4 
‘ 
A 
of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 
aid be pained withall. Foravoiding which troubleand inconvenience, fome betake themfelves: 
to otherexperiments; and namely, they dig atrench or ditch fivefoordeepe within the ground; 
the mouth whereof they cover all over with earthen veffels of potters worke unbaked,or elfe with 
a barbars brafen bafon, well enhuiled: and withall a lampe burning: overall which they makea 
little arch-worke of leaves and boughs, and mould thereupon. Now ifthey come within a while 
after to this placeand either fee the earthen pots broken or wet, or perceive a dew or {wet {tan- 
ding upon the braffe, or findthe lampe aforefaid gone our and yetno wantof ojleto maintaine 
lighz, or if they feele a locke of wooll which they hung within the trench to be moift, they affure: 
themfelves they fhall find water if they finke the pit deeper. Some there be, who for better affu- 
rance hereof, make a firein the place, and burne it throughly;forthen the veflels aforefaid; if 
they proove to be wet, givea more infallible hope of a {pring . Moreover, the veric leire irfelfe 
of the foile, if itbe {potted with white {pecks, or bee alcogither of a reddifh bright colour, pro- 
mifeth {pring water to be underneath: for ifthe ground looke blacke, lightly the water will foon 
faile, if there bee any {pring there found. If you chaunce to light upon a veine of potters cley 
orchaulke, make account you fhall meet with no fpring there, finke as deepe as you will:and 
therefore workemen when they come to it, give over prefently: fora great regard they have to 
obferve the chaunge of everie coat (as I may fo fay) of the earth as they digg, towit, from the 
blacke delfe, untill they meetby degrees with the veins aforefaid, Furthermore, itis to be noted;: 
that the water which isfoundincley grounds, is alwates {weet and potable; like as that which: 
409 
* jn Topho: 
aftonie and grittie foile doth yeeld, is commonly colder than any other: and fuch akind of * 
ground alfo, is allowable for the proofe of good waters; for icengendreth fweet and holefome 
water, lightalfo of digeftion and pure withall, by reafon that as it paffeth by afoft grit as it were 
through a ftreiner, all the grofleneffe thereof it leaveth behind {ticking thereto, As tor *thicke 
fand and gravell, it affourdeth {mall and flender fprings, and thofe not durable; befides, the wa- 
ter will quickely gather mud. Ground given to beare* pebbles, or the groffer fort of gravell; 
give usnofecuritie that the {prings therein will holdall the yeere long ; howbeit, the water is ve- 
rie good and pleafant. The hard and compact gravell called the Male-gravell,andthe fand which 
feemeth full of blacke and burnt carbuncle flones, bringeth foorth holefome waters , and the 
fources be fure and perdurable. But red {tones yeeld the beft fimply, and thofe thatwee may be 
fure will never give over andfaile, And therefore when wee fhall perceive the foot of amoun- 
taine ftanding upon fuch {tone,or upon flint, wee may boldly reckon of holefome and everla- 
fting fprings; and this gift they have befide,to be pafling cold. Moreover, in digging or finking 
pits, marke this for an affufed and infallible figne that you approach unto water; namely, if the 
earth appeare and {hew moift more and more ftill as you goe lower and lower: alfoit the fpade 
enter more willingly,and goe downe with eale and facilitie. When pioners have wrought deepeé 
under the ground, and then chaunceto mect with a veine of brimftone or alumme, the dampe 
will ftop their breath and kill them prefently, if they take not the better heed: and therefore to 
forefec and prevent this daunger, they ufe to let downe into the pit, a candle or lampe burning 
for if it goe out,they may be fure it hath met with the dampe. Therefore if pits be fubject to the 
rifing ot {uch vapours, cunning and expert workemen make on either fide of {uch pits, both on 
the right hand and the left, cectaine out-cafts,tunnels,or venting-holes, to receive thofe hurt- 
full and daungerous vapours, whereby they may evaporat and breath forth another way.Orhers 
whiles it falleth out, that the aire which they meet with in digging verie low, doth offend the 
pioners, albeit there be no brimftone oralumeneare :butthe readi¢ means to amend the fame 
and avoidthe daunger,is to make wind and frefh aire, with continuall agitation of fomelinnen 
cloaths. Now when the pit isfunke and digged as farre as to the water, the bottome muft be laid, 
and the loweft fides of the wall reared of {tone fimply without any morter made of [lime and | 
fand, for feare leaft the veins of the fource be ftopped. Some waters there are whichinthe verie 
prime and beginning of the fpring, are of thisnature, That they grow tobee exceeding cold; 
namely, fuch as have theirfource or {pring lying but ebb :for they are maintained onely of win 
ter raine. Othersagaine, begin to becold at the rifing ofthe Dog-ftar. And verely we may fee 
the experience both of the one and the other about Pella, the capicoll cittie of Macedonie:for 
the water of the meere or marrifh there before the towne, in the beginning of fummer is cold 3 
and afterwards, when the weather is at the horeft,che {pring water in the higher parts of the cittie 
is fo cxtreame cold, that it isteadic to bee frozen. The femblable happeneth in Chios, ons 
te: eld No . there 
* Sabulum : 
* Glareas 
