BOOK XXXIII. XXI. 76-xxii. 79 



on arches over steep pitches. Thus the earth carried 

 along in the stream sHdes down into the sea and the 

 shattered mountain is washed away ; and by this 

 time the land of Spain owing to these causes has 

 encroached a long way into the sea. The material 

 drawn out at such enormous labour in the former 

 kind of mining so as not to fill up the shafts is in § 67. 

 this latter process washed out. The gold obtained by 

 means of an arrugia'^ does not have to be melted, 

 but is pure gold straight away. In this process 

 nuggets are found and also in the shafts, even 

 weighing more than ten pounds. They are called 

 palagae or else palacurnae, and also the gold in very 

 small grains baluce. The gorse is dried and burnt 

 and its ash is washed on a bed of grassy turf so that 

 the gold is deposited on it. According to some 

 accounts Asturia and Callaecia and Lusitania produce 

 in this way 20,000 Ibs. weight of gold a year, Asturia 

 supplying the largest amount. Nor has there been 

 in any other part of the world such a continuous 

 production of gold for so many centuries. We have 

 stated that by an old prohibiting decree of the 

 senate Italy is protected from exploitation ; other- 

 wise no country would have been more productive 

 in metals; as well as in crops, There is extant a 

 ruHng of the censors relating to the gold mines of 

 Victumulae in the territory of Vercellae which pro- 

 hibited the farmers of public revenues from having 

 more than 5000 men engaged in the work. 



XXII. There is moreover one method of making 

 gold out of orpiment ^ which is dug up in Syria for 

 use by painters ; it is found on the surface of the 

 earth, and is of a gold colour, but is easily broken, 

 Uke looking-glass stone. Hopes inspired by it had 



61 



