4 INTRODUCTION. 



amethyst, of glass, which could not be distin- 

 guished from the stone itself. The accompany- 

 ing hieroglyphics assure us also of the fact that 

 they knew how to blow glass in the same man- 

 ner as we do, and thus they may have formed 

 useful chemical vessels for the early professors 

 of this art. So far had the glass-workers of 

 Egypt advanced in their art that even coffins 

 were sometimes made of glass. 



GLASS-BLOWING IS EGYPT. 



The knowledge of chemistry came at length 

 into Europe. During the dominion of the 

 Moors in Spain, science of all kinds was much 

 encouraged, and the arts and learning flourished 

 luxuriantly. An immense library of books upon 

 every subject existed at Cordova, whither the 

 learned of Europe flocked, and where, in all 

 probability, they first became acquainted with 



