46 NATURAL HISTORY. 



maketh me find it very strange, that the Egyptian 

 mummies should be reported to be as hard as stone- 

 pitch ; J for I find no difference but one, which indeed 

 may be very material, namely that the ancient Egyp 

 tian mummies were shrouded in a number of folds of 

 linen, besmeared with gums, in manner of sear-cloth ; 

 which it doth not appear was practised upon the body 

 of Alexander. 



Experiment solitary touching the abundance of nitre in 

 certain sea-shores. 



772. Near the castle of Catie, and by the wells of 

 Assan, in the land of Idumea, a great part of the way 

 you would think the sea were near at hand, though it 

 be a good distance off: and it is nothing but the shin 

 ing of the nitre upon the sea sands ; such abundance 

 of nitre the shores there do put forth. 2 



Experiment solitary touching bodies that are borne up 

 by water. 



773. The Dead Sea, which vomiteth up bitumen, is 

 of that crassitude, as living bodies bound hand and foot 

 cast into it have been borne up, and not sunk ; 3 which 

 sheweth, that all sinking into water is but an over 

 weight of the body put into the water in respect of 

 the water ; so that you may make water so strong and 

 heavy, of quicksilver (perhaps) or the like, as may 

 bear up iron ; of which I see no use, but imposture. 

 We see also that all metals except gold, for the same 

 reason, swim upon quicksilver. 



i Namely, by Sandys, p. 104. 2 Sandys, p. 109. 



8 Id. p. 110. 



