Palladio, Andrea: The four books of Andrea Palladio's architecture (Band 3): Wherein the ways, bridges, piazzas, basilicas, and xisti are treated of (London, 1738)

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THIRD B O O

w'w atque impetum jkminis emfoerfa ftatt, '■,■:. Beet i insuj
urn tignorum junakra disi at, ab t
disclusis, atque in cmtrariam partem n . hrmitudo,
atone . tura, ut quo tnaj r wj aquaje inciter../...'. bat a ■■■■■,..
..-,■'. ..-,rit : ft tebant , a I . i ■ i ■ >..-...,..
secim i ."., ■ ,'./ insm'erem partem jhtmiiis obkqu* , qua-pro pa
. i \juhtTar, vim fluminis exeip ent\ /.: alia, ...
//w/e, itf //'arborum trunci, five naves dejieUndi open's caufa ejjent a Barbaris mijja, /.,
... , tarum rerum vis minuerentur, mu santim t
The sense os which words is, that he ordered a bridge in this manner. He joined two
beams, each a soot and an hals thick, two foot distant srom each other, something (harp
in the part below, and as Ion;.: -iS ^c height of the river required ; and having with ma-
chines fixed these beams in the bottom of the river, lie drove them into it with a rammer,
not directly plumb, but leaning in such a manner, as to be Oanting according to the cur-
rent os the water. Oppolite to these, in the inserior part of the river, and at the distance
of sorty soot, he fixed two others, joined together in the same manner, slaming these against
the strength and impetuoiity of the river. Between these two beams he sattened other
beams two foot thick, that is, equal to their distancc srom each other. They were held at
each end by two braces, which being open, and bound contrary to each other, so great
was the strength of the work, and such was the nature os the things, that by how much
greater the strength os the water was, so much the firmer the whole kept braced together.
These timbers were intermix'd with other timbers, and covered with poles and hurdles.
Bcsides which, in the lower part of the river, there were poils joined slaming, which were
placed underneath instead os buttresTes, and being united to the whole work, scrved to
resist the strength os the river. There were others alio joined in the part above the
bridge, at a moderate spacc, that in case trunks of trees or ships sliou'd be sent down
the river by the Barbarians, to ruin the work, it might by these ramparts avoid their vio-
lence, and prevent them srom hurting the bridge.
Plate 2. Thus Cesar describes the bridge by him ordered over the Rhine; to which descrip-
tion the sollowing invention scems to me very conformable, all the parts os which are
marked with letters.

I

A, Arc the two beams joined together one foot and anhalj thick, something Jharp
in the lower part, fixed in the bottom os the river, not upright, bw
with the current, and two joot distant srom each other.
B, Are two other beam placed in the lower part os the river oppofite to the aboQe-
mentioned, and distant srom them the /pace os sorty soot, and Jlanting against
the current os the river.
H, Is the sorm oj'<,,« .j thebeams by itseis.
C, Are the beams two Joot tlL-h nitty -■■>, tbiu sirmed tbi breadth os the bridget
whit b veas sorty soot.
I, Is one os the [aid beams.
D, Arc the beams, which being open, that is divided one srom the ether, and bound
contrary to each other, that is, one in the part within, and the other in the
part without; the one above, and the other below the beams, two soot tbickt
that sormed the breadth oj the bridge, and give fo great a sirmness to the
work, that the greater the violence os the water, and the mere the ort,
laden, so much the more it united, and the sirmer it was.
M, Is one os the beams.
E, Are the beams that were put length-ways on the bridge, and were covered with
plates and hurdles.
F, Are the pojls placed in the lower part os the river, which being Jlanting, and
joined with the whole work, resilled tie violence cs the siream.
G, Are the pojls placed in the part above the bridge to desend it in case tbc i
Jhtmidsend trees or jhipsdenen the river to ruin it.
K, Are two oj' those beams that were joined together, end not driven in the river
direcJly plumb, but jlanting.
L, Is the head oj the beams that Jormed the breadth os the bi

C II A P,