110. MiIcROGRAPHIA. 
Examining feveral of thefe very curioutly figur’d bodies (whith are 
commonly thought to be Stones form'd by fome extraordinary Plaftick 
virtue latent in the Earth it felf ) took notice of thefe particulars: 
Firft, that thefe figured bodies, or ftones, were of very differing fub- 
ftances, astohardnefs: fome of Clay, fome Marle, fome foft Stone, al- 
moft of the hardnefS of thofe foft {tones which Mafons call Fire-ftone, 
others as hard as Portland ftone, others as hard as Marble, and fome as 
hard a‘aF lint or Cryftal. | 
Next, they were of very differing fubftances as to tranfparency and 
colour; fome white, fome almoft black, fome brown, fome Metalline, or 
like Marchafites; fome tran{parent like white Marble, others like flaw'd 
Cryftal,fome gray, fome of divers colours ; fome radiated like thefe long 
petrify'd drops, which are commonly found at the Peak, and in other 
terraneous caverns, which havea kind of pith in the middle. . 7 
., Thirdly, that they were very different as to the manner of their out- 
ward figuration; for fome of them feem’d to have been the fubftance 
that had fill’d the Shell of fome kind of Shel-fifh; others, to have been 
the fubftance that had contain’d or enwrapp’d one of thefe Shels,on both 
which,the perfect impreffion either of the infide or outfide of fuch Shells 
feem'd to be left, but for the moft part, thofe impreffions feem’‘d to be 
made: by an imperfect or broken Shell, the great end or mouth of the 
Shell being always wanting, and oftentimes the little end, and fometimes 
half, and infome there were impreflions, juftas if there had been holes 
broken in the figurating, imprinting or moulding Shell; fonie of them 
feem'd to be made by fuch aShell very much brufed or flaw’d, infomuch 
that one would verily have thought that very figur'd ftone had been 
broken or brufed whilft a gelly, as ’twete, and fo hardned, but within 
in the grain of the ftone, there appear'd not the leaft.fign of any fuch 
brufe or breaking, but onely onthe very uttermoft cles. 
Fourthly, they were very different,as to their outward covering, fome 
having the perfect Shell, both in: figure, colour, and fubftance, {ticking 
on upon its furface, and adhering:to it, but might very eafily be fepa- . 
rated from it, and like other common Cockle or Scolop-/hels, which fome of 
them moft accurately refembled,were very diflolublein commonVimegar, 
others of them,efpecially thofe Serpentine, or Helical ffones were cover'd 
or retained the fhining or Pearl-colour'd fubftance of the infide of a Shel; 
which fubftance, on fome parts of them, was exceeding thing:and might — 
very eafily be rubbed off;. on other parts it: was.pretty, thick; and re- 
tained a white coat, or flaky fubftance on the top, juft like the outfides 
of fuch Shells; fome of them had very large, pieces of the/Shell very 
lainly {ticking on to them, which were eafily to be broken or flake ‘off 
y degrees: they likewife, fome of them retain’d.all along thefirface of 
them very pretty kind of futures, fuch as are obferv’d in the fkuills of fe- 
veral kinds of living creatures, which futures were moft curioufly thap'd 
in the manner of leaves, and every one of them in the fame Shell, exattl} 
onelike another, which I was-able to difcover plainly enough with my 
naked eye, but more. perfedly. and iftinly With my Aderfapes a 
ei -antinees? b iss yigcrnee 
