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.

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NEALING or Anealing, T. Abgeadnet. I find it not in our Dictionary, but in Cotgrave it is Nelleu∣re, and signifies a vernishing and enameling: the dif∣ference is in the Arts; that enameling is upon solid Bodies, as Gold, Silver, &c. but anealing is usually apply'd to the co∣loring of Glass, such as we had in former times, and still have in Church Windows, in excellent Varieties, and sometimes 'tis used for tinging or coloring of Stones, where it is done by fire, but here the word is applicable only to such Coppels, &c. which are covered and strengthned with Clar, for resisting the fire, and the manner of anealing them, is allwayes done by a gradual, and not a violent heat. l. 1. c. 10. s. 1. See Amel and Clar.

NEEDLE, And it is applyed to several things, and hath thereupon several Names in several Languages, but in Latine it is called Acus from its Acuity or sharp point, (and is sometimes applyed to ingenuous satyrick Wits;) the French call it Aquila quasi Anquilla (as Minshaw) because it is proportioned like an Eel fish, but the German here calls it Na∣delen from Naeden or Naen, suere, i. e. to sow or stitch toge∣ther,

and this word Nadelin is the nearest to our word Needle.

Which word being used in the New Testament, to shew the difficulty of a Rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: It stands such men in hand that deal in Metals (in order to make themseves rich) to see how far they are con∣cern'd in the impossibility mentioned in the Text, now St. John makes no mention of a Needle, but St. Matth. ca. 19. ver. 24. saith, It is easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a Needle, (per foramen acûs transire, Sept.) than for a rich man (that is he that abounds in Money, made of metals) to enter into the Kingdom of God; and so St. Mark, cap. 10. v. 24. and in St. Luke 18. 25. but the Latin is foramen acûs, the Needles eye, which, my Author (whom, I cannot readily call to mind, or else I should own him) saith, there was a little Postern Gate in the Wall of Jerusalem, which was called foramen acûs, or the Needles eye, through which a Camel could not pass without Kneeling (which saith Pliny Camels are taught to do) so as by going on their Knees, a Camel might pass through that Gate, which otherwise it could not do; and so the Story alludes to a rich and humble man, who by Humility may easily enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but not a proud rich man, that will not stoop, but puts more confidence in his money or metals, than in an humble or devout mind, which is imply'd by the bending of the Knees of the Camel.

Now, this word Needle is once only used in the New Te∣stament, by those three Evangelists, and no more, but it is used oftner in the Old Testament to other purposes, and is alwayes joned with the word▪ work, as Needlework. But in the Tran∣slations of the Oriental Languages, the Translators differ, for Dr. Walton in his Polyglot renders Needle-work, Opus reca∣mantis, Opus Polymatrii, Opus Varietoris, Opus picturarum, Opus Imaginum, so as there is nothing of a Needle, but from the Chaldee, and there he translates it opus acu pictum, and from the Arabick which he renders Phrigianum, and Junius and Tri∣melius (published before that Poliglot) in every place of the

Old Testament, where the word Needle-work is used (as in the 26, 27, 28, 36, 38, and 39 Chapters of Exodus, and in the 5th of the Judges, and in the 45 Psalm. ver. 14. for it is used in no other places) do follow the Chaldee and Arabick, in the words Opus and Artificium, but not in acu pictum, yet the two most eminent Poets of their time in England and Scot∣land concur'd in the uniting of those words, for Sandys writes thus, Psal. 45. 14.

Shee shall unto the King be brought, In Robes with Phrygean Needle wrought.

And Buchanan

Dives opum, dives Pictai vestes & auri.

(where note he useth Pictai for pictae, as Virgil, Lucullus, and other Latine Authors do oft change the Diphthong ae for ai) so that Sands hath the Needle-work in the word wrought, and that he calls Phrigian (from Phrigia, where it is supposed that Art was first taught) answering the Translation of the Ara∣bick: and Buchanan, Pictae answering the Translation from the Chaldee; and these Needle-Works are there also called fae∣minalia torta, because the Art is mostly used by Women, and therefore Acus for a Needle is properly declin'd in the femi∣nine gender.

Now, the shape of the Needle was taught us by Nature, for there is a fish which I have often seen on the Coast of Suffolk, which commonly comes there with the Mackerel, and differs only by having a snout of about 12 Inches in length, being a firm bone in the shape of a Needle.

Now, whether this be one of the Needle fishes mentioned by Pliny, l. 32. and call'd Acicula (and one of the 176 sorts of Fishes which he there enumerates, or the Acus Aristotelis, or the Acus Opiani, mentioned by Jonston, lib. de Piscibus, I cannot say; but Cooper, from Pliny (yet I find it not in

Pliny) describes it just like the Suffolk Fish; Acus, saith he, is a Fish long, small, and smooth, on the back colored as it were with green and blew, his Beak long and sharp, and makes this of the masculine Gender, and we call it the Needle fish.

Acus also sometimes signifys an order in Battle, and so called Acus belli, when they are at point of Fighting, Acus also signifys the spiral parts of Wheat, Oates, Barly, &c. being like so many Needles, and not chaff, as most Dictionaries have it: And there is an herb called Acus pastoris, or Acus mos∣chata being full of Prickles like Needles, but vulgarly 'tis call'd Venus's Comb or Charvell, the chief Virtue of which is to provoke Lust, and so may be called Acus libidinis. There are many other Instruments of this name, Needle, which are used by Carpenters to cripple, graple, or joyn houses together, and Thatchers Needles to thatch withall, &c.

But the chief Application of this word Needle is in Naviga∣tion, and there called Acus Navigatoria, or the Mariners Needle, or Compass, in respect that he compasseth the Seas, by the Virtue which it borrows from the Loadstone; (of which I have spoken at large) and is of such a transcendent Nature, that which way soever the ship moves, still the head of the Needle fixeth it self to the North, and the other point to the South, and this admirable Instrument hath no other title in our Lan∣guage than Needle: I hope that none that shall read this long Discourse of Needles will think it needless: but it was from Erckern's Touch-needles which he calls Streith Nadelen, and Agricola, de re Metallica, calls them sometimes Gold, or Silver or Copper Needles, by the touch of which the worth of each Metal may be known, and they differ in the making, form∣ing and shaping of them, as may be seen in Sculpture 8. & 18: and in G. Agricola, p. 199. which shews them in an acular or Needle▪form.

Now, there being great trouble and nicity in making of them either way (for indeed it is one of the most curious pie∣ces about the Metallick Chimistry) therefore the Chimists,

Goldsmiths or Tryers of Gold and Silver (to save trouble) do make use of a Touchstone, being a kind of soft Marble, of which you may read more in Stones. I read but of one sort of Needles more, which Cambden speakes of, in his Britania, p. 700. viz. of a Vault under the Church of Rippon where there was a little hole, called St. Wilfred's Needle, through which a virtuous Woman might pass with ease, but if she were otherwise disposed, she did not pass, but stayed below to be tryed of what Metal she was made.

NILE, or the River Nilus. See Gold, Metal, Mine.

NITRE, a light, ruddy, yet white substance, full of holes like a Spung, and resembling common Salt almost in colour; but quicker of Taste, and is mistaken by some for Salt-Petre; there is also a Nitre which comes out of Africk, of a purple Colour, but that which is now commonly sold to us for Nitre, is Salt Petre refined and candied, and used sometime in stead of Borax.

NOSEL, See Ʋtensils.

NUMBER, See Arithmetick.

NUT, See Measures.