110 LETTER IV. 



hoftile one to another, that if you put ten of them 

 in one Veffel, (adds he) they will kill one another, 

 till only one furvives the reft; nay, if you fnut 

 but two up in any one Veffel, the one kills and eats 

 the other foon, though they can live above a 

 month without Food. 



11. But let us diverfify the fubjedl. You know 

 that fome of the Ancient Heathen Roman Prin- 

 ces were wont to burn their deceafed Friends, and 

 to prefervethe facred Allies in fmall Urns, which 

 were carefully placed in Vaults under ground. 

 Now in order to this, they were obliged to 

 weave large Sheets out of the Stone called Ami- 

 anthos^ that is undoubtedly the Ajhejlos fo famous 

 among Naturalifls. They put the Body into one 

 of thefe Sheets, which will fland the Fire with 

 very little hurt or diminution 3 and when it was 

 thoroughly reduced to aflies, they then let the 

 Sheet cool, and fo put the Afhes into Urns : (this 

 ufage is obferved at this day by fome Families 

 oi Tartar Princes.) yi,MiJ]o7i faw in Count Mof-^ 

 car do's Cabinet at Verona in Italy^ many Peices of 

 Workmanfliip that had been framed out of this 

 Stone, which though hard and weighty, is not- 

 withftanding eafily divided into Fibres or Threads, 

 which are fo ftrong and flexible, that they may 

 be Ipun hke Cotton or Silk. Vide Vol.i. pag.196. 



12. Several Gentlemen of known probity and 

 credit, after having taken the tour of Holland^ 



Germany 



