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“ wood, which would burn, if oil was poured on it, 
“ but would ceafe burning as foon as the oil was 
“ conl'umed.” 
Diofcorides * obferves of the lapis gagates, which 
is certainly a fpecies of this foffil, “ that the fort, 
“ which kindles quickly, and gives a bituminous 
“ odour, is the belt.” He defcribes it as generally 
of a black colour, and uneven fubdance, broad and 
flat, and very light. He mentions + alfo a black 
earth, found at Seleucia in Syria, called terra Ampe- 
litis, which refembled long pieces of foffil coal, fplit- 
ting eafily, of an uniform gloffy fuperficies, which 
being pounded, and immerled in oil, immediately 
liquified. 
Pliny X defcribes the gagates as black, porous, and 
flat, not much unlike wood, brittle, of a difagree- 
able fmell when rubbed, and emitting a fulphureous 
odour when burnt. 
Galen || calls it “ a black done, which, when put 
“ in the fire, fends forth a bituminous odour.” And 
he fpeaks of fome other black dones, brought by 
him out of Ccelofyria, “ which were broad like a 
“ board, and, being put into the fire, burnt with a 
“ flender flame : they were generated in the hills on 
« the ead fide of the Dead Sea, where the bitumen 
« is produced, and the fmell of the done was like 
“ bitumen.” I cannot but obferve on this paffiage, 
that the fmell of the Bovey coal, when burnt, is the 
* Lib. v. cap. 103. 
t Lib. v. cap. 138. 
X Hift. Nat. lib. xxxvi. cap. 19. 
I De Siinplicium Medicamentorum Facultat. lib. ix, de Ga- 
•ate. 
fame 
