48 'The Bijhop of Landaffon Orichalami 



much gilded copper in its ftead ; * in this fpecies 

 cf facrilege, he was followed by VifelUus, who 

 defpoikd the temples of their gifts and orna- 

 ments, replacing the gold and fiiver by tin and 

 Orichalciim. t From this circumftance alfo, we 

 may colleft, that the Roman Orichalcum re- 

 fembled gold in colour, though it was far inferior 

 to it in value. 



It is probable, that the Orichalcum here fpoken 

 of was a metallic fubtlance, greatly analogous to 

 our brafs, if not wholly the fame with it. The 

 value of our brafs, is much lefs than that of gold, 

 and the refemblance of brafs to gold in colour, 

 is obvious at firft fight. Both brafs and gold, 

 indeed, are fufceptible of a variety of fliades 

 of yellow ; and, if very pale brafs be compared 

 with gold, mixed with much copper, fuch as 

 the foreign goldfmiths, efpecially, ufe in their 

 toys, a difparity may be feen 3 but the ncarncfs 

 of the refemblance is fufficiently afcertained in 

 general, from obferving that fubftances gilded 

 with brafs, or, as it is commonly called, Dutch 

 leaf, are not eafily diftinguifiied from fuch as 

 are gilded with, gold leaf. 



The Romans were not only in pofTefTion of 

 a metallic fubftance, called by them Orichalcum, 

 and refembling gold in colour, but they knew 



* Suet, in Jul. CxC, C. LIV. 

 t Id. in Vitel. C. VI. 



alfo 



