114 ^^' Falconer on the Knowledge 



glajiuniy^' perhaps from the fhining appearance it 

 might give to their fl<ins, or pofTibly becaufe its 

 afties might be ufed in the making of glafs. 

 The Romans called the fame plant by the name 

 oivitrum f, the word they ufed to. fignify glafs, ~ 

 Galen makes mention of glafs in 

 Galeii. feveral parts of his works. ^ He ap- 



pears to be well acquainted with it, 

 and the method of making it. He tells us, that 

 it was made from fand melted in furnaces, which 

 was required to be pure, fince if any metaMic 

 fubftance was mixed therewith, the glafs w^aa 

 fpoiled. Thofe concerned in the maniifa<5lure, 

 knew by looking at the fand if it was fit for this 

 purpofe. In other places, he advifes medicines 

 of a corrofive nature to be kept in glafs vefTels, 

 as fuch are not liable to be corroded, or to impart 

 any bad qualities. Glafs was alfo ufed for 

 cupping glafles in his tiijje, njucli ift thfrfaiUjq 

 way as at prefent. ■■■.. : >: — '-: ;•-'- 



•Simile plantagini^/^y?«,7z in Gallia vocatur, quo Britan- 

 norum conjuges nurufque, toto corpore oblitx, quibufdam in. 

 facris & nuda: inccdunt, iEthiopum coloreni imitantes. 



Plin. Lib. XXII. Cap. i. 



t Omnes veio fe Britanni miiro inficiunt quod cxruleum 

 efficit colorem, C^ef. Bell. Gall. L. V. 



X De Simpl. Medicam. facilitate. Lib. IX. De Terra 

 Samia. De Antidotis. Lib. VIII. Cap. 8. Dc compos 

 Pharm. fecund, loc. L. Vlll. Cap. 5. 



Apuleins 



J 



