SECT. VII. Of Stones.

STones are hard Bodies, which neither are extensible under the hammer, nor meltable in the fire. They are generated in their particular Matrixes out of a Juice, which hath the Idea and Lapidifick ferment imprinted in it self: they receive their various colours, from the various Mines through which their Lapidifick juice, and their Mercurial fumes, or coagulating Spirit doth pass. They are either opacons, or transparent: The transparent are either with or without colour; so in all likelihood we may say, that the Coagulative Spirit of Emerald passeth through a Mine of Vitriol or Copper; that of Opal through a Sulphureous Mine; of Ruby and Carbuncle through a golden one; Granats and some other like Stones of this nature, draw their colour from Iron, a proof whereof is, that they are attracted by the Load∣stone; and so we may conclude of others. But the Coagula∣tive Spirit of Diamond and Rock Chrystal, is only a pure and unmixt petrifying Spirit, deprived of all tingent Sulphureity; which by consequence leaves in it nothing but that lovely and admirable transparency, for which they are admired.

It is noted, that opacous Stones, are not only generated in the bowels of the Earth or Waters, but also in the bowels and entrails of all kinde of Animals, as the searchers of Nature have made it manifest.

Thus briefly we have run over the Nature of Minerals: For in what concerns the Doctrine of their particular hystory, we must have recourse to such natural Philosophers as have exactly and professedly written thereof, as Georgius Agricola, and Lazarus Ercker; for our intention is, only to make an Abridgement of Page  69the chief heads, to which you may referre all the natural-Mixts which depend upon, and flow from them.