A 
of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 487 
were not in heart,and had given over bearing of it. Nexttothis Aurichalcum ,the moft recko- 
ning was made of the braffe Salluftianum,within the traé or quarter of the Centrones among 
the Alpes: neither held thefe mines out any long time; but after it, fucceeded the Livian braffe, 
difcovered in Fraunce. Thefe two kinds laft mentioned take name both of the lords and mafters 
of the mines wherein they were digged: the former of one Sa/lu(fius,a great friend and faverite 
of Augifiwzs Cafar the Emperour: the other of the Empreffe Z:va his wife: and this mine alfo 
quickly failed. And verely of this Livian braffe very little or none there isto be had. Burnow a- 
daiesall the name goes of the Marian braffe which allo is called Cordubenfe. And to fay a truth 
fetting afide the abovenamed Livian brafle, there is not any-will rake the yellowtinGure of the ! 
Cadmia or Calamine ftone better,or commeth fonear in goodnefle'to the latton Orichalcum 5 * Asifbe wold 
as if a man would {ay that a peece of coine ftamped of it, were'a fefterce,or at leaftwife a double {y.this metal 
: Sats : . isfo much bet- 
As,tothe Cyprian peece, whichis burafingle As. And thus muchconcetning the degrees in ter tha theCye 
goodnefle and credit,of thofe kinds of brafle which be naturall. pra 
There be other forts of braffe meteall, which ftand upon an artificiall mixtureandtempera- tye phe 
ture,whereof I purpofeto write in more ample manner in place convenient,after I have fhewed and Dupondi- 
above all ozher thingsthe excellencie of this metrall in generalitie, thus tempered. In old time ¥%,1s of more 
valuethan As3, 
there was a mixt mettall made of brafle,gold,and filver,melted and confufedal] rogether,wher- ; dupte, or du- 
of were made fingular peeces of worke:and albeitthe mettall was rich and precious, yet ever- ple and halfes 
more the workinan{hip was the dearer and went beyond it, But now, itis hatd to fay whether is 
worfe of the twain,the matter,orthe art thatisfeene in it? Butcertes,[cannotbut inarvell much 
howitcommerhto pafle, That thefe brafen workes,having alwaies beene from time to time fo 
deare,and growing fo infinitlyasthey doe ftill in price to be bought & fold, yet the maghificence 
and credit of this artis {o much decaied and utterly gone? But I take this verely to bee the caule, 
thatin times paft artificers wrought for to win glory and fame; and now,as all things els, for gain 
andlucre onely, Certes,in old time the feat of cafting mettall was counted fo magnificent, that 
the Poets afcribed it to fome of the principall. gods, as a myfterie befeeming their divine worke- 
manfhip ; infomuch,as the great lords and noble princes of the world fought to win an immor- 
tall name by this meanes: and yer! fay for all chat, the manner of tempering and cafting this pre- 
cious Mafcellin, this conspound mettall I meane of gold, filver,and brafle,1s fo farre growne out 
of practife and knowledge, that for thefe many yeares paft Fortune her felfe hath hadno power 
either to retaine otto reftore the auncient art belonging thereto.But fetting afide the glorious 
Mafcellin of old time, the Corinthian braffe metrall was moft highly commended:And the fame 
mixture happened even by meerechaunce and fortune, when the cittie Corinth was woon, fac- | 
kedand burntto the ground: and wonderfull it is how the minds of many great men was affected 
to. thiscompound mettall,and howthey {tood upon rbe having therof,infomuch as(by report) 
there was no other caufein the world why Verres, whoin Cicero had caufedto bee condemned, © 
was together with him profcribed,outlawed,and banifhed by 4atonie,but onely this,For that he 
vaunted tharhe had as goodly veffels and peeces of Corinth metral] as himfelfe, and would not 
 patwithany of themto 4x/oazeHowbeit inmy conceit,the moft part of thefe men who delight 
thas inthis Corinth Mafceilin,in a certaine fingularitie by themfelves, becaufe they would feem 
to know more than their fellowes, make femblance rather of a fpeciall infight and skill thatthey 
have therein,than kaow indeed any thing by itof fuch exquifit ftuffe. And this will [thew and de- 
clare unto you in few words : The citie of Corinth was woon and deftroied in the 156 Olympias, 
and the third yeare thereof, which fell outto bein the 608 yeare by our computation at Rome: 
now leng before thistime,thofe great mafters and imageurs,fo famous for metrall-founding and 
cafting of images, were dead & gone; and yet all the peeces of their making,thefe men forfooth 
ar this day will needs have to be of the Corinthian medley,and fo they callthem. And therefore 
to difpreve this erronious opinion of theirs, I purpofeas | proceed in this my difcourfe,to range 
_allthe notable artificers that antiquitie hath knowne in thiskind,according to the feverall ages 
whereinnthey lived and flourithed inthe world. For eafie it will be tocalculat andcolle& the years 
from the foundation of ourcitie, by the former comparifon of them with the Olympiads . All ~ 
the-veflels then which our delicats have,thofe 1 meane that would feeme to be more fine in their 
houfesthan their neighbours, areonely of the Corinth mettall andno better, which they caft 
partly into pots and pansand fuch like kitchin veffell for co feeth meatin:partly into candlefticks, 
chaters,chamberpots, and {uch like homely and bafe veflels without any tegatd of sas oi 
an 
