of the P y r i t e s. 93 



it be fo very neceffary to trace fuch fiffures as high 

 as the creation, and not rather fuppofe them of a 

 much later date. Moreover, 1 have had pieces very 

 clearly (hewing that they were broke off, and again 

 joined together by a pyrites-weathering, or damp* 

 forming one entire mafs ; nay, in part, crufted 

 over with pyrites-, but this cannot be reckoned any 

 thing new, or uncommon. 



What is worth enquiry is, how pyrites can get 

 into clofe iblid rock, as a knauer - 9 as miners, after 

 mafons and quarry-men, call a fort of quarry-done, 

 found with us, and generally elfewhere, dire&ly 

 beneath the under-turf earth •, confiding of very 

 fmall, nay, fcarce diftinguifhable feams, and two 

 forts of done ; one, a grey, fparkling, fcaly fort, 

 or a glimmer ; the other, a white, quartzy fort, 

 conftantly interchanged with the former, and both 

 clofely joined together. 



In this knauer fmall eyes of pyrites lie, and that 

 on the fined fiffures, but not difcoverable before 

 the done is parted afunder, and then mod certain- 

 ly, the pyrites often appearing rudy •, confequently, 

 a weathering, or a watering producible of rud, 

 mud have found accefs thither. Thefe eyes arc 

 alfo here and there fingly interfperfed in the mod 

 entire and firm rock, without the lead figns of any 

 deftruction or diffolution. Whether the fird be 

 fhoots or capillary veins from larger branches, I 

 mail not pretend to determine, but the fecond arc 

 fomething peculiar : they cannot be ccnfidered as 

 imdW Jhoads, as the knauer itfelf is not fuch, but a 

 rocky, wild done, condituting an original part of 

 the creation ; confequently, fuch eyes mud have 

 been produced in its foft, juicy, and yielding date, 

 before the matrix was become perfectly hard, and 

 unfitted for conception, in which cafe, the impreg- 

 nating damps and mineral juices could have no 

 accefs. 



We 



