TRIAL OP SILVER. 223 



besides, there are thirty goe with horses in Potosi, and LlB - IV - 

 many others in divers partes, so great the desire of man is 

 to get silver, which is tryed by deputies appoynted by the 

 King. 



To give the alloy to every peece, they cary the bars of 

 silver vnto the Assay maister, who gives to every one his 

 number, for that they carry many at Once, he cuttes a small 

 peece of every one, the which he weighs iustly, and puttes 

 them into a cruset, which is a small vessell made of burnt 

 bones beaten ; after, hee placeth everie crusible in his order 

 in the furnace, giving them a violent fire, then the mettall 

 melteth, and that which is lead goes into smoake, and the 

 copper and tinne dissolves, the silver remayning most fine, 

 of the colour of fire. It is a strange thing, that being thus 

 refined, although it be liquid and molten, yet it never spilles, 

 were the mouth of the crusible turned downewardes ; but 

 it remayneth fixed, without the losse of a droppe. The 

 Assay maister knoweth by the colour and other sigues, 

 when it is refined, then dooth he draw the crusibles from 

 the fire, and weighs every peece curiously, observing what 

 every one wants of his weight ; for that which is of high 

 alloy, wastes but little, and that which is baser diminisheth 

 much and according to the waste he sees what alloy he 

 beares, according to the which he markes every barre punctu 

 ally. Their ballaunce and weights are so delicate, and their 

 graines so small, as they cannot take them vppe with the 

 hand, but with a small paire of pincers : and this triall they 

 make by candle light, that no ayre might inoove the bal- 

 lance. For of this little the price of the whole barre de- 

 pendeth. In trueth it is a very delicate thing, and requires 

 a great dexteritie, which the holy Scripture vseth in many Psai. ixv. 

 places, to show how God prooves his chosen : and to note xvSIl? . 

 the differences of the merites of soules, whereas God gives 

 the title of an Assay-maister to the prophet leremie, that 

 hee may trie and declare the spiritimll vertue of men, and 



