Ta^tiichyma in any Mufde and think my time well fpetit in receiviflg a full 
fari\sfa(f^ion of the ungroundedneji of my opinion •, and readily ftibmic to the 
Author, with a grateful acknowledgement of my Obligation to any one.tha: 
fell rcdifie me in my roiftake, if ic be oner 
Ohferv ablest, 
Tauching Petrification- 
T Hough much hath been already faid and written of Petri ficaticft, fet 
*ds conceived,that all that comes fo far ihort of a competent ftock for 
the compofing of a peritd Hifiory of Petri fcatiort, that the incompleatnefs 
thereof ought to awaken the more dihgent attention of the Curious, and to 
call in their aid f jr Additions, thereby fo to encreaie and to complete the 
A<fateriais for that Work, that it may the better ferve to clear and make out 
the Caufeof that Tranfmutation. And that the rather, becaufe ifit lay in th^ 
power of humane Skill (by the knowledge of iV^fwrt's works) to raife 
Fftnfication, or to allay, or prevent it, or to order and direft it ( which 
percharce in time might be attained the faid way) much ufe might be made of 
this A rt ; efpecially if it could be made applicable to hinder the Generation 
of the Stone and Gravel in humane Bodies, or to difTolve the Stone, where 
'lis formed befdes other valuable Ufes, that might be excogitated. 
Upon this Gonfideration,care is^wd further )^iU be taken in thefe Papers, 
to record, among other Oblervables of Nature,^what iliall be communi- 
cacedof this kind of CW^f. . > 
Num, 1.2. and 5 . feveral Relations have been made belonging to this 
A £UTienc, ^Much of it, together wiih confiderable Refledions maybe 
fee n in Mr* Boyle s JES^J of Fimnefs : In Belmont de Lithiafi, whcre,among ^ 
other remarques, is recited the Teftimony of Paraui of a Petrified Cloii(si 
f:en at F;!iri>, and by the Ownerufedfora ^k^y?a»f : In BeHfingius's Hi« 
fi0E*b iKfantis in Abdomlne inventi.efr in dHritiem Upideam converfi: In 
y[x. Hookas Micrography, and in others. To omit now, what has^ been^ 
related ( bat perhaps not well enough attefted) by Authors, concerning^the 
ftupendious Petrifications of whole Companies of Men. and Troops of Cat- 
lie ; by Aventinus, lib. 7« AnnaL Bojornm;^ by Pnrchas in his Pilgrimage p-. 
4J6» infol. printed 2^1 Londcn i6i4,and, (ofa Troop of SfaniJhHoxkm^ny 
by J of, Ai cfta lib. 3 . C. 9. ' 
To all which, the curious Dr. Beale now adds a Narrative of a Stone, not 
lorg (ince taken out of the Womb of a Woman of his neighbourhood neer 
TreKt in S cms rfet/hirej by 'inc\C\on^ and afterwards perfedly cured, ihougb 
file had born the Stone with extreme torments for* 8.or 9. years. The ope- 
ration he relates :o have been made in Eafier laft after which time, he af- 
firrr s to have feen the Stone, and weigh'd it in Gold Scales, where it wan- 
ted fomewhatof four Ounces, hut bad loft of the weight, it formerly had^ 
