( 868 ) 
6 Let the Workman now take one of the Pieces out of 
4 the Fire, and put it under the great Hammer to be 
c drawn out into Bars, ,and wrought, and then hot as it is, 
' forthwith plunge it into cold YVater. 
'Thus Tempered, let him again Work it upon the 
■ Anvil and break it ; and lookigg upon the Fragments, 
c Jet him confider w hether it look like Iron in any part 
' of it, or be wholly condenfed, and turned into Steel. 
' Then let the Pieces be all wrought into Bars ; which 
■ done, give a frefli B!a£t to the Mixture, adding a little 
c frei'h Matter to it, in the room of that which had been 
6 drunk up by the Pieces of Iron which will refrefh and 
* ftrengthen the remaindered make yet purer,the Pieces 
c of Iron again put into the Dilh : every which Piece, let 
c him asfoonas it is red hot, beat into a Bar upon the An- 
' vil, and call it hot as it is into cold Water. And thus I- 
' ronismade into Steel ; which is mnch harder an<^ whiter 
'than Iron. 
Being now certain what Steel is, and how it is to be 
diftinguiflit and differs from Iron. In the laft place, we 
will confider, if yet any thing can be found in the An- 
cients, which may hint to us any defed in our Tools, 
and how that mayjbe remedied. 
There is but one place that I know of to this purpofe, 
which may give us any fight in our Enquiry ; and that 
is in Pliny, {lib. 34. c. 14.) where fpeaking of Iron, he 
iays, Fornacum maxima differentia eH : in iis equidem 
Nucleus jerri excoquitur ad indurandum aliter^ alioque 
modo ad denfandas incudes malleorumve roflra. 
From this Paffage it ihould feem , that the Ancients 
had one way to make Steel } and another way to harden 
or temper their Tools, particularly fuch as Picks and 
Anvils. 
Alfo it is plain, That Nucleus Ferri was melted down 
in both. 
Again 
