238 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



of lime as the Europeans do. The vulgar of that king- 

 dom believe, that the Mexicans mixed eggs with lime to 

 render it more tenacious ; but this is an error, occafioned 

 by feeing the ancient walls of a yellowifh caft. It is ma- 

 nifeft alfo, from the teftimony of the firft hiftorians, that 

 burnt tiles or bricks were ufed by the Mexicans, and 

 that they fold them like all other things in the market- 

 place. 



The ftone-cutters, who cut and wrought ftones for 

 building, did not make ufe of pickaxes, nor iron chifels, 

 but only of certain inftruments of flint-flone ; with thefe 

 however, they executed beautiful works and engravings. 

 But thofe forts of labours without iron do not raife fo 

 much wonder as the ftones of ftupendous fize and weight 

 which were found in the capital and other places, tranf- 

 ported from great diftances, and placed in high fituations 

 without the aid of machines which mechanifm has invent- 

 ed. Befides common ftone they wrought marble, alfo 

 jafper, alabafter, itztli, and other valuable ftones. Of 

 itztli they made beautiful Jooking-glaffes fet with gold, 

 and thofe extremely ftiarp razors which they fixed in their 

 fwords, and which their barbers made ufe of. They made 

 thofe razors with fuch expedition, that in the fpace of one 

 hour an artificer could finifti more than a hundred (u). 



The Mexican jewellers not only had /kill in gems, but 

 likewife underftood how to polifti, work and cut them, 

 and formed them into whatever figures they chofe. 

 Hiftorians affirm, that thefe works were done with a 

 particular fand ; but it is moft certain, they could 

 not do them without fome inftrument of flint, or hard 

 copper, which is found in that country. The gems 



moft 



(a) Hernandez, Torquemada and Betancourt, defcribe the manner in which 

 thofe artifts made their razors of the ftone itztli. 



