in floors. But if there is no winter oak, and necessity
drives, for lack of this it seems advisable to use common oak boards cut
pretty thin; for the less thick they are, the more easily they can be
held in place by being nailed on. Then, at the ends of every joist, nail
on two boards so that they shall not be able to warp and stick up at the
edges. As for Turkey oak or beech or ash, none of them can last to a
great age.

When the wooden planking is finished, cover it with fern, if there is
any, otherwise with straw, to protect the wood from being hurt by the
lime.

3. Then, upon this lay the bedding, composed of stones not smaller than
can fill the hand. After the bedding is laid, mix the broken stone in
the proportions, if it is new, of three parts to one of lime; if it is
old material used again, five parts may answer to two in the mixture.
Next, lay the mixture of broken stone, bring on your gangs, and beat it
again and again with wooden beetles into a solid mass, and let it be not
less than three quarters of a foot in thickness when the beating is
finished. On this lay the nucleus, consisting of pounded tile mixed with
lime in the proportions of three parts to one, and forming a layer not
less than six digits thick. On top of the nucleus, the floor, whether
made of cut slips or of cubes, should be well and truly laid by rule and
level.

4. After it is laid and set at the proper inclination, let it be rubbed
down so that, if it consists of cut slips, the lozenges, or triangles,
or squares, or hexagons may not stick up at different levels, but be all
jointed together on the same plane with one another; if it is laid in
cubes, so that all the edges may be level; for the rubbing down will not
be properly finished unless all the edges are on the same level plane.
The herring-bone pattern, made of Tibur burnt brick, must also be
carefully finished, so as to be without gaps or ridges sticking up, but
all flat and rubbed down to rule. When the rubbing down is completely
finished by means of the smoothing and polishing processes, sift
powdered marble on top, and lay on a coating of lime and sand.

5. In the open air, specially adapted kinds of floors must be made,
because their framework, swelling with dampness, or shrinking from
dryness, or sagging and settling, injures the floors by these changes;
besides, the frost and rime will not let them go unhurt. Hence, if
necessity drives, we must proceed as follows in order t