Theater of Machines, Part 2

life nothing as necessary as mills and all sorts of water-works, by which water is led and conducted up to castles, fortresses, cities, houses, and sometimes great heights.
All histories testify that soon after the creation of the world, when humans began to build tents, dwellings, houses, and cities for themselves, they pitched them near rivers, wells, and the like, but mountains and other heights, which rarely have water, remained uninhabited. However, where one wishes to inhabit these nonetheless—to bring well-pipes or mill-water to them—or where one wants to save oneself from the danger of fire with water, be it on heights or in valleys, one must necessarily use such means as are contained in this book. For therein, initially, a thorough