BRIDGE. 



Lepidus ; fome veftiges are ftill to be feen at the bottom of 

 the Aventine mountain. The bridg-e called Senntorhis, and 

 alfo Paleitiiws, of vvliich fome arches remain near to Santa 

 Maria. The bridge of yamciihn, which, as it was rebuilt 

 by Sixtus IV. is now called Ponle Stjlo. The Mihhis, now 

 called Poule Molle. There are alfo, near the iiofpital of 

 Santo Spirito, the remains of the Triumphal Bridge, fo 

 named becaufc the proceffion ofthe triumphs pafled over it to 

 go to theCapitol. Near to this is the bridge of Santo Angelo, 

 formerly called Pons jE/iuy, from the Emperor j5iliu3 Adri- 

 anus ; it was repaired by Nicholas V. and afterwards orna- 

 mented with ftatues by Clement IX. Of thefe bridges the 

 lad mentioned is the only one at all remarkable for fize. 



One of the moft celebrated of the bridges of antiquity was 

 that built by Trajan over the Danube. It was erected by 

 that emperor for the convenicncy of fending fuccours to the 

 Roman legions on the other fide of the Danube, in cafe they 

 fliould be fuddenly attacked by the Daci, but demolifhcd 

 by his fuccefTor, Adrian, led the barbarians, overpowering the 

 guards fet to defend the bridge, fhould, by means of it, pour 

 into Miefia and cut off the garrifons there. Some of the 

 piers are ftill to be feen in the middle of the river, near the 

 town of Warhcl in Hungary. According to the defcrip- 

 tion given by Dion CafTius, (lib. 68. cap. ij.) this bridge con- 

 lifted of 20 piers of fquared ffone, each of them 150 feet 

 high above the foundation, 60 feet in breadth, and 170 feet 

 dillant from each other, which was the fpan or width ofthe 

 arches, fo that the whole length of the bridge was nearly 

 1500 yards. Confiderable doubt, however, is thrown on 

 this account by Montfau9on, who obferves, that in the baffb 

 relievos of the Trajan column, this bridge is reprcfented with 

 only four piers befides the abutments, which iuppurt three 

 larger arches or truffes of wood, with two fmaller llone arches 

 at the extremities. 



On the road from Loretto to Rome, at the bottom of 

 the hill on which the town of Narni is iituated, there are 

 the broken remains of an ancient bridge, which appears to 

 have been very magnificent. Its form and dimenlions are 

 ftated by AgolHno Martinelli, in a book printed at Rome 

 in 1676, entitled " Defcrittione de diverll Ponti effillenti 

 fopra la Fiume Nera & Tevere." This bridge which joined 

 two mountains, between which flows the river Nera, was of 

 an extraordinary height, and was built in this manner by 

 Auguftus, that the inhabitants of Narni nu'ght pafs on a 

 level from one mountain to another. The whole length was 

 850 palms (6;7 feet). It confifted of lour large and un- 

 equal arches; the firli, which was entire in the time of Mar- 

 tinelli, while all the others were broken, was lOO palms (75 

 feet) in fpan, and r jo palms (102 feet) in heiijht ; the 

 fecond arch j8o palms (135 feet) in fpan; the third i:* 

 palms (114 feet); and the fourth, which abutted againll ilie 

 other mountain, igo p>ilms, or 142 feet. 



The Poril da Garde, about 3 leagues from Nifmes, is a very 

 confiderable Roman work. This ftrnfture was at once a 

 bridge over the river Gardon, and an aquffidudt which carried 

 water to Nifmes. The flrll row of fix arches, which is the 

 bridge, fupports a Ircond arcade of eleven arches, which is 

 continued upon tlie flope ofthe two mountains forming t'le 

 valley; above the fecond is a third arcade of 3 ^ arches, much 

 fmaller than thole bclov.-, fnpporting the canal on a level 

 with the two mountains, along which the water was con- 

 duced to Nifmes by a continued aquxduft. This remark- 

 able edifice is built of fioncs iff an extraordinary fize, con- 

 tiecled together without cement by iron cramps. The 

 length of the firfl arcade is about 46^ feet, of the fecond 

 780, of the third S50, and tr.e height fro;u the river 190 

 feet. 



The celebrated Roman bridge Pvnt.Sl.Efpih, near Lyons» 

 has long been reckoned one of the fmell and boldeil of the 

 ancient bridges in France. Its whole length is upwards of 

 Soo yards ; it is veiy crooked, bending in many places, and 

 making fcvcral unequal ajigles, elpecially in thofe parts 

 where the Rhone has the itrongefl ciiri-cnt. The arches are 

 from I- to 2 J fathoms wide, and have their feet, or the 

 bottoms of the piers, protected by two pcdcilals which pro- 

 ]<:6i from them; the lower part of the j)iers confills of feveial 

 courfes of footings jutting out like fteps. Between the 

 great arches there are fmaller arches like v.indow.s that come 

 down nearly to the top of the pedellals, about the middle of 

 the pier. This mode of conltruftiou was adopted with a 

 view of breaking gradually the mighty force of the Rhone, 

 the feveral courles of fteps jutting out from the piers were 

 intended to oppofe and break the flrtani by portions, and 

 prevent it from comin-j with its whole force at once upon 

 the fabric ; and when the flood fliould rife fo high as to cover 

 the fteps and pedeftals, then the fmall window-like arches 

 would afhft to convey the v.-ater through, which might 

 otherwife endanger the great arches. 



The bridge of Crioude is of great antiquity, and very re- 

 markable, as the largeft. Itone arch with which we are ac- 

 quainted. This bridge has only one arch, under which 

 paffes the whole ftream of the river Alller. Tlie arch is 

 formed of two ranks of fquared ttones ; all the reft ofthe fa- 

 bric is of rubble work. The two extremities of the arch are 

 founded upon the rock, which occallons the fpringing on one 

 fide to be higher than on the other ; its fpan is i8i feet, and 

 its greateil height from the water to the fofTit of the arch is 

 68 feet 8 inches, and the width of the bridge between the 

 parapets is 13 feet. 



In the middle ages bridge building was reckoned among 

 the atts of religion ; and a regular order of hofpitallers was 

 founded by St. Benezet, towards the clofe of the 12th 

 century, under the denomination of pontifices or bridge- 

 builders, whole ofHee was to afTilt travellers by making 

 bridges, fettling ferries, and receiving ftrangers in hofpitals 

 or houfes built on the banks of rivers. We read of a hof- 

 pital of this kind at Avignon, where the hofpitallers dwelt 

 under tl-.e direftion of their firft fuperior St. Benezet. Tlie 

 Jefuit Raynaldtis has a treatife exprefsly on St. John the 

 bridge-builder. 



The bridge of Avignon was begun in the rear 1 176, and 

 finifhed in^n_S8; it confifted of iS arches, and was about 

 1000 yards in length. Several of its arches have been dt- 

 ftroyed by the r.npidity of the currrent together with the 

 force of Llie lee. 



Over the feveral canals at Venice are laid nearly f^co 

 bridges of different fizes; the greater number of them are of 

 ftone. The chief of thefe, called the Rhd/o, is celebrated 

 as a mafter-piece of art : it conlifts of one flat and bold arch, 

 nearly loo feet fpan, and only 23 feet high above the water, 

 and was built in 15S8 to 1591, after a defign of Michael 

 Angelo. The breadth of the bridge, which is 43 feet, is 

 divided by two rows of fliops into three narrow ftreets, that 

 in the middle being the w ideft: ; and there is in the centre an 

 open archway, by which the three ftreets communicate with 

 one another. At each end of the Rialto is an afeer.t of 56 

 fteps; the view .from its fummit is very .lively and mag- 

 nificent. The whole exterior of the fliops and the bridge'is 

 of marble. Tiie foundation extends 90 feet, and refts upon 

 i2,ooo elm piles. This ftiudure coft the republic 250,000 

 ducats. 



The aqu;cducl bridge of Alcantara, near the city of Tif- 



bon, is one of the moft maguilicent works of the kind ever 



executed. It was begun in the reign of John V. king of 



Q^ q 2 Portugal, 



