74. The Statural Hijlory 



knives by that eminent Artift Sir Anthony 'Cope ; to which few* 

 Achats might be compared, perchance none preferr'd, either in 

 thepolifh or variety of colours. 



2c. The Ingenious Mr. Ray , amongft other Obfervations 

 made in his Journey through Italy,<rc. tells us,That in the Church 

 of the Benediftinesat Ravenna, the Monks did fhew him two 

 Marble -pillars, for which they faid, the Venetians ofter'd them no 

 lefs than their utmoft weight in Silver. But the like he fays, he 

 had feen elfewhere, at the Library at Zurich, and at Verona in our 

 Ladies Chappel, in the Garden of Seignior Horatio Guifti : their 

 generation at fifft, fays he, was out of a mafs of fmall Flints 

 and Pebbles, united by a cement as hard as themfelves, and capa- 

 ble ofpoliture ; which cement, he gueffes, was feparated by de- 

 grees from a fluid wherein the ftones formerly lay : which I take . 

 to be a defcription fo agreeable to ours, that nothing more need 

 be faid to promote their tryal. 



2 1 . Hither alfo muft be reduced a courfer fort of Smirk, dug 

 up in the pits ziWhately Towns end, of a cinereous colour, hard 

 and rough, and ftriking fire as well as a Flint. The beft fort of 

 Smirk ferves for feveralufes ; but ours is fit only to cut the hard- 

 er fort of ftones, that the fand commonly ufed will not fo well 

 do, and perhaps for fome other inferior ufes. 



22. And to thefe muft be added the feveral forts of Sands , 

 which upon violent motions all ftrike fire, and are commonly, 

 and fomtimes promifcuoufly ufed, for Building, Hour-glares, and 

 cutting of Stone. But fome there are of a more peculiar and 

 confiderable ufe, and fuch is that dug in the Pariffi of Kingham^ 

 which after 'tis wafhed and duly ordered, fo perfectly refembles 

 Calk-fand, that it ferves and is fold for the very fame : it is not 

 found in every place, but they have figns (like Miners) to know 

 where it lies ; vi%. a fort of fluff that looks almoft like rotten 

 wood, which if they meet with under the Turf, they feldom fail 

 of the Sand a little deeper ; which they firft cleanfe from rubbifTi, 

 and the greater ftones, by putting it through acourfe fievc, then 

 they wafh it in a trough and lay it a drying ; which when fuffici- 

 ently done, they feparate again by a finer fieve, the courfer part 

 of it from the finer : the courfer ferves for wheting of fithes, but 

 the finer fort for fcouring pewter, for which purpofe it feems 

 'tis fo very excellent , that the Retailers fell it for a penny a 



pound, 



