Chap. 40.] THE YABIOUS KINDS OF MINIUM. 123 



ing their bruslies,''' filled with the colouring matter, every novr 

 and then. The minium of course falls to the bottom, and is 

 thus so much gained by the thief. 



Genuine minium ought to have the brilliant colour of the 

 kermes berry ;''® but when that of inferior quality is used for 

 walls, the brightness of it is sure to be tarnished by the 

 moisture, and this too, although the substance itself is a sort 

 of metallic mildew. In the mines of Sisapo, the veins are 

 composed exclusively of the sandy particles of minium, with- 

 out the intermixture of any silver whatever ; the practice being 

 to melt it like gold. Minium is assayed by the agency of gold 

 in a state of incandescence : if it has been adulterated, it will 

 turn black, but if genuine, it retains its colour. I find it 

 stated also that minium is adulterated with lime ; the proper 

 mode of detecting which, is similarly to employ a sheet of red 

 hot iron, if there should happen to be no gold at hand. 



To objects painted with minium the action of the sun and 

 moon is highly injurious. The proper method of avoiding 

 this inconvenience, is to dry the wall, and then to apply, with. 

 a hair brush, hot Punic wax, melted with oil ; after which, 

 the varnish must be heated, with an application of gall-nuts, 

 burnt to a red heat, till it quite perspires. This done, it must 

 be smoothed down with rollers"^ made of wax, and then polish- 

 ed with clean linen cloths, like marble, when made to shine. 

 Persons employed in the manufactories in preparing minium 

 protect the face with masks of loose bladder-skin, in order to 

 avoid inhaling the dust, which is highly pernicious ; the cover- 

 ing being at the same time sufficiently transparent to admit of 

 being seen through. 



Minium is employed also for writing'^ in books ; and the 

 letters made with it being more distinct, even on gold or mar- 

 ble, it is used for the inscriptions upon tombs. 



'5 When hired by the job for colouring walls or objects of art. J?ee 

 B. XXXV. c. 12. 



'^ See B. xvi. c. 12, and B. xxiv, c. 4. 



■''^ " Candelis." The Abate Requeno thinks that these " candelae" were 

 used as a delicate cauteriura, simply to keep the wax soft, that it might 

 receive a polish from the friction of the linen. 



'*' Hence the use of it in the middle ages ; a reminiscence of which still 

 exists in our word "rubric." 



