176 Analysis of Scientific Books and Memoirs. 



nership to work tlie gold mines of Scotland. Nicholas Milliard, jeweller 

 to Queen Elizabeth, was also a mining adventurer of this reign. The 

 success of Cornelius De Vos is thus curiously described. *' This Corne- 

 lius was sent thither to discover the golden bedd or vaine, at the charge 

 of certaine marchants in London, who procured unto him Queen Eliza- 

 beth's signett unto the king's majesty, that now is king of England, &c. 

 then only of Scotland. And then Cornelius went to view the said moun- 

 tains in Clidesdale and NydeJ^dale; upon which mountains he got a small 

 taste of small gold. This was a whett-stone to sharpen his knife upon; 

 and this naturall gold tasted so sweet as the honny or honny-combe in 

 his mouth. And then he consulted with his freinds at Edenburgh ; and 

 by his persuasions provoked them to adventure with him, showing them 

 first the naturall gold, which he called the temptable gold, or alluring 

 gold. It was in sternes, and some like unto birds' eyes and eggs : he 

 compared it unto a woman's eye, which intiseth her joyes into hir bosom. 

 And Cornelius so earnestly persuaded his late frequented friends in Scot- 

 land, that he possessed them to adventure also with him. The Earle of 

 Morton had ten partes. Mr Robert Ballentine, then secretary, had ten 

 partes. Abraham Peterson, a Dutchman of Edinbourgh, had ten partes. 

 James JReade, a burgeons of Edinbourgh, had five partes. And Cornelius 

 reserved to himself, and his London freinds which adventured with him 

 alsoe, ten partes. Some brought corne, some victuals, and some malt or 

 meal, besides monies ; and amongst them all L. 5000 Scotts. Cornelius 

 then set to work six score of men in vallies and dales ; he employed both 

 lads and lasses, idle men and women, which before went a begging. With- 

 in the space of thirty days, they caused to be conveyed into the king's 

 mint-house, half a steane weight of natural gold, viz. viij. pound weight, 

 worth L. 450 Starling." Afterwards, when the Earl of Morton was re- 

 gent, he obliged Cornelius " to bring all such naturall gold as he there- 

 after should gett into the mint-house at Edinbourgh, where it was after- 

 wards coyned into iij. pound Starling peeces, of an ounce weight each peece. 

 Much gold was then bought from the poor workmen for twenty shillings 

 the ounce weight." 



In the same reign, Abram Grey, a Dutchman, was an adventurer. He 

 is said by Atkinson to have brought with him certain artsmen from Eng- 

 land, and others of his own countrymen, into Scotland, which were at 

 London. His success is thus noticed : — " At Winlocke-head he gott a 

 good quantity of naturall gold. With this naturall gold gotten in the Grey- 

 beard's time, (for so was he called, because of his great long beard, which 

 he could have bound about his middle,) was made a very faire deepe ba- 

 sin, of the same naturall gold, without any addition of any other gold att 

 Edenborough, in Cannegate Streete; it was made by a Scottsman; it con- 

 tained, by estimation, within the brymes thereof, an Enghsh gallon of li- 

 quor. The same basin was of clean, neat, naturall gold ; itself was filled 

 up to the brim with coined pieces of gold, called unicorns, which basin 

 and pieces both were presented unto the French king by the Earl of 

 Moreton, who signified upon liis honour unto the king, saying, * My Lord, 

 behold this basin, and all that therein is ; it is natural gold, gotten within 



