80 ON ORICHALCUM. 



talked of even in his time ; it was no where then to be met with, 

 though in the island of Atlantis it had been formerly extracted from 

 its mine. The Greeks were in possession of a metallic substance 

 called orichalcum, before (he foundation of Rome ; for it is men- 

 tioned by Homer and by llesiod, and by both of them in such a 

 manner as shews that ii was held in great esteem. Other ancient 

 writers have expressed themselves in similar terms of commemla. 

 tion ; and it is principally from the circumstance of the high re. 

 puted wilnc of orichalcum, that authors are induced to suppose 

 the ancient oricliaK-um to have been a natural substance, and very 

 different from the factitious one in use at Rome, and probably in 

 Asia ; and which, it has been shewn, was nothing different from 

 our brass. 



B':t this circumstance, when properly considered, does not ap- 

 pear to be of weight sufficient to establish the point. Whenever 

 the method of making brass was first found oat, it is certain that 

 it n.us have been .'or some time, perhaps for some ages, a very 

 scarce con.mmiity ; and this scarcity, added to its real excellence 

 as a metallic substance, must have rendered it very valuable, and 

 entitled it to the greatest encomiums. Diodorus Siculus speaks of 

 a people who willingly bartered their gold for an equal weight of 

 iron or copper* ; and the Europeans have long carried on a similar 

 kind of commerce with various nations. Gold, in some views, 

 tly esteemed the most valuable of metals ; in other, and those 

 the most important to the well being of mankind, is far inferior 

 to iron, or copper, or brass. An individual, whose, life depended 

 upon the issue of a single combat, to be decided by the sword, 

 would have no hesitation in preferring a sword of steel, to one of 

 gold ; and an army, which should be possessed of golden armour, 

 would not scruple to exchange it, in the day of battle, for the 

 iron accoutrements of their enemies. The preference of the harder 

 metals to gold, is no less obvious in agriculture, than in war; a 

 ploughshare, mattock, chisel, hammer, saw, nail, of gold, is not 

 for use so valuable, as an instrument of the same kind made of 

 iron or brass. Hence, there is no manner of absurdity in sup. 

 posing that orichalcum, when first introduced among the ancients 

 ro glit have been prized at the greatest rate, though it had been 

 possessed of no other properties, than such as appertain to brew. 

 VN hen iron was either not at all known, or not common in the 



* Lib. III. 



