88 The Natural Hi/lory 



23. A third fort there is, and indeed the moll beautiful of a-* 

 ny it has been hitherto my luck to meet with, to be had in the 

 Fields about Steeple-Barton, firft difcovered to me by a worthy 

 Gentleman, fince deceafed, theWorfhipful Edward Sheldon Efq; 



'to whofe furtherance of my defign I am not a little indebted. 

 Butthefe, quite contrary to the former, arelntagli, deeply en- 

 graven like a feaU and ftriated from the prominent edges above 

 (which for the moft part are Hexagons, and fomtimes Pentagons') 

 to a center in the bottom, as in Tab. 2. Fig. 6. yet agree with 

 the former in this, that the Stars of all three are only fuperficial, 

 and not to be found in the body of the ftone, and have none of 

 them (that I know of) been any where noted before. 



24. To thefe add a fourth fort, imperfectly defcribed by Gef- 

 ner , and out of him by feveral others ; whofe ftrU, like the third 

 fort, defcend in a concave, but from edges moft times round, or 

 quinquangular at the top, and tend to a center not of their own 

 kind, as in Fig. 6. but fmooth ; and not depreifed, but vifibly 

 prominent, as in Fig. J. Thefe are found in the afore-mentioned 

 Quarries of rubble-ftone in the Varifi of Heddington, and are 

 ftellated not only in the fuperficies of the ftone, but quite through 

 the whole depth of it, yet not fo that one continued fiar (as fome 

 have thought) does reach through it ; but many, according to 

 the thicknefs of the ftone, about ten of them lying in the depth 

 of an inch, much after the manner of the After i^ or ft ar- ft ones, 

 only they are not feparate, but joined together, and making as it 

 were fo many ranges in the ftone, which are clearly reprefented by 

 Fig. 8 . which (hews the face of fuch a ftone, cut parallel to the 

 defcentof the ftars in its body, which lie within one another like 

 fo many cones. 



25. Of this fort in France there are fome fo great, as Gefner m 

 was informed by PetrwsBelloniut, that they ufed them in building 

 of Walls and Houfes ; to which ufe 'tis true we do not put ours, 

 but I fuppofe it is not for want of bignefi, but becaufe we have 

 much better ftone for that purpofe ; for here we have them like- 

 wife fo plentifully and great, that we commonly pave our Caufeys 

 with them, as may be {ten in the Caufy without St. Clements, 

 leading from Oxford up Heddington hill. 



26. Having hitherto confidered thefe ftones apart, and feen 



1 DeF'guris Lapidumrcap.z. m Aid- 



how 



