Agricola, Georgius, De re metallica, 1912/1950

List of thumbnails

< >
421
421 		422
422
423
423 		424
424
425
425 		426
426
427
427 		428
428
429
429 		430
430
< >
page |< < of 679 > >|
    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb pagenum="452"/>
              a
                <emph type="italics"/>
              sicilicus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              of copper is added; and if it contains no copper, then half an
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              uncia,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              because copper must be added to
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stibium
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              in order to part gold from
                <lb/>
              silver. </s>
              <s>The gold is first placed in a red hot earthen crucible, and when
                <lb/>
              melted it swells, and a little
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stibium
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              is added to it lest it run over; in a
                <lb/>
              short space of time, when this has melted, it likewise again swells, and
                <lb/>
              when this occurs it is advisable to put in all the remainder of the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stibium,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              and to cover the crucible with a lid, and then to heat the mixture for the
                <lb/>
              time required to walk thirty-five paces. </s>
              <s>Then it is at once poured out into
                <lb/>
              an iron pot, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, which was first
                <lb/>
              heated and smeared over with tallow or wax, and set on an iron or wooden
                <lb/>
              block. </s>
              <s>It is shaken violently, and by this agitation the gold lump settles
                <lb/>
              to the bottom, and when the pot has cooled it is tapped loose, and is again
                <lb/>
              melted four times in the same way. </s>
              <s>But each time a less weight of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stibium
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              is added to the gold, until finally only twice as much
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stibium
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              is added as
                <lb/>
              there is gold, or a little more; then the gold lump is melted in a cupel. </s>
              <s>The
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stibium
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              is melted again three or four times in an earthen crucible, and each
                <lb/>
              time a gold lump settles, so that there are three or four gold lumps, and
                <lb/>
              these are all melted together in a cupel.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>To two
                <emph type="italics"/>
              líbrae
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              and a half of such
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stíbíum
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              are added two
                <emph type="italics"/>
              librae
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              of argol
                <lb/>
              and one
                <emph type="italics"/>
              libra
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              of glass-galls, and they are melted in an earthen crucible,
                <lb/>
              where a lump likewise settles at the bottom; this lump is melted in the
                <lb/>
              cupel. </s>
              <s>Finally, the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stibium
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              with a little lead added, is melted in the cupel,
                <lb/>
              in which, after all the rest has been consumed by the fire, the silver alone
                <lb/>
              remains. </s>
              <s>If the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stíbium
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              is not first melted in an earthen crucible with argol
                <lb/>
              and glass-galls, before it is melted in the cupel, part of the silver is consumed,
                <lb/>
              and is absorbed by the ash and powder of which the cupel is made.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>The crucible in which the gold and silver alloy are melted with
                <emph type="italics"/>
              stíbíum,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              and also the cupel, are placed in a furnace, which is usually of the kind </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
Impressum