OK Till: ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY, 73 



*11 gold, that the diflblution of it required con- 

 fummutc art; unlcfs perhaps he ufcd the hcpar 

 fulphuris, of which 16 parts will act upon one 

 of gold; and the whole imVht afterwards be re- 

 duced into powder, and rendered folublc in wa- 

 ter. Some writers iniiit, that the calf was made 

 of wood, covered with thin leaves of jjold *; and 

 if ib, the rcduclion of it could be c Reeled with- 

 out any chemical operation, j'ut Moles fpcaks 

 alfo of thread dyed of various colours; of the 

 cxprcffinn of oil; of fermented leaven |; of the 

 vinegar of wine}, and other chemical produch. 

 And there are not wanting fcvcral who, in thefc 

 days, contend, that under Urim and Tluunmim 

 were concealed fome chemical ferrets 5. In the 

 time of Abraham, mention is made of butter |j. 

 job, who lived before Moles, undcrilood fer- 

 mentation, the fprinkling of glafs with gold, 

 and nictallurgic operations ,'. David was ac- 

 quainted with the purification of iilvcr in a fur- 

 nace**. Solomon, whole wifdom furpaflcd all 

 the philofophy of the E? it and of Egypt ff, 

 fpcak^ of filver drofs JJ. Jeremiah mentions 



foap; 



* Via. Michacli*. 



j- Kxod. xxvi. j. xxvii. 20. xiii. 3,7. 



:t Numb. vj. ^. 



$ 1). Schrocdcr, 1. c. 



I! Gen. xviii. 8. 



*j Chap, xxxii. 19. xxvii 15, 17. xxviii. 1,7, 



^* 1'fal. xii. 7. 



tf I Kin^s iv. 30. 



'j.t Prov. xxvi. 23, 



