CENTURY VIII. 59 



certain, and known of old, that lead will multiply and 

 increase ; as hath been seen in old statua s of stone 

 which have been put in cellars ; the feet of them being 

 bound with leaden bands ; where (after a time) there 

 appeared that the lead did swell ; insomuch as it 

 hanged upon the stone like warts. 



Experiment solitary touching the drowning of the more 

 base metal in the more precious. 



798. I call drowning of metals, -when that the baser 

 metal is so incorporate with the more rich as it can by 

 no means be separated again ; which is a kind of ver 

 sion, though false : as if silver should be inseparably 

 incorporated with gold ; or copper and lead with silver. 

 The ancient electrum had in it a fifth of silver to the 

 gold ; 1 and made a compound metal, as fit for most 

 uses as gold, and more resplendent, and more qualified 

 in some other properties ; but then that was easily 

 separated. This to do privily, or to make the com 

 pound pass for the rich metal simple, is an adulteration 

 or counterfeiting : but if it be done avowedly, and 

 without disguising, it may be a great saving of the 

 richer metal. I remember to have heard of a man 

 skilful in metals, that a fifteenth part of silver incor 

 porate with gold will not be recovered by any water 

 of separation, except you put a greater quantity of 

 silver to draw to it the less ; which (he said) is the 

 last refuge in separations. 2 But that is a tedious way, 

 which no man (almost) will think on. This would 



speaking of iron or of brass. The best editions are in favour of the 

 latter. 



1 Pliny, xxxiii. 23.; but compare Hardouin s note. On the subject of 

 Electrum, see an essay in Buttmann s Mythologus. 



a This is called quartation. 



