, 
of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. Aas 
are befides certaine hils alfo which are given by nature to bring forth falt,and {uch is the moun- 
taine Oromenus among the Indians wherein they ufe to new faltas out of a quaric of tone,and 
yetthe fame groweth ftill: infomuch, as thekings of that countrey make a greater revenue by 
farre out of it,than either by their mines of gold,or the pearles which thofe coafts do yeeld.Fur- 
thermore, it is evident,that in Cappadocia there is falt * Minerall, digged ont of the earth sand *Sal Gemma 
it appeareth plainely,that it isa falt humor congealedwithin. Andverely, theyvferocurit out 
_ of the ground after the manner of *Glaffe-ftone,inlumpes : and thofe exceeding heavie, which | 7" specwi- 
the peafants commonly call *crums of falt.At Carrhz, a citic of Arabia,all the wals thereof; aS géacies Matic; 
alfo the houfen of the inhabitants, bereared and built of falt ftones: and the fame be laid by Ma- &* £472 ra 
- B fons worke,and the joints clofed and foudered by no othermorter but plaine water. King Prolo- = yiyea4 Sati: 
mes ,at what timeas he encamped about Pelufium,acitie of Aigypt,and caft up atrench to for- 
tifie che fame, found fuch a mine or quarrey of falt as thefe,which was a prefident to others after- 
- ward to finke pits betweene Aigypt and Arabia, even in the watt and drie quarters; where undet 
the delfe of fand they met with fale. After which manner alfo they practifed to dig in thedefare 
and driefands of Affricke,and found more as they went, even as farre as to the temple and Ora- 
cle of Lspiter Ammon, And verely they mightperceive this {alt to grow in the night feafon, ac- 
_ cording to the courfe of the Moone. As forall the tra@ and countrey of Cyrenz,tamous itis, 
and much fpoken of, for the falr*Ammoniacum, fo called, by reafon thatitisfound under the *Of¢pporin 
fands.[n colour and luftre itrefembleth that Alume de Plume, which the Greekes call Schittas : Creessswkich 
C kt groweth in long lurnpes or peeces,and thofe not tranfparent: the taft is unpleafant; howbeit, ~~ 
this faitis of good ufe im Phyficke. The cleareft thereof is taken for the beft,e(pecially when it will 
cleave direGtly into ftreight flakes. A ftraunge and wonderfull nature tt hath if itbe right : Forfo 
long as it lieth under ground within the mine, it is paffing light in hand, and may bee eafily wel- 
ded ; take it forth once,and lay it abroad above ground, a man would not beleeve orimagin how 
exceeding heavicitis. Butfurely thereafon thereof is evident: for the moift vapours contained 
within thofe mines where it lieth, bear up the faid peeces of falt,and area great eafe tothofe that 
deale therewith much like as the water helpeth much tothe ftirring and managing of any thing 
within it,be itnever fo weightie. Well,chis Ammoniacke falt is corrupted and{ophifticat,as well 
with the pit-falt of Sicilie called Cocanicus,asalfo with that of Cypretle, which is wonderfull like 
D untoit. Moreover,neate Egelafta,a cittie in high Spaine,there 1s a kind of fal-gem or Mineralk 
falt digged : the peeces or lumpes whereof are fo cleare, asaman may in a manner fee through 
them: and this hath oflong time been in greatrequeft and of fuch name,as the Phyficians give 
unto it the priceand praife above all other kinds, But here is to be noted, thatall places where fale 
is found, are ever barren,and will beare no good thing els, And thusmuch may bee faid concet- 
ning falt that commeth ofthe owne accord. 
As touching fale artificial! made by mans hand, there be many kinds thereof. Our common 
falr,and whereof we have greatett {tore,is wrought in this manner : Firft they let into their pits a 
quantitic of {ea-water,futtering frefh water to run into it bycertaine guriers, fortobee mingled . 
therewith for to helpe it to congeale,whereto a good fhower of raine availeth very much, but a+ 
E boveall the Sunnethining thereupon, for otherwife it will never drie and harden. About Vtica 
in Barbarie they ufe to pile up great heapes of falt in manner of Mounts : which after chatthey be This feemetti 
hardened and feafoned in the Sunne and Moone,fcorne all raine and foule weather , neither will '9be out Bag- 
they diflolve, infonsuch,as folke have ynough to doe for to breake and enter in with picke-axes; °° 
Howbeit, in Candie the falt is made in thelike pits,but of fea-water onely, without letting in any 
freth water at all. Semblably,in gypt,the fea it felfe overfloweth the ground,which(as I take ir) 
- tsalreadie foked & drenched with the river water of Nilus, and by that means their fale is made, 
After the fame manner they make falt alfo out of certaine wels, which are difcharged into their 
falt-pits. And verely in Babylon,the firft gathering or thickening of the water in their falt-pits,is 
a certaine liquid Bitumen or Petroleum,an oleous fudftance, which they ufe in their lampes, as 
F we docoile:and when the fame is fcummed off,they find pure falt underneath.Likewife in Cap- 
padocia they doeconveigh and let in water outof certaine wels and fountaines into their falt- 
pits.in Chaonia therebe certaine*{prings of faltifh water,which the people of that country doe *Thisis the of: 
boile,and when it is cooled againe,it turneth into fale: but it is but dull and weak in effeQ,and be- der of fale with 
fides nothing white.In Fraunceand Germanie the manneris when they would makefalt,tocalt ches here “ 
fea- England, 
A Thusfarre forth have I proceeded in thofe kinds of fale which come of waters naturally. Theré 
