A 
of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 491 
proove Borras ; whereby aman may perceive plainly, that Borras is nothing els buta putrified 
veine of mettal!. Butthis minerall,ific bee of the ownekind, differeth from this other which ts 
made by art of man, efpecially in hardneffe, for much harder itis; and called the yellow Borax, 
or in Latin, Lurea: and yer it may bebronghttothatcolour by artificiall means, namely bydy- 
ing with an hearb called likewife *Lutea :for of his nature itis,thar ic will rake colour 8 drinkeat * Some take it 
in,aswell as linen or woollen. Butfor to drefle and prepare it for che purpofe,; firlt, they pun it te oe si4 oF 
ina morear,then they levit pafle througha fine ferce jafterwards it is ground or beaten agairie, °°" 
and foitisferced afecondtime through a finer ferce; whatfoever pafleth not through but remake 
neth behind, muft be punned once morein a mortar,& fo ground into a fal! powder :and ever 
as they have reduced any into powder, they put it into fundrie pots orcrufes: then they lerthe 
fame to lieinfufed & foked in vinegre, untill the hardneffe therin be wholly refolved:which done, 
tothe mortar it goeth againe,where irmuft be thronghly ftamped for alrogither : and fo when it 
is well wafhed out of onetrey or boll into another, they leit dries after itis thus prepared, they 
giveita colour withthe hearbe Lutea(beforefaic)and alume.de plume: and thus you fee, it mutt 
be painted and died firft, before it {elte ferve to paint or die withall. And herein it skilleth touch 
how pliable & aprit isto receive the {aid colour,for uoleffe it have willingly takenadeeptindture, 
they ufe to put therto Schyranum and Turbyftum,forfo they call two drugs which ferve to make 
it take a colourthe better. This Borax thus died,our painters uleto call Orobitis :and two kinds 
they make therof; to wit,Lutea,/.the yellow,which they keep for the pouder or colour*Lomun= 4zohunisin) * 
tum ; the other liquid, namely when the faid grains or pellets be refolved intoa kind of moifture S¢e the begitie 
like drops of {weat, This Borax of both forts,is made in the [fle Cypros. The principalland bett 7." sale : 
of allother,commeth from Armenia:in a fecond degree, from Macedonia:bur the greatcht - 
quantitie thereof is in Spaine. The excellent Borax is krowne by this marke efpecially, if icves 
femble perfe@lly in colour the deepe and full greene that is inthe bisde of core well liking, Jn | 
our time,and namely in the daies of the Emperor Weve,the floore of the grand cirque or fhew- 
ace at Rome, was feene payed all over with greene Boras, at what timeas heexhibited goodly 
fights and paftimes to the people; and namely, when he meant himfelfe to run a race with char- 
riots,and tooke pleafireto drive his horfes upon a ground futable tothe colour ofthecloth or 
-liverie thathe * wore himfelfe at that time: and in truth,a world of workemen he broughtthither * For fome 
to lay thefaid paving. Allthe forts of Boras may be reduced into three diftinét kinds: towit,the Wrecaled 
rough,valued at feven denarija pound; the meane,which is worth five; and the powdred Boras) ran for ike 
called alfo the graffe-gfene Borax,which cofteth not above three deniers the pound. As forthe Prle,iGreens 
fandie or powdred Boras, the painters before they ufcit, lay the firft ground underseath tc, of vie 7" 
trio] and *Parztonium,and then the Borax aloft :for thefe things take it pafling well,& befides + atind of 
give a pleafant luftreto the colour. This Parztonium (for that itis molt fattie & unGtuous by na- cba'kie earth; 
ture,& for the fmoothnes befides moft aptto fticke too and take hold)ougheto be laid firflyupon ¢* 77298" 
which muft follow a’courfe of the vitriol over it, for feare leaft the whiteneffe of the forefaid Pa featiees 
rztonium doe pall the greenneffe of the Borax, which isto make the third coat. As for the Bas 
rax called Lutea, fome thinke it tooke that name of the hearbé Lutea; which alfo,ific bee mixed 
arid tempered with azure or blew, maketh a greene,which many doelay and paint withall in ftead 
of Borax; which asit isthe cheapeft greene of all other, {ois ita moft deceittull colour. 
Borax doth not onely ferve painters, but is much ‘ufedalfo by Phyficians 5 and namely, to 
mundifie wounds and ulcers, if it be made into a falve with wax and oile: and drieas itis of it felfe 
in powder, it hatha deficcative qualitie, and doth conglutinat and foder verie well :being mixed 
with honey into an clectuarie,they give it inwardly unto thofethathavethe {quinancie,andcan-° 
not draw their wind but fitting upright, & fo ic provoketh vomit.Moreover,icentreth intomany 
collyries or eyefalves,efpecially to confume and difcufle the cicatrices and films growing within 
the eyes: it goeth alfoto the making of greene plaftres, fuch as bee applied either to mitigat 
paine, or to heale the skin, And verely this Borax not artificially died, thus emploied in phyfick; . 
the Phyficians call Acefin; and is not that which men name Orobitis, andwhich receiveth a tins 
Gure from mans hand. 3 
Furchermore, there isa Borax or Chryfocolla, which gold{miths occupie efpecially about « Whereupori 
fodring their gold: & ofthiskind all the reft take the name alfo of Chryfocolla. This is altogither it toake thes 
artificiall,and is made of Cyprian verdegris or ruft of brafle,the urine of a yong lad,and falnitre, @"*U™ 
sempered all togither and incorporat inabrafen oe ftamped with a peftill of the fame met: glew or foder, 
ij tall, | 
4 
