446 Thethree and thirtieth Booke | 
And verely, I wonder not that this colour was fo highly efteemed:forevenbeforetime, during G 
the eftare of Troy,the réd Barth called Rubrica, wasin great requeft,as appeareth by the teftimo- 
nie of Homer who being otherwife {parie ynough in {peaking of pictures and colours,yetcom- 
| oe are cal-, mendeth the thips *painted therwith. The Greeks call our Minium by the name of Miltos,and 
| Jed by Homer 3 ’ ; , ; 
- xrominn, yet fome tearme it Cinnabari : And hereof arofe the error occafioned bythe IndiannameCin- 
| nabari. For fothe Indians callthe blondie fubftance of a Dragon crufhed and fqueafed withthe 
| weight of the Elephantslying upon them readietodie, to wit, wnen the faid Dragons are full 
with fucking out the bloud of Elephants before: and now their own and it are mingled together, 
according as I have fhewed heretofore in the ftorie of thofe beafts.And verely,there is nota co- 
Jour befides,which exprefleth the lively colour of bloudin piGures fo properly as Minium, As 
for chat other Cinnabaris of India, itis moft holefome to be put into antidots.prefervativessand 
3 countrepoyfons,yea,and other foveraigne medicines to be taken inwardly. But our Phyficians 
: (beleeve me)for that by an error Minium or Vermillion is called Cinnabaris,ufe in {teed of Sane 
guis Draconis, the faid Minium; which in very truth isno better thanameere poyfon, asl will 
thew anion. Well,in old time they ufed to drawthofe pictures and pourtraits which confift of one 
fingle colour,& be called Monochromata with this colour Cinrabaris. They painted alfo with 
the Minium of Ephefus, but they gave it over in proceffe of time,becaufefuch colours were fo 
coftly,and required fuch paines ere they were prepared and made perfect. Befides, both the one 
and the other were thought to be over-quicke and ftinging in hand : and thereforethey betooke 
themfelves to the redearth Rubrica and Sinopunw, of whichcolours | willfpeake morein their 
proper places.But to returne again to Cinnabaris or Sangdragoniitistophifticatedandcorrap- J 
ted either with Goats bloud, or elfe with the fruit of Cervoifes punned. butthe true Cinnabaris 
or Sangdragon is worth fiftie fefterces by the pound, Asfor Minium or Vermillion beforefaid, 
king Jia faith, That it groweth plenteoufly alfo in Carmania. And Aermogenes attirmeth; That 
ABchyopia likewile isnot without good {tore of it. But from neither of thofe two countries isat 
brought unto us,nor(tofay atruth)out of any other place but Spaine. The beft and moft excel- 
lent is that which commeth out of the territorie of Sifapone in therealme of Granada or Boe 
tica,a’patcot Spaine,even from a mine of Vermillion there, which paieth a greatcufiome, and 
yeeldethmuch revenue to the people of Rome:and there is nothing looked unto more ftreight- 
ly for feare of tzaud and impofture: for,lawfull itis not thereto drefle and refine it; but. uncocted 
and crtideisit broughtto Rome in the maffe as it lay within the veine,fealed by the {worné mai- K 
{ters of the mine which yeeldeth one year with:another tenne thovfand pound weight or much 
thereabout. At Rome itis wafhed,and a price there is fet uponitby an exprefie act, namely, That 
it{hould not be fold above feventie deniers the pound. But many waies is it fophifticated,where- 
by the {ocietic and fellowthip of the Publicanes,who had the ordering of itat Rome,robbed the 
‘Commonweale,and gained themfelves. For atecondkind there is of Minium, found almoft in 
every mine of filver and lead,the which is made of a certaine {tone intermingledin the veines of 
thofe metals after the {ame is burntsand not of thatred {tone which yeeldeth forth the humour 
that named before Quickfilver: for this ftone may it felfe withboiling bee brought to filversbut 
of otherred peeces of earth found together with the faid true Vermillion, whichareknowne to - 
be barraine and void of the right Vermillion onely by the leaden hue which they bave :forun; [ 
a 
Jeffe it bee in the furnace they never wax red, and then beeing fully burnt and calcined, they,are \ 
beaten to pounder. This is that Minium of a fecond fort,and much inferiour unto thofe natural 
pouders and fands of the true Minium,notwithftanding very fewtberebethatknowit.VVell,this 
is that Minium wherewith the true Vermillion is fophifticated in he worke- houfes and fhops of 
thofe Publicanes, whofe companie and fellowfhip had the ordering of it: like asitiscormmpted 
‘alfo with Scyricumyi But how this colour Scyricum is wade, 1. will in due place write hereafter. 
‘Certes,our painters to give the better iuftre unto Minium,yea,and to fave charges, have deviled 
to lay the firft ground vaderit of this Scyticuny Befides this they have another eat to gaine¢or 
ftealerather) by Miniums for byt¢afon vhat ir ficketh unto their penfilseverandanon they wath : 
dvoftwhenthey be fullythis fetlecti downe tothe bottome of the water where it remaineih, and 
-the painters take it fortheiravailes: but they were'as good picke their maifterspurfe whoferteth ‘ 
‘them aworke.But if aman would know the trueandfyncere Vermillion indeed,it oughtto have 
the tich and frefh colour of skarlets As for the brightnefle thacis in the fecond foit,it awall bee 
- painted therewith jthe natural moifture and dankenefic that commeth from thence,will cid 
: : the 
