BOOK XL 533 



powder into the crucible, and again makes it smooth with his hands, and 

 kneads it with his fists and with the pestles ; then, pushing upward and 

 pressing with his fingers, he makes the edge of the crucible smooth. After the 

 crucible has been made smooth, he sprinkles in dry charcoal dust, and again 

 pounds it with the same pestles, at first with the narrow heads, and afterward 

 with the wider ones. Then he pounds the crucible with a wooden mallet 

 two feet long, both heads of which are round and three digits in diameter ; 

 its wooden handle is two palms long, and one and a half digits in diameter. 

 Finally, he throws into the crucible as much pure sifted ashes as both hands 

 can hold, and pours water into it, and, taking an old linen rag, he smears 

 the crucible over with the wet ashes. The crucible is round and sloping. If 

 copper is to be made from the best quaUty of " dried " cakes, it is made two 

 feet wide and one deep, but if from other cakes, it is made a cubit wide and 

 two palms deep. The master also has an iron band curved at both ends, 

 two palms long and as many digits wide, and with this he cuts off the edges 

 of the crucible if they are higher than is necessary. The copper pipe is 

 inclined, and projects three digits from the wall, and has its upper end and 

 both sides smeared thick with lute, that it may not be burned ; but the under- 

 side of the pipe is smeared thinly with lute, for this side reaches almost to the 

 edge of the crucible, and when the crucible is full the molten copper touches 

 it. The wall above the pipe is smeared over with lute, lest that should be 

 damaged. He does the same to the other side of an iron plate, which is a 

 foot and three palms long and a foot high ; this stands on stones near the 

 crucible at the side where the hearth slopes, in order that the slag may run 

 out vmder it. Others do not place the plates upon stones, but cut out 

 of the plate underneath a small piece, three digits long and three digits 

 wide ; lest the plate should fall, it is supported by an iron rod fixed in the 

 wall at a height of two palms and the same number of digits, and it projects 

 from the wall three palms. 



Then with an iron shovel, whose wooden handle is six feet long, he 

 throws live charcoal into the crucible ; or else charcoal, kindled by means 

 of a few hve coals, is added to them. Over the five charcoal he lays " dried " 

 cakes, which, if they were of copper of the first quaUty, weigh all together 

 three centumpondia, or three and a half centumpondia ; but if they were 

 of copper of the second quahty, then two and a half centumpondia ; if they 

 were of the third quahty, then two centumpondia only ; but if they were 

 of copper of very superior quality, then they place upon it six centumpondia, 

 and in this case they make the crucible wider and deeper. ^* The lowest 

 " dried " cake is placed at a distance of two palms from the pipe, the rest at 

 a greater distance, and when the lower ones are melted the upper ones fall 

 down and get nearer to the pipe ; if they do not fall down they must 

 be pushed with a shovel. The blade of the shovel is a foot long, three palms 

 and two digits wide, the iron part of the handle is two palms long, the 



^*Assuming Roman weights : 2 centumpondia = 141. 3 lbs. 



2i „ = 176.6 „ 



3 .. = 211.9 „ 



3i .. = 248.2 „ 



6 » = 423-9 .. 



