22 BOOK I. 



from the owners than necessity demands. Nay, I will admit that a fore- 

 man may plaster over, or hide with a structure, a vein where it is rich in 

 metals. Is the wickedness of one or two to brand the many honest with 

 fraud and trickery ? What body is supposed to be more pious and virtuous 

 in the Republic than the Senate ? Yet some Senators have been detected 

 in peculations, and have been punished. Is this any reason that so honour- 

 able a house should lose its good name and fame ? The superintendent 

 cannot exact contributions from the owners without the knowledge and 

 permission of the Bergmeister or the deputies ; for this reason decep- 

 tion of this kind is impossible. Should the foremen be convicted of 

 fraud, they are beaten with rods ; or of theft, they are hanged. It 

 is complained that some sellers and buyers of the shares in mines are 

 fraudulent. I concede it. But can they deceive anyone except a stupid, 

 careless man, unskilled in mining matters ? Indeed, a wise and prudent 

 man, skilled in this art, if he doubts the trustworthiness of a seller or 

 buyer, goes at once to the mine that he may for himself examine the vein 

 which has been so greatly praised or disparaged, and may consider whether 

 he will buy or sell the shares or not. But people say, though such an one 

 can be on his guard against fraud, yet a simple man and one who is easily 

 credulous, is deceived. But we frequently see a man who is trying to mislead 

 another in this way deceive himself, and deservedly become a laughing- 

 stock for everyone ; or very often the defrauder as well as the dupe is 

 entirely ignorant of mining. If, for instance, a vein has been found to be 

 abundant in ore, contrary to the idea of the would-be deceiver, then he who 

 was to have been cheated gets a profit, and he who has been the deceiver 

 loses. Nevertheless, the miners themselves rarely buy or sell shares, but 

 generally they have juraii venditor es'^^ who buy and sell at such prices as they 

 have been instructed to give or accept. Seeing therefore, that magistrates 

 decide disputes on fair and just principles, that honest men deceive nobody, 

 while a dishonest one cannot deceive easily, or if he does he cannot do so 

 with impunity, the criticism of those who wish to disparage the honesty of 

 miners has therefore no force or weight. 



In the next place, the occupation of the miner is objectionable to 

 nobody. For who, unless he be naturally malevolent and envious, will 

 hate the man who gains wealth as it were from heaven ? Or who will hate 

 a man who to amplify his fortune, adopts a method which is free from 

 reproach ? A moneylender, if he demands an excessive interest, incurs the 

 hatred of men. If he demands a moderate and lawful rate, so that he is not 

 injurious to the public generally and does not impoverish them, he fails to 

 become very rich from his business. Further, the gain derived from mining 

 is not sordid, for how can it be such, seeing that it is so great, so plentiful, 

 and of so innocent a nature. A merchant's profits are mean and base when 

 he sells counterfeit and spurious merchandise, or puts far too high a price 

 on goods that he has purchased for little ; for this reason the merchant 



'^Juraii Venditores — " Sworn brokers." (?) 



