CENTURY I. 53 



sun, and the heavens. The likeliest trial is by snow 

 and ice ; for as snow and ice, especially being 

 holpen and their cold activated by nitre, or salt, will 

 turn water into ice, and that in a few hours ; so it 

 may be, it will turn wood or stiff clay into stone, in 

 longer time. Put therefore into a conserving pit of 

 snow and ice, adding some quantity of salt and nitre, 

 a piece of wood, or a piece of tough clay, and let it 



lie a month or more. 



84. Another trial is by metalline waters, which 



have virtual cold in them. Put therefore wood or 

 clay into smith s water, or other metalline water, and 

 try whether it will not harden in some reasonable 

 time. But I understand it of metalline waters that 

 come by washing or quenching ; and not of strong 

 waters that come by dissolution ; for they are too 

 corrosive to consolidate. 



85. It is already found that there are some 

 natural spring waters, that will inlapidate wood ; so 

 that you shall see one piece of wood, whereof the 

 part above the water shall continue wood ; and the 

 part under water shall be turned into a kind of 

 gravelly stone. It is likely those waters are of some 

 metalline mixture ; but there would be more parti 

 cular inquiry made of them. It is certain, that an 

 egg was found, having lain many years in the bot 

 tom of a mote, where the earth had somewhat over 

 grown it ; and this egg was come to the hardness 

 of a stone, and had the colours of the white and yolk 

 perfect, and the shell shining in small grains like 

 sugar or alabaster. 



