J 
of Plinies Naturall Eiftorie. |. 473 
A andcaufethem nowtofinke lower,and never reft {0 far asthey can dig. And yet thereisa dampe 
or vapour breathing out of filver mines, burtfull co all living creatures, and to doggs efpeciallys 
Moreover, this point is well to be marked, that gold and filver both, the fofter that they bee and 
tender, the betterthey are efteemed: and filver beeing white as itis, moftmen marveile how it 
commeth to paffe,that ifone rule paper or any thing therewith, ic will draw blacke linessand fullie 
asitdoth. yoflone 
Furthermore,within thefe veins and mines abovefaid, there is acertaine {tone found, which 
eeldeth from it an humor continually,and the fame continueth alwaisliquidimem call ir* Quick+ *Or life flyer. 
filver (howbeit, being the bane and poifon of ail things whatfoever, it mought be called Death: 
filver wellenough) fo penetrant isthis liquor, thatthere is no veflellin the world bur it will cat 
B and breakthrough it,piercing and paffing on fill, con{uming and wafling as it goeths it fuppor- 
tethany thing that iscaft into it,and will notfuffer it to {ettle downeward but {wimalofr,unlefie it 
be gold onely; that is the only ching which it loveth to draw unto it and embracezverie proper 
‘itis thereforeto affine gold for ifgold and it bee put togither intoearthen pots, and after often 
‘fhaking bepoured out of one into another, it will mighuly purifie the gold and caft forth all the 
filthie excrements thereof and when it hath rid away all the impurities and groffe refule, it felfe 
ought then to be feparated from the gold :for which purpofe, poured fortis the one & the other 
ought to be, upon certaineskins of leather well tewed and dreffed untill they bee foftsthrough | 
which the quick-filver may paffe; and then fhall you fee it ftand upon the other fide in drops like 
unto fweat fent out by the pores of our skin, leaving the gold pure and fine behind it: and verely 
C the affinitie between gold end quick-filver is fo grear, that if any veflels or peeces of brafle areto 
be guilded,rub the fame over firft with quicke- filver before the goldfoile bee laid.on, it will hold 
the fame moft furely : mary this one difcommoditie there is in it, that if the leaves of gold be ci-° 
ther fingle or verie thin, the whitenefle of the auick filver will appeare throughs and make the 
guilding more pale and wan:and therfore our cunning goldfmiths who would niake their chap- 
men to pay for their plate as double guile (when itis indeed but thin Jaid and fingle) and fo picke 
theirpurfes, fet arich and deepe colour upon their worke forthe time, by laying under the gold 
in ftead of quicke-filver nacurall, the white of an egg, andthen upon it artificiall quick-{ilver na- 
med Hydrargyrum, whereof I purpofeto write in place convenient. And to fay atcuth,the righe 
quick-filver which is of the ownekind, isnotcommonly found in great plentic, 
D © Overand befides, within the fame mines and among theveins of filver, there is found a mi- 
nerall, whichto fpeake properly, isa ftone concreat ofa certainc {cum orfoame, white and thi- 
~ ning, howbeit not tran{parent, whichis called by fome Stimmi, by others * Stibium, Alaba- * We callit 
ftrum,or Larbafon. And hereof there be two kinds,thé male and thetemale: burthe female An- 474%. 
timonie or Stibium is the better efteemed:for the male is more rude, rough, andrugged; and 
yetforall that, nor fo weightie, bright,and radiant; befides that, it is more charged with {ands 
whereasthe female contrariwile, thineth and glittereth plentifully sbeeing alfo.brittle and ten: 
der,apttocleave eafily intoplates or flakes and not to breake into lumps and gobbets. 
Touching the vertuesof Stibium pertinent unto phyficke; aftringent itis and reirigerant, 
but aprincipall and peculiar medicineto.be emploied about theeyes ; tortherenpon it was that 
E moft mencalled it Platyophthalmon, forthat beeing put inco thofe ointments which are to 
F intoafalve. Butfortoprepare Aniimonie aright, it ought to be well lucedall over witha cer- 
> 
*beautifie theeyes of women, (named thereupon Calliblephara)ir{eemeth to extend the com= *And therfors 
pafle of the eyes, and inakethemappeare more open, faire, and * large withall, Amtimonie pulz 77 called i 
verized and incorporat with the powder of frankincenfe, by the means of gum withall, flayeth ais ke 
the fuxof humors into the eyes,and healeth the fretting and exulcerations incident thereto: when hee ree- 
being otherwife apropermedecinetoftaunch the bloud thar gu(heth or sfluech from the brain, Kore? oP O° 
Bur for to ftop'the bleeding:of any frefh wound, the powder of Antimonie alone isthought to queen omphale - 
be more effectuall ifthe place be firewed withall: which alfois a fingular thing to heale the old b24 to paint & 
why : : . trim her felfe. 
bitings of doggs. Itcureth moreover, any buene occafioned by fire, in cafe itbee tempered in Whi 
{ome convenient fewetand wax, with litharge of filver and cerufe or white lead, and fo reduced catia agract 
In Old time, aS 
; Same eye! birt : may appeare 
taine kind of paftmadeof cow-dung, andthen burntand calcined inan oven: which beeing by Homer,who 
done, tobee*quenched with womans milke, and then {tamped and brayed wellin a mortar, Fate a3 
; - 0 i- 
putting thereto raine water among, and ever and anon thetronbledwater oughtto be transft- thee of sce 
ied intoraveflell of braffe and clarified therein togither with fal-nitre, As for that which fettled in #-broad eied,as 
Ac, Is acOW OF 
: Sf iij the pig. 
