5o The BiJJjop of Landaffon Orichakum] 



fluxed in conjundion with calamine. The other 

 attribute of the copper when mixed with cadmiat 

 was, its refcmbling Awichalcum. V\'e have fecn 

 from Cicero, that the term Orichakum was appli- 

 ed to a fubftance far lefs valuable than gold, 

 bun fimilar to it in colour; and it is likely 

 enough, that the Romans commonly called the 

 mixture of copper and cadnna Orichalcum, 

 though Pliny fays, that it only refemblcd it; 

 he, as a naturalift, fpeaking with precifion, and 

 diftinguifliing the real Orichidcum, which in 

 his time, he lays, was no where produced, from 

 the factitious one, which, from its rcfemblance 

 to it, had ufurped its name. 



Sextus Pompeius Fejlus abridged a work of 

 Verrius Flaccus, a grammarian of confiderablc 

 note in the time of Jugujlus. In this abridge- 

 ment, he defines cadmia, to be an earth which is 

 thrown upon copper, in order to change it into 

 Orichalcum.* The age in which Fejlus Houriflied 

 is not afcertained : he was unqucftionably pofterior 

 lo Martial, and fome have thought that he lived 

 under the Chriftian Emperors. But leaving that 

 point to be fettled by the critics, if he exprxflTed ' 

 himfelf in the words of the author, whofe work 

 he abridged, we have from him a decifive proof, 

 that cadmia was confidered as a fpecies of earth, 



■ • Cadmia-Terra qua in ss conjicitur, ut fiat Orichalcum. 

 Fef. de Ver. Seq. 



and 



