OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 57 



Jy more involved in new enigmas, parables, and 

 numberlefs Platonic and cabaliilic modes of ex- 

 prcflion. Greece and Egypt being equally fubjccl- 

 cdtothc power of Rome, fcicnce alfo was reduced 

 to flavcry, and was, at length, almoft finally 

 extinguifhed by the conquefts of the Saracens. 



Chemical arts made a much flower progrefs 

 among the Greeks than among the Egyptians. 



Ores were found in two places only. Thofe 

 of the ifland of Thafo, in the Egean fea, yielded 

 gold, and thofe difcovcrcd in Laurus contained 

 filver. But the Corinthians were acquainted 

 with three metallic competitions, formed in a 

 particular way, by fire, and remarkable for their 

 colour; one had all the white fplendor of illvcr, 

 another the yellow hue of gold, and the third 

 contained an equal proportion of both *.- They 

 fccm to have carefully concealed thefe prepara- 

 tions, which were no other than of zinc and 

 copper,f. Copper takes its name from the i- 

 iland of Cyprus, in which it was firft difcovered. 

 Pliny reckons the ccrufc of Rhodes to be by far 

 the bed }. According to Thcophraftus, mi- 

 nium (cinnabar) was known to Callia, the Athe- 

 nian, about five hundred years before Chrift, 



who 



* Plin. xxxiv. cap. 2. 



f The preparation of orichtlcus, with copper and lapit ca- 

 luminaris was known to the ancients :|V id. Pliny, 1.34. Diofco- 

 lid. l.v. c.$5. I'hcprocef* of making (led, by healing iron a- 

 mong coals is mcotioru-d by A nit otic, met. iv. c.6. aud Pim, 

 1. xxxiv. \ L, xxxiv, 8. 



