The Ten Books on Architecture, 2.9.17

Vitruvius  translated by Joseph Gwilt

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17The leaves of these trees are similar to those of the pine-tree; the fibres of them straight, and not harder to work in joinery than the pine-tree. The wood contains a liquid resin, of the colour of Attic honey, which is a good remedy in cases of phthisis. I have now treated of the different sorts of timber, and of their natural properties, as well as of the proportion of the elements in each. It only remains to enquire, why that species of fir, which is known in Rome by the name of Supernas, is not so good as that which is called Infernas, whose durability in buildings is so great. I shall therefore explain how their good and bad qualities arise from the situations in which they grow, that they may be clearly understood.

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