OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 75 



The Phoenicians by their induilry anil com- 

 merce excelled all other nations. Before the 

 time of Moles, and about 700 years after the 

 flood, an accident fuggcfted to them the making 

 of glafs: As fomc Tailors, on the iliorc of Belus 

 for want of lloncs, had employed pieces of nitre 

 to fupport their kettle, in which they were boil- 

 ing their provisions, they obferved the fand and 

 the nitre unite into vitriiicd maflcs*. The ge- 

 nius and penetration of the Sidonians foon im- 

 proved upon this difcovery, and carried it to 

 fuch perfection, that for 2000 years it brought 

 them an immenle revenue: And as glafs was 

 prized equally with gold, the fand of Belus, 

 which for a long time was reckoned the only 

 kind fit for making it, even after Chrift, was 

 collected, and taken away by vcflcls that came 

 annually from foreign countries, as'Strabo, Jo- 

 fephus, Tacitus, arid others allirm J. 



They had three varieties of purple colour : 

 The Tynan, which was twice dyed, was reckon- 

 ed the fincll and dcarcft. At the taking of Su- 



ia, 



* Pliny fpcaks of the origin of glaf*; and ho fays alfu : 

 *' Mox, ut ell alluta ct in^cmofa fulcitia, non fuit contents 

 " vitrum nufcuiflc: captus ct addi magncs (magncfui ?) la- 

 '* pis quoniam in fc liqunicm vitii quoquc, ut icrrum tra- 

 " here crcditur, 1. xxxvi. 2/>. Lapis hie (magncs) ctinCun- 

 " tabiiu nafcittir, non il!c magnet vcrus cautc continuo, fc<\ 

 ' fparf.i bubhationc : ita appellant : ncfcio an vitro fundcndo 

 '* pcrindc utilij : noniium cnim cxpcrtus cH quifquam/ 1 

 J. xxxiv. 14. 



