< 896 ) 
fead gotten fbme ftrengtb, and then upon a morning tbc firfl: Cot- 
iierthat went down, going forwards m cbe Witchet with his 
Candle jn band, the damp prcfently darted out violently at his 
Candle,tbac it flruck the man clear down, finged all his hair and 
clothes, and di fabled him for working a while after 5 fome other 
fmall warnings ic gave them, infomuch that they rtlblved to em- 
ploy a man of purpofe^ ihac was more refolute than the reft, to 
go down a while before them every Morning to cbafcitfrom 
place CO place, and fo co weaken it. His nfual manner was to put 
on the word raggs he had^and 10 wet them well in water , and 
affbon as hecame wichin the danger of it, then he fell grovelling 
down on his belly and went fo forward , holding in one hand a 
long wand or polecat the end whereof he tied Candles burning, 
and reached them by degrees towards it, then the Damp would 
flieat chem,and if it mifs'd of putting them out, it would quench 
it felf with a blaft^and leave an ill-fented fmoke behind it:Thus 
they dealt with ii till they had wrought the Cole downto the 
bottom, and the water following and not remaining as before ia 
the body of it among fulphureous and brafiie Metcal that is in 
fome veins of theCcle, the Fire-damp was not feen or heard of 
tillthelatter end of the yea^ 1675, which happened as fol- 
loweth. 
Afier long workingof this five yards Cole, and trial made of 
it ill feveral placesjt was found upon the rifing grounds (where 
the figns of the Cole, and the Cole it felf came near the day )t hat 
{here lay another Roach of Cole at a certain depth under it, 
which being funk to , and tried upon fome out-skirrs of the 
main work, it was found at fourteen yardsdepth, and wrought, 
proving lobe three yards and a half thick; and a profitable 
Cole, but fomething more fulphureous than the other, and to 
reach under all the former work. This difcovery of foprcmifing 
a vvork encouraged us to fink fome of the ebbeft Pits, r hat we 
had formerly ufed on the five yards Cole, down to the loweft 
Roach>3nd accordingly we began in one that was about thirty 
two yards deep, which we went down with perpendicularly 
from the firft fl]aft,and funk down twenty yards before we came 
to the faid Roach, in regard it was at the Sea-fide, and upon the 
loweft of • he dipp(v\ here (he Rocks fucceffively thicken as they 
hil) having prick'd it, and-being fure of it^we let it reft, having- 
h^d for a confiUerable time^as wc fynk the lower part of ir,many. 
appear?^- 
