of the Pyrites, 13 



In High-Dutch pyrites is called kies-, whence 

 this term is derived is not very eafy to determine 3, 

 perhaps the firft inventor of it had in view the kie- 

 [el, or flint- ftone, as kies and kiefel are fo far ana- 

 lagous in that both ilrike fire: or it may well 

 enough be derived from erkiefen, to chufe, as that 

 ftone or rock is, in mining, to be chofen before all 

 others, where fuch a fulphureous vitriolic iron and 

 copper ore offers, feeing the kies can lead the min- 

 ers, as by a clue, to the wifhed-for labyrinth of 

 gold and filver veins : alfo, when two undertakers 

 have branches of veins running together, and af- 

 terwards feparating, and coming out of the com- 

 pafs of the fhare, the elder mull chufe, or pitch 

 upon a branch, which he cannot readily do with- 

 out kies f. But mould neither of thefe derivati- 

 ons be approved, it yet may be allowed to pafs 

 for a venerable old German mine- term, till its ge- 

 nuine etymology can be afcertained. It is at lead 

 fo common a word among Germans, that I know 

 of ho province, in which the language is fpoke 

 with propriety, where it is not in ufe •, only with 

 this difference, that fome are not accuftomed to 

 apply it to fuch pyrit* as are very coppery, or 

 highly arfenical : for inftance, at Friberg, the for- 

 mer are called copper ore, the latter mijjpckd; 

 with thefe the term kies is wholly dropt; while 

 others, particularly at the Hartz, are wont to call 

 even the richeft copper- ore kies, as, copper- kies. 



The Arabians ufe to this purpofe the term mar- 

 cafita, marcafite, which the Germans alfo have, 

 from the Romans, in fome meafure, adopted. 

 This appellative, though, flrictiy fpeaking, it is 

 not, under certain circum fiances, improperly ap- 

 plied to the fubject here treated of, has been made 

 ufe of, by different authors, to denote fuch a vaft 

 variety of mineral fubftances, as well artificial as 



natural, 



f Ro/iU/% Berg-bau Spiegel [Mine Mirror] i. 4. c. 4. § 14. 



