(8i9; 
they divide themfelves into many leffer fpangles, as With *i r little 
rubbing they leave one's hand all guilded over like gold, 
I knew well enough, that the ordinary Tryais rnadeby the 
Indians^ had proved fruitlefs upon this Mineral^ for it could 
neither be reduced into a mafFy form by the violence of fire 5 
nor feparated from its heterogeneous fubftances by the mild tryal 
of Q^ick-filver , yen on the , Touch-ftone it equalized the 
mqft. refined gold - 7 fo that there -wanted nothing but to reduce 
it to a fufible and maleable metallick Form which fooa 
would be accomplifhed , if it could be made to take Quick- 
filver,. ' 
' Considering withmy felf ? what might be the reafons of its re- 
fufing Mercury 5 and being not ignorant , that fome of the 
choiceft Mines of silver and Gold \ are almoft of the like na- 
ture, till the impediments are removed, which are certain mi- 
neral vifcofities, that fometimes by their oleaginous fatnefs 3 
and at other times by a fretting acrimony, hinder the ingrefs 
of the mercury 5 1 conceiv'd ; the like might happen in this cafe. 
Whereupon, to find a cure for this difeafe , I began firft to 
make experiment on the fand , which had been the matrix of 
the mineral and there I tryed firft the ordinary way ufed in the 
Indies on fuch occafions, which was 5 to obferve the colour of 
the fumes, yielded from the fpangled fand in a ftrong reverbe- 
rating 'fire • but here could little be obferved, by reafon of the 
aduft drying of the fand, not able to afford any vifible fumes 
fit for fuch a difcovery Likewife I proceeded to another way , 
toboyl it in water, and having powred that off, to obferve the 
Alcdi , left after the waters evaporation, I by this means 
difcover'd, that it abounded rather in fulphureous un&uoufnefs, 
thanfaline acrimony v or elfe I think , my eyes in the Cave 
had run a greater hazard. Finding this, I applyed firft the 
Quick-filver , mingled with the ordinary Magiftrals ( as they 
call them ) ufed in that Country^ to curb and break the force 
of thefe fulphureous impediments. Bat perceiving thefe to 
be of noeffeft, I encouraged the Quick-filver with the Caput 
wortuumoi Vitriol and Salt-peter, ( kept as a fecret among the 
chiefeft Mine- men) but with as little figns of the Mercury's 
operation as before. Then I boyled my mixture over the 
fire 3 
