Fleta minor the laws of art and nature, in knowing, judging, assaying, fining, refining and inlarging the bodies of confin'd metals : in two parts : the first contains assays of Lazarus Erckern, chief prover, or assay-master general of the empire of Germany, in V. books, orinally written by him in the Teutonick language and now translated into English ; the second contains essays on metallick words, as a dictionary to many pleasing discourses, by Sir John Pettus ... ; illustrated with 44 sculptures.

CHAP. XXIII. How Litarge Pieces are to be made.

[Section. 1] LITARGE Pieces are to be made thus, First, their addition is upon a Shich, to 15 centners of rich copper add 15 Cent∣ners of Thornels from the Assay-Oven, 60 Centners of Litarge, and 37 cent∣ners and a half of slacks or fresh Lead, (in the whole 127 centners and an half: This stuff may be smelted in the Oven by a Master and his servant in 8 hours, and the slacks being clean drawn off, and then being cast into a pan, it makes 30 pieces; and in one piece, will be half a centner of rich Copper, and half a centner of Thornels from the Assay Oven, 2 centners of Li∣targe, one centner and a quarter of slacks, or fresh Lead.

[Section. 2] These mention'd 30 pieces of Litarge are to be assay∣ed, and alwayes 5 pieces to be set upon the Assay-Oven, * 1.1and out▪ of this willcome the lead which is called Litarge∣lead, and one Centner will contain 2, to 2 and a dram of Silver, and there will come also out of the Assay-Oven Keinstocks, and Thornels, as in the second Assay∣work.

[Section. 3] Another Addition upon Litarge pieces is this, They take 15 centners of copper, 15 centners of Thornels (from the Assay Oven) 90 centners of Litarge, 15 centners of slacks or fresh lead (the whole 135 centners) and out of this will come 30 pieces, and to one piece will come half a centner of rich Copper, and half a centner of Thor∣nels from the Assay-Oven, and three Centners of Litarge, and half a Centner of slacks or fresh lead.

[Section. 4] The before-mentioned 30 Litarge pieces are to be as∣sayed, and set 5 pieces at once upon an Assay Oven, and the Centner of lead which comes of it will contain two to two loths and a quarter of a loth of Silver: of this also there is Keinstocks and Thornels, as formerly hath been mentioned.

[Section. 5] When all the before-written assayed rich and poor * 1.2lead are brought together, they make this account upon it (whereby they may know to make an Inlay, (that is a quantity of it) so that a centner in the same Inlay of rich Copper and lead in the assay'd lead may contain 5 loths and a quarter of a loth of Silver, and this Inlay is to be made thus. Take 26 centners and a half of rich cop∣per, and 115 centners and a half of rich and poor lead (that they may come upon the before-mentioned reckoning) so that a centner may contain 5 and a quarter, or at most 5 loths and an half of Silver; what is done above, is with dammage, and the ready copper will become too rich: In short, 141 centners and three quarters of a cent∣ner, are also to be smelted through an Oven, and the slacks drawn clean off upon the foremost Crucible, and a Master and servant to make this shich or work into 42 pieces, so there will be to one piece 5 eight parts of a centner of the rich Copper, and of all the sorts of rich and poor lead, 2 and three quarters of a centner.

[Section. 6] These now mentioned 42 pieces they assay upon an Assay-Oven, but no more at once than 5 pieces of

rich lead, that one centner with the other may contain 5 loths and a quarter of Silver, and there will remain also upon the Oven Keinstocks and Thornels, which are fallen down, such Thornels which come of rich lead they separate, for they are the best, and are to be used again, and to be laid among the Litarge-pieces: Upon this poor Contenty Copper Assaying, meditate with diligence, for 'tis a profitable Instruction.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Litharge.
• * 1.2

  The last In∣lay.