The decades of the newe worlde or west India conteynyng the nauigations and conquestes of the Spanyardes, with the particular description of the moste ryche and large landes and ilandes lately founde in the west ocean perteynyng to the inheritaunce of the kinges of Spayne. ... Wrytten in the Latine tounge by Peter Martyr of Angleria, and translated into Englysshe by Rycharde Eden.

The maner of workynge in golde mynes of Egipte in owld tyme, after the description of Diodorus Siculus, who wrotte his historie cauled Bibliotheca, sumwhat before the dayes of themperoure O••tauianus Augustus, & before thincarnatiō of Christ abowt .xl. yeares. He wryteth therefore in his fourthe booke as foloweth.

WE haue not thowght good to pretermit howe golde is founde, digged, and wrought amonge the Egiptians. In the confines therefore of Egipte where it borthereth with Ethiopia and Arabia, there are certeyne places frutefull of metalles, owt of the whiche, golde is digged with great laboure and expenses. For a blacke earthe of mine¦rale nature, hath certeyne vaynes of moste white marble excea∣dinge bright and shyninge.* 1.1 The surueyours of this woorke, haue assigned them a greate company of men to woorke and coyne golde. For the kinges of Egipte are accustomed to ap∣poynte to these paynefull trauailes,* 1.2 all suche as haue byn con¦victe for certeyne crimes and condemned by lawes, or taken prisoners in the warres, or suche as haue byn committed to prison through the indignation of princes who by this mea∣nes haue bothe great vantage by theyr laboure, and punyshe them sufficiently for theyr offenses. For barbarous & strange souldiers of diuers languagies, bare ruleouer them and keepe them to theyr worke, in suche sorte that thuse of speache be∣inge taken from thyem, they can not bee corrupted by loue or intreatie. They drawe golde owt of the hardest earth decocte with much fyer. The softest stone which is broken with meane labour, is digged with instrumentes of iren by the trauayle of many thousāds of men. The scrier which decerneth the veines of the myne,* 1.3 goth before the workemen, appoynting them the places where they shall digge. The marble stone whiche he

sheweth theim, they breake and cleaue with wedgies of iren by the mere strength of their bodies withowte arte. They make theyr fosse or caue, not right furthe, but as the bright nature of the golden marble leadeth them,* 1.4 beinge otherwyse darke and obscure by reason of theyr sundry turnes and ben∣dinges diuers wayes. The labourers caryinge lyght befor•• theyr forheades, digge great stones owt of the myne, whych•• they let faule on the ground. From this labour they neuer rest, inforced to contynual woorke with strokes and contumelious woordes.* 1.5 Children of thage of .xii. or .xiii. yeares or vppe∣warde, are diuided into two companyes, whereof the one breake the stones into smaule pieces, and the other cary furth that which is brokē. They that are past thage of .xxx. yeares, receaue the sayd broken stones at theyr hands and beate them in vessels of stone with maules of iren, to the quātitie of tares or fytches which afterward they cast into many milles,* 1.6 where by the laboure of two or three women or owlde men to euery mylle,* 1.7 they are grounde as smaule as meale. The fylthinesse of the bodies of these labourers, is apparent to all men. For not so muche as their priuie members are couered with any thinge: And theyr bodies bysyde so fylthy, that no man can beholde them withowt compassion of theyr miserie. But no pitie, no reste, no remission is graunted them, whether they bee men or women, younge or owlde, sycke or feeble: But are all with strokes inforced to continuall labour vntyl the poore wretches faynt and often tymes dye for extreme debilitie: In so much that many of them for feare of theyr lyfe to coomme (which they thynke woorse then the present payne) preferre death before lyfe.* 1.8 When they haue thus grounde the stones very smaule, they cast that substaunce vppon brode tables in∣clynynge sumwhat stiepe or standynge a slope, and cast wate•• theron, sterynge continually the sayde pouder of marble: by the meanes wherof the earth and vre of the myne is wasshed away, and the golde as the heauier matter remayneth on the tables. When they haue doonne thus often tymes, they ouer∣turne the golde continually with t••eyr handes & rub it with thynne spoonges, owt of the which they presse a softe earth, and thus continewe vntyll the pure metall remayne lyke vnto golden sande.* 1.9 After that this preparation is fynysshed, oth••r woorkemen receauynge it at theyr handes by measure and

weyght, cast it into earthen pottes, puttynge thereto a cer∣teyne portion of leade, with branne of barly, and weedes of the sea cauled reites or ouse. These thynges proportioned ac∣cordyngly, they close the pottes diligently with cley,* 1.10 and so let them stand in a furnesse with fyer for the space of fyue con¦tinuall dayes and nyghtes. In which space, al other thinges of contrary mixture beinge consumed, only the golde is found in the vessels, sumwhat diminysshed of the fyrst weyght. And by this labour and diligence is golde possessed in the furthest parte of Egypt. Wherby, euen nature her selfe teacheth vs howe laborious it is in fyndynge, tedious in pursuinge, daun¦gerous in keepynge, and in vse constitute betwene pleasure and sorowe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gold ī a black earth••, and white marble
• * 1.2

  Then dam∣ned to the metales as nowe to the gallies.
• * 1.3

  The scrier of the vayne.
• * 1.4

  Golden mar∣ble.
• * 1.5

  The woorke of chyldren.
• * 1.6

  Mylles.
• * 1.7

  The mi••ery of the miners
• * 1.8

  The pourge∣inge of the metall frome the vre.
• * 1.9

  The melting of golde.
• * 1.10

  Alg••▪