Agricola, Georgius, De re metallica, 1912/1950

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            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb pagenum="75"/>
              plain by the production of much silver that veins which extend from the
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              north to the south, with their heads rising toward the west, are no less rich
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              in metals than those whose heads rise toward the east.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>It may be denied that the heat of the sun draws the metallic material
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              out of these veins; for though it draws up vapours from the surface of the
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              ground, the rays of the sun do not penetrate right down to the depths; because
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              the air of a tunnel which is covered and enveloped by solid earth to the depth of
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              only two fathoms is cold in summer, for the intermediate earth holds in check
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              the force of the sun. </s>
              <s>Having observed this fact, the inhabitants and dwellers
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              of very hot regions lie down by day in caves which protect them from the
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              excessive ardour of the sun. </s>
              <s>Therefore it is unlikely that the sun draws
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              out from within the earth the metallic bodies. </s>
              <s>Indeed, it cannot even dry
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              the moisture of many places abounding in veins, because they are pro­
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              tected and shaded by the trees. </s>
              <s>Furthermore, certain miners, out of all
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              the different kinds of metallic veins, choose those which I have described,
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              and others, on the contrary, reject copper mines which are of this sort, so
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              that there seems to be no reason in this. </s>
              <s>For what can be the reason if the
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              sun draws no copper from copper veins, that it draws silver from silver veins,
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              and gold from gold veins?</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>Moreover, some miners, of whose number was Calbus
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              , distinguish
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              between the gold-bearing rivers and streams. </s>
              <s>A river, they say, or a stream,
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              is most productive of fine and coarse grains of gold when it comes from the
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              east and flows to the west, and when it washes against the foot of mountains
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              which are situated in the north, and when it has a level plain toward the
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              south or west. </s>
              <s>In the second place, they esteem a river or a stream which
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              flows in the opposite course from the west toward the east, and which has
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              the mountains to the north and the level plain to the south. </s>
              <s>In the third
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              place, they esteem the river or the stream which flows from the north to the
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              south and washes the base of the mountains which are situated in the east.
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              </s>
              <s>But they say that the river or stream is least productive of gold which flows
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              in a contrary direction from the south to the north, and washes the base of </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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