'Jhe Bijhop of Landaff on Orichalcum, 55 



this operation. Whitenefs appertains to brafs 

 either abfolntely, or relatively: for brafs is not 

 only much whiter than copper, but when it 

 is made with a certain quantity of a certain fort 

 of calamine, for there are very various forts 

 of it, its ordinary yellov/ colour is changed 

 into a white. Cicero, we have feen, fuppofes 

 that Orichalcum might have been miftaken for 

 gold, and as fuch, it muft have been yellow; 

 yet Virgil applies the epithet white to Orichal- 

 cum, 



Ipfe dehinc auro fqualentum alhoque orichalco 

 Circumdat loricam humeris.* 



Arijiotle alfo fpeaks of having heard of an 

 Indian copper, which was fliining, and pure, 

 and free from ruft, and not diftinguifhable in 

 colour from gold;f and he informs us, that 

 amony;ft the vefiTels oi Darius there were fome of 

 which, but for the peculiarity of \\\t\x Jmell it 

 would have been impoffible to fay, whether they 

 were made of gold or copper. This account 

 feems very defcriptive of common brafs, which 

 may be made to refembie gold perfeftly in 

 colour, but which, upon being handled, always 

 emits a ftrong and peculiar 7«?<?//, not obfervable 

 cither in gold or gilded copper, 



• Vir. ^n. L. XII. 87. 



t Anf. de Mirab. T. II, p, 719. 



E 4 The 



