Agricola, Georgius, De re metallica, 1912/1950

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            <pb pagenum="vii"/>
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              <s>Agricola did not confine his interest entirely to medicine and mining,
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              for during this period he composed a pamphlet upon the Turks, urging their
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              extermination by the European powers. </s>
              <s>This work was no doubt inspired by
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              the Turkish siege of Vienna in 1529. It appeared first in German in 1531,
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              and in Latin—in which it was originally written—in 1538, and passed through
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              many subsequent editions.</s>
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              <s>At this time, too, he became interested in the God's Gift mine at
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              Albertham, which was discovered in 1530. Writing in 1545, he says
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              6
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              :
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              “We, as a shareholder, through the goodness of God, have enjoyed the
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              proceeds of this God's Gift since the very time when the mine began first
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              to bestow such riches.”</s>
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              <s>Agricola seems to have resigned his position at Joachimsthal in about
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              1530, and to have devoted the next two or three years to travel and study
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              among the mines. </s>
              <s>About 1533 he became city physician of Chemnitz, in
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              Saxony, and here he resided until his death in 1555. There is but little
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              record of his activities during the first eight or nine years of his residence in
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              this city. </s>
              <s>He must have been engaged upon the study of his subjects and
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              the preparation of his books, for they came on with great rapidity soon after.
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              </s>
              <s>He was frequently consulted on matters of mining engineering, as, for instance,
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              we learn, from a letter written by a certain Johannes Hordeborch
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              7
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              , that
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              Duke Henry of Brunswick applied to him with regard to the method for
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              working mines in the Upper Harz.</s>
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              <s>In 1543 he married Anna, widow of Matthias Meyner, a petty tithe
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              official; there is some reason to believe from a letter published by Schmid,
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              8
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              that Anna was his second wife, and that he was married the first time at
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              Joachimsthal. </s>
              <s>He seems to have had several children, for he commends his
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              young children to the care of the Town Council during his absence at the
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              war in 1547. In addition to these, we know that a son, Theodor, was born
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              in 1550; a daughter, Anna, in 1552; another daughter, Irene, was buried at
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              Chemnitz in 1555; and in 1580 his widow and three children—Anna,
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              Valerius, and Lucretia—were still living.</s>
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              <s>In 1544 began the publication of the series of books to which Agricola
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              owes his position. </s>
              <s>The first volume comprised five works and was finally
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              issued in 1546; it was subsequently considerably revised, and re-issued in 1558.
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              These works were:
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              De Ortu et Causís Subterraneorum,
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              in five “books,” the
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              first work on physical geology;
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              De Natura Eorum quae Effluunt ex Terra,
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              in
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              four “books,” on subterranean waters and gases;
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              De Natura Fossílíum,
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              in
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              ten “books,” the first systematic mineralogy;
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              De Veteribus et Novís Metallís,
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              in two “books,” devoted largely to the history of metals and topographical
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              mineralogy; a new edition of
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              Bermannus
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              was included; and finally
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              Rerum
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              Metallícarum Interpretatio,
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              a glossary of Latin and German mineralogical
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              and metallurgical terms. </s>
              <s>Another work,
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              De Animantíbus Subterraneis,
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              usually published with
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              De Re Metallica,
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              is dated 1548 in the preface. </s>
              <s>It
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              </s>
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