The Natural Bifiery Part I t^i 



be ttee as far toieek ifi bis Con)e£l:ures 

 as GHe who never before faw ai riative 

 Ore, untill he hath here made hi^ try- 

 als a$ before, and fo further informed 

 himielf in the matter. 



Met alls being fo very ufeful and fef- 

 viceable to Man kind ^ great Care and 

 Pains hath been taken^ in all Ages, in 

 fearching after them, and in fepara- 

 ting and refining of them- For which 

 reafon 'tis that thefe have been accu- 

 rately enough d^Jl-ujgm/b'd^ and redu- 

 ced to fix kinds, which are all well 

 enough known. But the like pains 

 hath not been taken in Minerals ; and 

 therefore the Knowledge of them is 

 fbmewhat more confufed and obfoure* 

 Thefe have not yet been well reduced, 

 or the number of the fimple original 

 ones rightly fixt ; fbme, which are on- 

 ly Compounds, the Matter of two or 

 more kinds being mix'd together, and, 

 by the different Proportion and Modu- 

 lation of that Matter, varioufly dif- 

 gulled and diverfifyed, having been 

 reputed all different kinds of Minerals, 

 and thereby the Number of them un- 

 neceffarily multiplied. Of this we 

 have an Inflance in the Gemm-kind ; 

 where, of all the many forts reckoned 



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