of the Mercury forthwith abandons the fiiver, and falls to the bottom, 
from whence it is recover'd, ai>d kept for the like ufe. 
Laftly, The fiiver is melted down with the Liga , ( as'tiscall'd) which 
the King of Spain allows, by which He returns to the people in Copper 
that fifth part, which they allow him or all the filver. 
Having defcnbed this wnole operation , you will perhaps expecl , t 
fhould fomew h: t i-nhrge here upon the generation of Mettais , and my 
("peculations and theory concerrmigit. Bur, though this was indeed one of 
the chief motives of my undertaking this long and tedious Voyage, 
yet considering the bnbjecl to be or inch a nature , that it requires very 
many things to be fuppofed and premi fed i and more experience, than I 
yet dare pretend to , and I dare not atprefent engulf myfdfin thisO- 
cean. I (hall only Ay this - firtt, that my opinion of this matter is fomc- 
thing different from the ordinary, though J will not deny, that for the 
fubftance, I differ not much from the opinion of the famous Seudiwgim , 
inlibrode 12. TrabTatibHs. And then that I think it obfervable, th*r 
there is a very ftrong offrnfive fmell, ranker then that of Sepulchers . 
which I have obferved in fome Mines, the Work-men telling me, that 
that is one of the chief fignes of a rich Mine. 
To conclude, I (hall pre fume to give you fome of my thoughts con- 
cerning the fo much dilcourfed of Trtmf mutation of Mettais ° concern- 
ing whichjam ofopi iomthat that change is erroneoufly apprehended 
by many, imagining that the whole imperfed mettal is totally transformed 
into the more perfect by the fubftance mixed with it * whereas the 
mixture added to the melted mettal, joynsit felf, (as I conceive ) to 
thofe parts, which being homogeneai, fymbolize together with the na- 
ture of the more perfed, whereby the pure metalline parts are fe pa rated 
from the other heterogeneal impure Suiphures, which together, with other 
caufes, did hinder nature in the Mine from concoding that fubftance 
into the perfeder Mettal. 
That which contributed not a little to make me a Profelyte to the hxt 
of Chymiftry, was, among others, a very pretty experiment , a friend 
(hew'd me y more curious than gain-full • It was a continual budding fortfi, 
of fiiver in the form of a branch in a glafs over an indifferent ftrong fire 
of Coals, which fprouts being clipped off with ScifTers , and a fmall fupply 
of crude Mercury added to the matter, in a fmall time there arofe ano- 
ther branch of true fiiver , which had fucked and converted into metal" 
lick fprigs a considerable portion of the Quick-filver. This motion % 
and the increment of newfilver-branches ceafed not, as long as the fire 
continued s and frefh Mercury applyed for the due nutriment of this, 
mineral Vegetation. This ingenious Knack made me refiefton the goti 
den Tree of Firvjl. & &neid. 
v - . 4i* ' ■ • - • ... ...... 
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