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. I. Of Lead Oars.

THIS Book shews how to prove Lead [Section▪ 1] Oar for Lead, and how the common * 1.1or unseparable light Lead Oars are to be smelted in the great smelting Work: next, how to prove an Oar for Anti∣mony and for Spelter, and how to bring the Spelter out again: Also to try Tin-stones for Tin, and Quick silver Oar for Quick silver: Also of Iron stone and Steel stone, for Iron and Steel, with some Instru∣ments for Tin sope works, and trying of Tin stone in the little Oven: and also of the wonderful properties of the Magnet or Loadstone.

* 1.2 Now, concerning Lead oars they are usually to be well [Section. 2] known among the other Metal oars, for they are mostly grey, heavy, bright of colour like the Lead it self, and from [Section. 3] * 1.3its brightness is called bright oar; and such bright colo∣red [Section. 4] * 1.4 Lead oars are the richest, and contain above half lead: then there is white lead oar like a Sand-stone and red lead [Section. 5] * 1.5

oar, like a reddish clay, these Two, viz. the white and red are heavy, but not so rich in lead as the bright: also [Section. 6] * 1.6yellow lead oar mixt with grey, which is called, the Lead ram: These and such like Oars are counted the smooth∣flowing and deft oars: and the heavyer they are, the more they yield in lead.

[Section. 7] * 1.7But the lead oars which are poor, and taken from flinty, blendy or mountainous places, are either visibly or invisibly insperg'd or sprinkled with brightness (like the Lead oar at Goslar) and are very heavy: yet commonly no visible [Section. 8] * 1.8brightness in them, they are somewhat hard and unflow∣ing, yet they do partly separate and purify in beating and washing, but partly they do stick fast in the water, that one with the other remain unseparated.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Purpose of this Book.
• * 1.2

  Lead known from other Metals.
• * 1.3

  Bright Oar.
• * 1.4

  White lead Oar.
• * 1.5

  Red Lead Oar.
• * 1.6

  Yellow lead Oar.
• * 1.7

  Flinty Lead Oar.
• * 1.8

  Ʋnsepara∣ble lead Oar.