferably by the fre­
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              quent Reflection of his Rays, which will be
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              beat back upon you from every Side, and if it
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              does not, you will be dried and withered by
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              the continual Shade. </s>
              <s>Add to this, that if the
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              Winds gets in, being confined as it were in a
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              Channel, it will rage there with greater Fury
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              than in other Places; and if it never enters,
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              the Air for want of Motion will grow thick
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              and muddy; ſuch a Valley may not impro­
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              perly be called a Puddle, or Bog of Air. </s>
              <s>The
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              Form of the Place therefore in which we in­
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              tend to build, ought to be graceful and plea­
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              ſant, not mean and low, as if it were buried
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              below the reſt of the Earth, but lofty, and as
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              it were a Hawk to look clear round about, and
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              conſtantly refreſhed on every Side with de­
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              lightful Breezes. </s>
              <s>Beſides this, let there be
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              Plenty of every Thing neceſſary, either to the
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              Convenience or Pleaſure of Life, as Water,
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              Fire and Proviſions: But Care muſt be taken,
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              that there is nothing in any of theſe Things
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              prejudicial to the Health. </s>
              <s>The Springs muſt
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              be opened and taſted, and the Water tried by
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              Fire, that there be no Mixture in it of mucous,
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              viſcous or crude Particles, that may affect the
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              Conſtitutions of the Inhabitants. </s>
              <s>I omit the
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              ill Effects that often proceed from Water, as
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              breeding Wens in the Throat, and giving the
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              Stone; as likewiſe thoſe other more wonderful
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              Effects of Water, which
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Vitruvius
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              the Archi­
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              tect has learnedly and elegantly ſummed up.
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              </s>
              <s>It is the Opinion of the Phyſician
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              Hipocrates,
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              that they who drink Water not well purged,
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              but heavy and ill-taſted, grow Cholicky, and
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              to have large ſwelled Bellies, while the reſt of
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              their Members, their Arms, their Shoulders and
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              their Faces become thin and extenuated. </s>
              <s>Add
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              to this, that though the Fault of the Spleen ill
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              digeſting of the Blood, they fall into ſeveral
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              Kinds of Diftempers, ſome even peſtilential.
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              </s>
              <s>In Summer, Fluxes of the Belly by the ſtir­
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              ring of the Choler, and the diſſolving of the
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              Humours waſte all their Strength; and all the
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              Year round they are continually liable to heavy
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              and tedious Infirmities, ſuch as the Dropſy,
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              Aſthma and Pleuriſy. </s>
              <s>The young loſe their
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              Senſes by melancholy Bile; the old are burnt
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              by the Inflammation of the Humours; the
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              Women with Difficulty conceive, and with
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              more Difficulty bring forth: In a Word, every
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              Age and every Sex will fall by early and un­
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              timely Deaths, deſtroyed and worn away by
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              Diſeaſes; nor will they enjoy a ſingle Day
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              while they live, without being tormented with
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              Melancholy or black Humours, and fretted
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              with Spleen and Vapours; ſo that their Minds
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              will never be free from Vexation and Uneaſi­
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              neſs. </s>
              <s>Many other Things might be ſaid of
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              Water, which have been obſerved by the an­
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              cient Hiſtorians, very curious and remarkable,
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              and of extream Efficacy to the Health of Man­
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              kind; but they are uncommon, and might
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              ſeem rather intended to make a Shew of
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              Knowledge than for actual Uſe; beſides that
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              we ſhall ſpeak more copiouſly of Waters in
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              their proper Place. </s>
              <s>Thus much certainly is
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              not to be neglected, and is moſt manifeſt,
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              namely, that Water gives Nouriſhment to all
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              Plants, Seeds, and every Thing elſe that has
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              the vegetative Life, with the Plenty of whoſe
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              Fruits Men are refreſhed and ſupported. </s>
              <s>If
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              all this be granted, certainly we ought very
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              carefully to examine what Veins of Water the
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              Country is furniſhed with, in which we intend
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              to dwell.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Diodorus
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              tells us, that the
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              Indians
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              are generally luſty ſtrong Men, and very ſharp
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              witted, which he imputes to their having a
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              wholeſome Air and good Water. </s>
              <s>Now that
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              Water we conceive to be the beſt taſted which
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              has no Taſte, and that is beſt coloured which
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              has no Colour at all. </s>
              <s>It is agreed, that the
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              beſt Water is clear, tranſparent and light, ſuch
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              as being poured upon a white Cloth leaves no
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              Stain; and upon boiling has no Sediment, and
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              which does not cover the Bed it flows in with
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              Moſs or Slime, nor eſpecially the Stones which
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              it runs over. </s>
              <s>A further Proof of the Goodneſs
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              of Water is, when boiling any Kind of Pulſe in
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              it makes them tender, and when it makes good
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              Bread. </s>
              <s>Neither ſhould we be leſs careful to ex­
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              amine and note, whether the Region ingenders
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              nothing peſtiferous or venemous, that the Inha­
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              bitants may be in no Danger. </s>
              <s>I paſs over
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              ſome Things, which are recorded by the An­
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              cients, to wit, that in
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              Colchos
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              there diſtills from
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              the Leaves of the Trees a Honey, which who­
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              ſoever taſtes falls ſenſeleſs, and for a whole Day
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              ſeems to be dead: As alſo what is ſaid to have
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              happened in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Antony
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              's Army, occaſioned by </s>
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