REFINING WITH QUICKSILVER. 219 



We must understand there are divers sortes of mettalls, 

 for some yeelde much silver, and waste little quicke-silver; 

 others consume much quicke-silver, and yielde little silver ; 

 and there are others which consume much quicke-silver 

 and yeelde much silver ; and others that consume little 

 quicke-silver, and also yeelde little silver ; and as men 

 incounter in these rnettalles, so they grow rich or poore in 

 their trafficke. Although commonly the rich mettall yeelds 

 much silver, and consumes much quicke-silver ; and like 

 wise that which is poore, yeeldes little silver, and consumes 

 as little mercurie. They first beat and grind the mettall 

 very small, with the hammers of the machinery, which 

 beat this stone like vnto tanne milles, and being well 

 beaten they searce it in a copper scarce, making the pouder 

 as small and fine as if it were horse haire ; these searces 

 being well fitted, doe sift thirtie quintalles in a day and a 

 night ; then they put the pouder of the mettall into the 

 vessels vpon furnaces, whereas they anoint it and mortifie it 

 with brine, putting to everie fiftie quintalles of pouder, five 

 quintalls of salt. And this they do for that the salt sepe- 

 rates the earth and filth, to the end the quicke-silver may 

 the more easily draw the silver vnto it. After, they put 

 quicke-silver into a peece of holland and presse it out vpon 

 the mettall, which goes forth like a dewe, alwaies turning 

 and stirring the mettall, to the end it may be well incorpo 

 rate. Before the invention of these furnaces of fire, they 

 did often mingle their mettall with quicke-silver in great 

 troughes, letting it settle some daies, and did then mix it 

 and stirre it againe, vntil they thought all the quicke-silver 

 were well incorporate with the silver, the which continued 

 twentie daies and more, and at the leest nine daies. / Since 

 they discovered, as the desire to get is diligent, that to 

 shorten the time fire did much helpe, to incorporate silver 

 the sooner with quicke-silver, they invented these furnaces, 

 whereon they set vessels to put in their mettall with salt 



