of Plinies Naturall Hiforie. 467 
A the Thebaicke marble,and in many other precious ftones,which are marked heteand therewith 
{peckes of gold: but this ore or mettall dooth clafpe and embrace whole peeces of marblé and; 
fuch like,found in rockes.And commonly thefecanales!(as I may fo fay of gold ore) follow the 
vaines of {uch marble and {tone in the quarrey,deviding and {preading as they do here & theres 
whereupon the gold tooke the forefaid name of Canalitium «they wander alfo along the fides of 
the pits as they ate digged, fo thatthe earthhad need to bee borne up and fupported with pofts 
and pillers for the getting of it,leaft by hollow undermining, ic fall upon the pioners. This mine 
or vaine of gold orewhen it is once digged up and landed above ground, the manneris to: bray. 
and ftampe, towafh, burne,and melt, yea,and otherwhilesto grind into.pouder, Asforthat = 
which (as they punthus and beatin morters)isknocked fromit, they call * Apilafcus : but the * Quafiad pix 
B: mettall which {weatethout andcommeth forth by the violentheat of the furnace wherethe for. “” 
faid ore is melted, they name Argentum, 4. filvers The groflefubftance caft up from the pot or 
veflell,8fwimming aloft(whether it be the drofle comming of gold thus tried,orany other met- 
tall)isnamed-Scoria. Howbeit,this droffe that gold dooth yeeld from it in the trying, is fet over 
the fire againetotake a new melting,and is ftamped in manner aforefaid. As for the pans or vel- 
fels wherein gold isthus tried and refined, they be made of acertaine earth named Taiconium : 
and the fame is white like unto a kind. of potters cley. For furely there is no-other earth or mattet 
whatfoever will abide either the heat of the fire underneath, plied continually withthe bel: 
lowes,or the matter within it when itis melted. And thus much of the two firft waies of finding 
out gold. : sovefon a7sbi9 ew YI3Va 
C © Thethirdmanner of featching for this metrall,is fo painefulland toilefome,that it furpafleth 
the wonderfull workes ofthe * Geantsin old time: For neceflarie it is in this enterprifeand buti- +who were 
neffe,to underminea great way by candlelight,and to make hollow vaults under the mountains, {idtoreare 
Inwhich labourthe pioners worke by turnes fircceffively, after the manner of the releefe in afet oeonihe head 
watch,keeping every man his houresin juft meafure: and in many a month {pace they never fee of another. 
the Sunne or day light. This kind of worke and mines thus made,they call Arrugize wherein it 
falleth out many times,that the earth above head chinketh, and all atonce without giving anie 
warning ,fetleth and falleth ,foas the poor pioners are everwhelmed and buried quick: infomuch 
as confidering thefe perils, it feemeth, that thofe who dive under the water into che bottome of 
the levant feas for to get pearles,hazard themfelves nothing foxmuch as thefe pioners. A ftrange 
D_ thingythat by ourtathneffe and follic we fhould make the earth fo much more hurtfull unto-us 
than the water. Well then,to prevent as much as poffibly may be, thefe mifcheefes and daunge- 
rous accidents,they underprop the hils,and leave pillars and arches (as they goe) fetthicke one 
by another to fupport the fame. And yet, fay they worke fafe ynough and bee not in jeopardie of 
theirlives by the fall of the earth, yet there bee other ditficultiesthat impeach their worke + for 
otherwhiles they meet with rocks.of flint andrags, as wellin undermining forward,as in finking 
pits downe right which they are driven to pierce and cleave through with fire and vinegre.-But 
for that the vapour and {mokethatatifeth from thence,by the means,may ftifleand choke them 
within thofe narrow pits and mines,they are forced to give over fuch fite-worke,& betake them- 
felvesofrentimes to great mattockes and pickaxes; yea, andto otherenginesof yron, weigh. 
E ing 150 pound apeece,wherewith theey hewfuchrockes in peeces, and fo finke deeper‘ormake ~ 
way before them. [he earth and {tones, whichwith fo much adoe they havethuslooledjtheyare — 
faineto carie fcompunder their feet in{cuttles and baskets,upontheir fhoulders,which paflefrom 
hand to handevermore to the next fellow. Thus they moileinthedarkebothday and night in > 
thefe infernall dungeons,and none of them/{ee the light of the day, but thofe that are laft& next 
‘unto the pits mouth orentrie of the cave. If the flint or rockethatthey worke into, feemetormm 
in along graine,it well cleave in length and come away bythe fides in broad flakes;and therefore 
the pioners with cafe make way,trenching and cutting roundaboutit. Howbeit,be the rocke as 
tagged asicwill,they count not that their hardeft worke: For thereis.acertaineearth refembling 
akind of tough cley(which they call White Lome)and the fame entermitgled with grittie fand, 
F fohard baked together,that thereisno dealing with it ; itfofcorneth and checketh all their ordi- 
arie tooles and labour aboutit,that it feemeth impenetrable. VWWhat-doe the poore labourers 
then? They fet upon it luftily with yron wedges, they lay on lode unceffaitly with mightie bee- 
tilss and verely; they thinke tha there is nothing in the world harder than this labourjunlefie it 
be this unfatiable hunger after gold,which furpaffeth all the harnefled 8¢difficultie chat pr 
MIBK when 
