Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. V.</s>
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            <p type="head">
              <s>
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              Of the lower Courſes or Foundations, according to the Precepts and Example
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              of the Ancients.
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              </s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>For making the lower Courſes, that is to
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              ſay, raiſing the Foundations up to the
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              Level of the Ground, I do not find any Precepts
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              among the Ancients, except this one, that all
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              Stones which, after being in the Air two Years,
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              diſcover any Defect, muſt be baniſh'd into the
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              Foundation. </s>
              <s>For as in an Army, the ſluggiſh
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              and weak who cannot endure the Sun and
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              Duſt, are ſent home with Marks of Infamy,
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              ſo theſe ſoft enervated Stones ought to be re­
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              jected, and left to an inglorious Repoſe in their
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              primitive Obſcurity. </s>
              <s>Indeed I find by Hiſtorians,
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              that the Ancients took as much Care of the
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              Strength and Soundneſs of their Foundation in
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              all its Parts as of any other Part of the Wall.
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              Aſithis,
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              the Son of
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              Nicerinus,
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              King of
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              Ægypt,
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              (the Author of the Law, that whoever was
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              ſued for Debt ſhould give the Corpſe of his
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              Father in Pawn) when he built a Pyramid of
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              Bricks to make his Foundations, drove Piles
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              into the Marſh, and laid his Bricks upon them.
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              </s>
              <s>And we are inform'd that
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              Cteſipho,
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              the excel­
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              lent Architect that built the famous Temple
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              of
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              Diana
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              at
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              Epheſus,
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              having made Choice of
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              a level Piece of Ground, thoroughly drain'd,
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              and likely to be free from Earthquakes; that
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              he might not lay the Foundations of ſuch a
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              huge Pile in ſo looſe and unfaithful a Soil
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              without due Precautions, firſt made a Bottom
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              of Coals pounded to Duſt; then drove in Piles
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              with Fleeces and Coals wedged in between
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              Pile and Pile; and over theſe a Courſe of
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              Stone with very long Junctures.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>WE find that about
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              Jeruſalem,
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              in the
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              Foundations of their Publick Works, they
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              ſometimes uſed Stones thirty Feet long, and
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              not leſs than fifteen high. </s>
              <s>But I have ob­
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              ſerved, that in other Places, the Ancients,
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              who were wonderfully expert in managing of
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              great Works, followed different Rules and
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              Methods in filling up the Foundations. </s>
              <s>In
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              the Sepulchre of the
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              Antonini
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              they filled them
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              up with little Pieces of very hard Stone, each
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              not bigger than a Handful, and which they
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              perfectly drowned in Mortar. </s>
              <s>In the
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              Forum
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              Argentarium,
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              with Fragments of all Sorts of
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              broken Stones; in the
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              Comitia,
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              with Bits of
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              the very worſt Sort of ſoft Stuff. </s>
              <s>But I am
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              mightily pleaſed with thoſe who in the
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              Tarpeia
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              imitated Nature, in a Contrivance particularly
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              well adapted to Hills; for as ſhe, in the For­
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              mation of Mountains, mixes the ſofteſt Mate­
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              rials with the hardeſt Stone, ſo theſe Work­
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              men ſirſt laid a Courſe of ſquared Stone, as
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              ſtrong as they could get, to the Heighth of
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              two Feet; over theſe they made a Kind of
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              Plaiſter of Mortar, and broken Fragments,
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              then another Courſe of Stone, and with another
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              of Plaiſter they finiſhed their Foundation. </s>
              <s>I
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              have known other Inſtances, where the An­
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              cients have made much the ſame Sort of Foun­
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              dations and Structures too, of coarſe Pit-gra­
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              vel, and common Stone that they have picked
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              up by chance, which have laſted many Ages.
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              </s>
              <s>Upon pulling down a very high and ſtrong
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              Tower at
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              Bologna,
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              they diſcovered that the
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              Foundations were filled with nothing but
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              round Stones and Chalk, to the Heighth of
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              nine Feet; the other Parts were built with
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              Mortar. </s>
              <s>We find therefore that very different
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              Methods have been uſed, and which to ap­
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              prove moſt I confeſs myſelf at a Loſs, all of
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              them have ſo long endured firm and ſound.
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              </s>
              <s>So that I think we ought to chuſe that which
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              is leaſt expenſive, provided we do not throw
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              in all manner of old Rubbiſh, and any thing
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              apt to moulder. </s>
              <s>There are alſo other Sorts
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              of Foundations; one belongs to Porticoes,
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              and all other Places where Rows of Columns
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              are to be ſet; the other to Maritime Places,
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              where we cannot pick and chuſe the Good­
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              neſs of our Bottom as we could wiſh. </s>
              <s>Of
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              the Maritime we will conſider when we come
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              to treat of making of Ports, and running Moles
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              out into the Sea; becauſe theſe do not relate
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              to the general Work of all manner of Build­
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              ings, which is the Subject of our Diſcourſe here,
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              but only to one particular Part of the City,
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              which we ſhall treat of together with other
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              Things of the like Nature, when we give an
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              Account of all Publick Works, Member by
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              Member. </s>
              <s>In laying Foundations under Rows
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              of Columns, there is no Occaſion to draw an
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              even continued Line of Work all the Way </s>
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          </chap>
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