DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1651#0007
not onl.
' Portico'^
~ utmoss
broke". genu'
city the
THIRD BOOK.
6|
: th d began from the gate I hich is nowcall I S. ' >, and the
third from the gate Nevia, that is, srom the Porta Mqggiare ■, and th « city
of /v.. '.,>''\ now called Peiejirint^ and to the samous City oJ ' .
There were alio many other ways mentioned and celebrated by writers th.it is, the
Salara, the Collating the Latina and others; all which took their names either from th
who ordered them, or from the gates where they began, or srom the pla-.o whither they
led But among them all, the Via Portucnse must have been oftheutmost beauty anil con-
veniency, which led from Rome to O/lia; because (as Alberti saith he has observed) it
was divided into two streets j between the one and the other os win, h* there a course os
stonesafbot higher than the remaining part os the way, and which lerved sor a division:
by one of these ways people went, and by the other they returned, avoiding thereby the in-
convenience of meeting; an invention very'commodious sor the very great concourlc of peo-
ple that, from all parts of ihc world, was at Rome in thole til it .
The antients made these their military ways in two manners; that is, either paving them
with stones, or by covering them all over with land and gravel. The ways after the first:
manner, (from what one has been able to conjecture by some vtsligip) were divided into three
spaces. Upon that in the middle, which was higher than the other two, and which was
somewhat railed toward the middle, that the water might run off and not fettle there, thofc
who were on soot travelled. This was paved with irregular stones, that is, of unequal sides
andangles; in which manner of paving (as it has been elseuhere laid) they made use os a
leaden rule, which they opened and mut according to the sides and angles os the stones:
they therefore joined them exceeding well together, and that with great expedition. The
other two spaces that were on each side, were made somewhat lower, and were covered with
sand and small gravel, and on these went the horses.
Each of these margins were as wide as hals the breadth of the space in the middle, from
which they were divided by rows of slones placed edge-ways, and there was at every Inch
dillance some stones placed end-ways, a foot higher than the remaining part of the street.
Upon these the antients stepped when they were willing to mount on horse-back, as they did
not make use os stirrups.
Besides these stones placed for the said use, there were other stones much higher, upon
which, from place to place, were marked the miles of the whole journey; and these ways
were measured, and the laid stones fixed by Cneus Gracchus.
The military ways aster the second manner, that is, made of sand and gravel, were made
by the antients somewhat raised in the middle, by means of which the water could not
lodge there; and being of a substance apt to dry quickly, and of itscls, they were always
clean, that is, without dirt or dust. Of this sort there is one to be fcsin in 7:>::.Ii, which
i> called by the inhabitants of thosc places la Pojlhuma, and Uad-; into Hungary. There is
another alio in the Padouan, wbfcsi tvp.innine f,r"n tnc i;lu' c'tv> 'n tne place named
I'Argere^ palTes through the middle of Gigognai a villa belonging to Count Odoardo, and
to Count Theodore de Thieni, brothers, and leads to the Alps, which divide Italy
from Germany.
Tht following design is of the ways according to the first manner, from which onephte u
may know how the Via Hoslienss must have been made. It did not appear to me neces-
•arv to give a design of the second manner, because it is a very ealy tiling, as there is no
need of any industry, provided they are but made riling in the middle, that the water may
possibly not stand there.
A, ts the space in the middle, on which the people on soot travelled.
B, are the slones that served to mount on horsc-hack.
C, are the margins covered with sand and gravely en which the horsa <pent,
C II A P.