TO THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS 



AND MOST MIGHTY DUKES OF 



Saxony, Landgraves of Thuringia, Margraves of Meissen, 



Imperial Overlords of Saxony, Burgraves of Altenberg 



and Magdeburg, Counts of Brena, Lords of 



Pleissnerland, To maurice Grand Marshall 



and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire 



and to his brother Augustus,' 



GEORGE AGRICOLA 



D. 



OST illustrious Princes, often have I considered 

 the metaUic arts as a whole, as Moderatus Columella^ 

 considered the agricultural arts, just as if I 

 had been considering the whole of the human 

 body ; and when I had perceived the various parts 

 of the subject, like so many members of the body, 

 I became afraid that I might die before I should 

 understand its full extent, much less before I 

 could immortalise it in writing. This book 

 itself indicates the length and breadth of the subject, and the number 

 and importance of the sciences of which at least some little knowledge 

 is necessary to miners. Indeed, the subject of mining is a ver^' exten- 

 sive one, and one very difficult to explain ; no part of it is fully dealt 

 with by the Greek and Latin authors whose works survive ; and since 

 the art is one of the most ancient, the most necessary and the most profitable 

 to mankind, I considered that I ought not to neglect it. Without doubt, 

 none of the arts is older than agriculture, but that of the metals is not 

 less ancient ; in fact they are at least equal and coeval, for no mortal man ever 

 tilled a field without implements. In truth, in all the works of agricul- 

 ture, as in the other arts, implements are used which are made from metals, 

 or which could not be made without the use of metals ; for this reason 

 the metals are of the greatest necessity to man. When an art is so poor that 

 it lacks metals, it is not of much importance, for nothing is made without 

 tools. Besides, of all ways whereby great wealth is acquired by good and 

 honest means, none is more advantageous than mining ; for although from 

 fields which are well tilled (not to mention other things) we derive rich yields, 

 yet we obtain richer products from mines ; in fact, one mine is often much 

 more beneficial to us than many fields. For this reason we learn from the 

 history of nearly all ages that very many men have been made rich by the 



^For Agricola's relations with these princes see p. ix. 



^Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella was a Roman, a native of Cadiz, and lived 

 during the ist Century. He was the author of De Re Rusiica in 12 books. It was first 

 printed in 1472, and some fifteen or sixteen editions had been printed before Agricola's death. 



