Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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      <text>
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          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/289.jpg" pagenum="212"/>
              unleſs it be as it is at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Venice,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              that the Lakes
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              being kept in conſtant Agitation by the Winds
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              and Tides, never ſubſide, and ſo cannot cor­
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              rupt. </s>
              <s>The Country of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Alexandria
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              is ſaid to
                <lb/>
              have been much of the ſame Nature; but the
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              conſtant overflowing of the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Nile
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              in Summer,
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              cured it of that Defect. </s>
              <s>Thus we are in­
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              ſtructed by Nature what is proper to be done,
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              and that where the Ground is marſhy, we
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              ought either to dry it up entirely, or elſe to
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              bring a conſtant Supply of running Water into
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              it, either from ſome Stream or River, or from
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              the Sea; or laſtly, to dig it ſo deep as to come
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              to ſome living Spring. </s>
              <s>Of which we ſhall ſay
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              no more in this Place.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. II.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              That Water is the moſt neceſſary Thing of all, and of its various Sorts.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>We are now to take care that nothing
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              be wanting, which may be neceſſary
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              for our Uſe. </s>
              <s>What Things are neceſſary I
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              ſhall not waſte much Time in recounting, be­
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              cauſe they are manifeſt, as Food, Raiment,
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              Shelter, and, above all Things, Water.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Thales
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Mileſian
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              affirmed, that Water was the firſt
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              Principle of all Things, and even of Commu­
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              nities among Men.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ariſtobulus
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              ſays, that he
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              ſaw above a thouſand Towns left quite deſart,
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              becauſe the River
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Indus
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              had turned his Courſe
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              another Way. </s>
              <s>I own it to be my Opinion,
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              that Water is to Animals the Source of natural
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              Heat and the Nouriſher of Life; not to men­
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              tion its Conſequence to Plants, and to every
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              Thing elſe which is intended for the Uſe of
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              Mankind; to all which I imagine it to be ſo
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              abſolutely neceſſary, that, without Water, no­
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              thing which grows or is nouriſhed in the Earth
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              would be capable even of exiſting. </s>
              <s>In the
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              Country, along the River
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Euphrates,
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              the People
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              do not ſuffer their Cattle to feed as long as
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              they would, for fear of their growing too fat
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              in Paſtures too luxurious, occaſioned, as is ſup­
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              poſed, by the Exuberance of Moiſture: And
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              ſome believe, that ſuch huge Bodies as Whales
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              are produced in the Sea, becauſe of the great
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              Abundance of Nouriſhment which is afforded
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              by Water.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Xenophon
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              tells us, that the Kings
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              of
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              Sparta
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              were allowed, by way of Dignity,
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              to have a Lake of Water before the Doors of
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              their Houſes. </s>
              <s>Water is uſed by us in the Ce­
                <lb/>
              remonies of our Nuptials, Sacrifices, and almoſt
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              all other ſacred Rites, according to the Prac­
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              tice of our Fore-fathers; all which ſhews what
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              a high Eſteem ancient Times had of Water.
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              </s>
              <s>But indeed who can deny the great Uſe and
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              Service which it is of to Mankind, inſomuch
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              that it is always thought to be deficient, where
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              there is not a very large Abundance of it for all
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              Manner of Occaſions. </s>
              <s>With this great Ne­
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              ceſſary therefore, we ſhall here begin, ſince,
                <lb/>
              according to the old Saying, we want it whe­
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              ther ſick or well. </s>
              <s>The
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Meſſagetœ,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              a Nation
                <lb/>
              of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Scythia,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              made their Country abound in Wa­
                <lb/>
              ter by opening the River
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Aragus
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              in ſeveral
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              Places. </s>
              <s>The
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Tygris
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              and
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Euphrates
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              were brought
                <lb/>
              by Labour to
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Babylon,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              which was built origi­
                <lb/>
              nally in a dry Place. </s>
              <s>Queen
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Semiramis
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              cut a
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              Paſſage through a high Hill for the Space of
                <lb/>
              five-and-twenty Furlongs to make Way for a
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              Canal, fifteen Foot broad, by which ſhe brought
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              Water to the City of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ecbatana.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
              <s> An
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Arabian
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              King brought Water from the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Chorus,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              a River
                <lb/>
              of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Arabia,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              into that droughty Deſart where he
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              waited for
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cambyſes,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              in an Aqueduct made of
                <lb/>
              the Hides of Bulls, if we may believe every
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              thing that we read in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Herodotus.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
              <s> In the Coun­
                <lb/>
              try of the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Samians,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              among other ſurprizing
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              Works, the moſt extraordinary of all was a
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              Trench ſeventy Furlongs in Length, made
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              through a Mountain which was an hundred
                <lb/>
              and fifty Paces high.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Megareus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              's Conduct was
                <lb/>
              alſo mightily admired, which brought the
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              Water of a Spring to the City in a Frame
                <lb/>
              twenty Foot high. </s>
              <s>But in my Judgment the
                <lb/>
              ancient City of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              far excelled all the Cities
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              in the World in the Grandeur and Contrivance
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              of her Aqueducts, and the great Plenty of
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              Water conveyed in them. </s>
              <s>But you are not
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              every where ſure to find Springs or Rivers from
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              whence Water can be brought.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Alexander,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              to ſupply his Fleet with Water, dug a Number
                <lb/>
              of Wells along the Sea Shore of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Perſia. </s>
              <s>Ap­
                <lb/>
              pian
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              tells us, that
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Hannibal,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              when he was cloſe
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              preſſed by
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              Scipio,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              near the Town of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Cilla,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              not
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              being able to find Water in the Field where he
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              was encamped, provided for the Neceſſities of
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              his Troops by digging Wells. </s>
              <s>Beſides, it is
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              not all Waters which you find, that are good
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              and proper for the Uſe of Men; for beſides
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              that, ſome are hot, ſome cold, ſome ſweet, </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
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