The Ancients built their Ports in two manners; at those which were Natural, they only made Portico’s round Lib. 5.
Chap. 13. about with Magazines and Towers at the Ends, for to shut the Port with a Chain.
Those which were Artificial, were built three several ways: The first was to make Partitions of Wood only, without emptying the Water which was within the Partitions, and they cast into the Partitions, Stone and Mortar made with Pozzolana, thrown in hand over head; for they were certain that this Mortar wou'd grow dry in the bottom of the Water. The second Way was by making Partitions with ordinary Clay, or fat Earth at the bottom of the Sea, after the Water had been emptied out by Pumps. The third Way was to build a Mole upon the Sea-Coast, and to cast it in when the Mason’s Work was sufficiently dry, which only required two Months time. That they might the better throw these Moles into the Sea, they built them half upon the Sea-Coast, and half upon an heap of Sand which they made close to the Sea-Coast; to the end, that this Sand which was stopped by nothing but by the Walls, built only to support it during the time that the Mole was a drying, might let it fall when the Sea came to carry away the Sand after that the Walls were beaten down.
Lib. 5.
Chap. 10. The Bathes of the Ancients consisted of many Chambers; some for Men, and some for Women.
Some of the Chambers had a moderate Heat, to warm their Bodies insensibly, and prepare them for a stronger Heat to make them Sweat.
The Chamber they were to Sweat in, was called Laconicum, and was round, and Vaulted like the ends of an Oven, pierced at the top with a round Opening, which was opened and shut with a Buckler of Brass, which hung at a Chain, by which means they augmented or diminished the Heat according to the Proportion that they pull'd up, or let down the Buckler.
One and the same Furnace heated both the Air and the Water, according to the Disposition of the places which were nearer or further from the Furnace, whose heat was communicated to the Chambers from under the Flooring, which was made full of little holes.
The Water was likewise diversly tempered by the different situation of three great Vessels of Brass, whose Water went from one into another, and there were Pipes that conveyed these three sorts of Water into the Bath.
The Academies of the Ancients, which they called Palæstra, was a place where the Youth learned Letters and their Exercises. They were composed of three parts, viz. Of a Peristyle, a Xyste, and a Stadium; the Peristyle was a Court surrounded with Portico’s, which were of two sorts; three of them were Simple, and one Double.
The Simple stood in a row against three Bodies of Lodgings, composed of many great Halls, where the Philosophers had their Disputes and Conferences.
The Bodies of the Lodgings, which was the length of the double Portico, and one part of the Bodies of Lodgings which turned in, were distributed into several parts, for the Studies and Exercises of Youth; for there they had their Classes, their Baths, their Stoves, and their Tenis-Court.