146 Of the Sulphur 



c dered what it might be, as being well aware, that 

 c not the lead thing, befides the fulphurcous feces 

 « had come into the crucible. Upon taking out, 



* it proved heavy, and tried under the hammer, 



* it ftretched almoft like lead : upon clipping with 



* the meers, it proved internally fomewhat yellow- 



* ifh, but a beautiful fine copper, which gave me 



* no fmall furprize. The goldfmith alfo, upon 



* wire-drawing it, found it not only malleable, but 

 6 of a very beautiful colour. Upon a repeated ig- 

 \ nition and extinction in urine, it had almoft ac- 



* quired the colour of crown-gold. It has been 

 c often matter of reflection with me, why I procured 



* no other metal but copper ; for, I well knew 

 c this fulphur was not derived from a copper, but 



* from a gold pyrites. But at lad I found the rea- 



* fon : for, though there was not any one mineral 



* or metal added, only the fulp bur firft difiblved 



* in linfeed oil, from which no metal can arife •, I 

 V thus concluded, that a ftrong metallic fpirit, tho' 



* deemed only an excrement, and forced orF by a 

 c ilrong fire, lodges in the fulphur*.' 



Many things in this relation want to be cleared 

 up, and much to be remarked upon. In the firil 

 place, it is pity our author did not fpecify* the 

 quantity of the fulphur employed, and of the cop- 

 per educed -, a piece of inaccuracy but too com- 

 mon with writers on thefe fubje&s. Again, he is 

 under a miftake, in that he confiders. linfeed oil, as 

 of little ufe in the bufinefs of metalltfation\ fince 

 it is not a bare tranfient but an immanent inftru- 

 ment, or rather materially contributes thereto. 



His making goldpyrite s and copper-pyrites two 

 different things is a miifake, as I have fufficiently 



fhewn 



* Joh. Agric. uher Poppii Chymixhe Aitzncyen im tra£tat. 

 de iuiphuve, p 835. 



