Two New Sciences

could not support its branches spread out in the likeness of one of medium size, and that nature could not make a horse large for twenty horses, nor a giant ten times taller than a man, unless either miraculously, or by altering the proportions of the members a great deal, and in particular of the bones, by thickening them much, and much beyond the symmetry of common bones. To believe, likewise, that the very large and the very small are equally feasible and maintainable in artificial machines is a manifest error: and thus, for example, small Spires, Columns, and other solid figures can certainly be handled, extended, and erected without risk of breaking, while the very large ones will go to pieces due to any sinister accident, and for no other reason than their own weight. And here I am forced to recount a case truly worthy of being known, as are all accidents that happen beyond expectation, and especially when the plan taken to avoid an inconvenience then becomes the primary cause of the disorder. There was a very large marble column stretched out and placed near its extremities upon two pieces of beam; it occurred after some time to a Mechanic that it would be good, to be more certain that it would not break in the middle when burdened by its own weight, to also place a third similar support under it in that part: the advice seemed generally very opportune, but the result demonstrated it to have been all the opposite: given that not many months passed before the Column was found split and broken right above the new middle support.

Simplicio. An accident truly marvelous, and truly præter spem contrary to expectation, provided that it derived from adding the new middle support.

Salviati. It certainly derived from that, and the recognized cause of the effect removes the wonder: because, having placed the two pieces of the Column on flat ground, it was seen that one of the beams on which one of the ends rested had rotted and sagged over the length of time, and that of the middle remaining very hard and strong, it was the cause that half of the Column remained in the air, abandoned...