212 AFFINITY OF MERCURY AND GOLD. 



LIB. iv. silver, to cause them to die secretly) to put little plates of 

 gold into their eares (for that gold hath the vertue to draw 

 out Mercurie) and after they drew out these plates all white 

 with the quicke-silver, it did sticke vnto them. Being one 

 day at Madrid, I went to see the exquisite workes which 

 lacomo de Tre^o (a rare worke-man of Milan) made for 

 San Lorenzo el Eeal ; it was my hap to be there one day 

 whenas they gilded certaine peeces of a countertable of 

 brasse, which is done with quicke-silver ; and for that the 

 fume of Mercurie is mortall, ho tolde me that the worke- 

 men preserved themselves from this venome, by swallowing 

 a double duckat of gold roled vp ; the which being in the 

 stomacke, drawes vnto it all the quicke-silver that enters in 

 fume by the eares, eyes, nostrilles, and mouth,, and by this 

 in canes freed themselves from the danger of quicke-silver, 

 which the gold gathered in the stomacke, and after cast out 

 by the excrements : a thing truly worthy of admiration. 

 After the quicke-silver hath purified and purged gold from 

 all other mettalls and mixtures, he is likewise separated 

 from the golde his friend by the heate of the fire, the 

 riin..in&amp;gt;. which purifies it from all quicke-silver. Plinie saies, 



xxxiii, c. fi. 



that by a certaine art and invention they did seperate 

 gold from quick-silver. It seemes to me the An 

 cients had no knowledge to refine silver by quicke-silver, 

 which at this day is the greatest vse, and chiefe profite of 

 quickesilver ; for that he saies plainely, that quickesilver 

 ioynes with 110 other rnettall but with gold ; and when he 

 makes mention of refining of silver, he speakes onely but 

 of the manner of melting ; whereby wee may inferre that 

 the Ancients had no knowledge of this secret. In truth, 

 though there be a league and simpathie betwixt golde and 

 quicke-silver, yet whereas the mercurie findes no golde, it 

 ioynes with silver, though not in the like maner as with 

 gold ; but in the end, it doth dense and purge it from earth, 

 copper, and lead, amongst the which the silver growes, 



