the loftiest; whereupon Nicholas, causing the tower to be cut, at the foot of it, all the length of one of its sides; and closing up the cut, as he made it, with short (wooden) under-props, about a yard long, and setting fire to them, when the props were burned, the tower fell, and broke itself nearly all to pieces: which was held a thing so ingenious and so useful for such affairs, that it has since passed into a custom, so that when it is needful, in this easiest manner, any edifice may be thrown down."
46. 'When it is needful.' Yes, but when is that? If instead of the towers of the Death-watch in the city, one could ruin the towers of the Death-watch of evil pride and evil treasure in men's hearts, there would be need enough for such work both in Florence and London.
But the walls of those spiritual towers have still stronger "grip" in them, and are fireproof with a vengeance.
"Le mura me parean che ferro fosse,
. . . Ed ei mi disse: il fuoco eterno
Ch'entro l'affoca, le dimostra rosse."
Inf., Cant. 8.
But the towers in Florence, shattered to fragments by this ingenious engineer, and the tombs
