Htflorieofthefndici. 



fubicft to melt, & for the better melting thcrof, th'/#- 

 dions caft in amatter,they caUfrw0fo,which is a mcttal 

 fal of lead. The raettal being in thefe f urnafes, the filth 

 and earthie drofle , through the force of the fire , re- 

 maincs in the bottome, and the filver and lead meltj 

 fo as the filver fwimmes vpon the lead,vntill it be puri 

 fied then after they refine the filver many times, after 

 this maner of melting. They have vfuallydrawneout 

 of one quintall of mcttall, thirtie^ fortie, and fiftie pee^ 

 ces ot /ilver , and yet I have feene tome moft excellent 

 that have bin fliewneme, where they have drawne in 

 the melting; two hundred, yea, two hundred and fiftie ^ t>e\*$ 

 peeces of filver of a^uintall of mettall; a rare wealth* Jr 

 and almoft incredible , ifwe had not ieene the tryall 

 thereof by fire, but fuchmettalls are verie rare. The 

 pooreftmetDll isthauvhichyeeldestwo, three, five, 

 or fix peeces, or little more. This mettall hath com 

 monly little lead,but is drie, and therefore they cannot 

 refine it with fire. And for this reafoa in PotoQ , there 

 was great ftore of thefe poorc mettalls , whereof they 

 made no great account, but were reie<aed like ftrgvy, 

 and as the skumrae of the' good mettall 5 vntill they 

 found meanes to refine itbyquicke-filver^ whereby 

 theskumme they^alled OquiMbe was of great profir, 

 forthequicke-filverby aftrange and wonderfuil pro 

 pertie , purifies the filver , and is apt for thefe mettalls 

 which are drie and poore, wherein they confumclefle 

 quicke-filvcrthen in the richer: for the richer they are> 

 the more needc of quickc-filver they have. At this day 

 the moft vfuall inancr of refining in P^/^',is byquiclcc- 

 filver, asalfointhc mines ofCacttcca, and others of 

 new Sftute. There were in old time vpon the fides and 



/, above fix thouland Gwyr<u, which 



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