limns that su„
wbicb ,;
e J"" th,
'f"'<tpiln
T III R D BOO K.
09
metal, nails, th.it by iuch concatenations they may come to be all as one piece. The
fronts os the pilasters arc commonly made angular, that is, that they have in their ex-
tremity a rectangle; ami Come are alio made sometnnos lemicircular, that they may
cut the water, and that thole things which arc carried down by the impctiiositv os the
river, mav, by sinking againlt them, be thrown off srom the pilaller-, and pals through
the middle or the arch.
Tin; arches ought to be made firm and ilrong, and with large stones, whieh niml be
well joined together, that they may be able to resill the continual p.tiimg ol eaits, and
support the weight, that occasionally may be conveyed over them. Thole- arches are
very firm that are made semi-circular, because they bear upon the pilasters, and do not
{hock one another. Bat if by reason of the quality ot the sue, and the dispolition of the
pilasters, the semicircle (hould offend by reason of the too great height, making the alcent
of the bridge difficult, the diminilhed mull be made u!c of, by making arches that have
but the third part of their diameter in height; and, in fact caic, the soundations in the
banks muss be made very strong. The pavement os bridges mull be made alter the same
manner, as the ways are paved, of which mention has been made before. Hence, as all
that is to be observed in the building ot slone bridges has been seen, it is time mat we pais
on to the designs.
C H A P. XI.
Of Joins celebrated Bridges built by the antient s^ and of the desgns
os the bridge os R i
U M IN 0,
MANY bridges were built by the antients in divers places. But in Italy, especially over
the Tyber, they built a great many, of which lbme are llill to be feen inure ; and of
some others there are the antient vculgia only remaining. Thole that are llill to be
seen intire, over the Tyber, are that os the cattle Santo Angela, sormerly called SElim, srom
the name of the Emperor jElius Adrianus, who built thereon his own seoulchre.
The Fabricius, built by Fabricius, now called Ponte tyuatrp dip:, from the four heads
os Janus, or os Terminus, which are placed on the lest hand going upon this bridge.
By means of this bridge, the issand os the Tyber is joined to the city. The Cesih .
called of San. Bartclomeo, which from the other side os the illand passes to
vere. The bridge called Scnatorius srom the seuators, and P.ihitinm srom the mountain
that is near it, made os rustick work, which at present is called os $ania M:ria. But
those bridges of which the antient vciligia are only ken in the Twar, are, the .'
called alio Lrpiiius, from ./Emilius Lepidus, which being first of wood, he made it
of stone, audit was nearXi/w. The Triumphal, the pilasters of which are to be seen op-
posite to the church of Santo Spiri/o. The "Jamsulensis, so called for being near mount
Janiatlus, which as it was rebuilt by Pope Sixmo's IV. now is called P'otQ
And the Mihit/s, now called Ponte Molle, placed in the Via Piaminia, tbmewnat let's than
two miles distant from Rome; which does not retain any thing antient besides the soun-
dations; and they lay, that it was built in the time of Sylla, by M-.Sc .i:.:is the cen-
sor. There are alio the ruins os a bridge by Augustus Caesar, to be seen os ru-
slick work, over the Nera, a very rapid river near Nurni. And over the Afefjuro in sim-
bria at Gaigi, another is to be seen osrustick work iikewite, with some solds' &i the banks,
that support the ilreet, and make it very strong.
But among all the celebrated bridges, that is recorded as a marvellous tiling which Ca-
ligula made srom Pozzuolo to Base, in the middle of the sea, in length somewhat Id's
than three miles; in which, they say, that he incut all the money os the empire; Ex-
ceeding great, and worthy of admiration, was th.it which Trajan built, to stibdue the
Barbarians over the Danube, opposue to Iranfihan'ta, on which were read thest words:
PROVIDENTIA AUGUST! VERE PONTIFICIS VIRTUS ROMANA QUID rsON DOMET?
SUBJUGOECCE RAPiDUS ETHAN,
This bridge was'afterwards ruined by Adrian, that the Barbarians might ritt be able
to pass it, to the damage os the Roman provinces; and its pilasters arc sttll to be iz-zi\ in the
T middle