Agricola, Georgius
,
De re metallica
,
1912/1950
Text
Text Image
Image
XML
Thumbnail overview
Document information
None
Concordance
Figures
Thumbnails
page
|<
<
of 679
>
>|
<
archimedes
>
<
text
>
<
body
>
<
chap
>
<
p
type
="
main
">
<
s
>
<
pb
pagenum
="
xxix
"/>
whole towns with gold and silver. </
s
>
<
s
>Even their books proclaim their vanity, for
<
lb
/>
they inscribe in them the names of Plato and Aristotle and other philosophers,
<
lb
/>
in order that such high-sounding inscriptions may impose upon simple people
<
lb
/>
and pass for learning. </
s
>
<
s
>There is another class of alchemists who do not
<
lb
/>
change the substance of base metals, but colour them to represent gold or silver,
<
lb
/>
so that they appear to be that which they are not, and when this appearance
<
lb
/>
is taken from them by the fire, as if it were a garment foreign to them, they
<
lb
/>
return to their own character. </
s
>
<
s
>These alchemists, since they deceive people,
<
lb
/>
are not only held in the greatest odium, but their frauds are a capital offence.
<
lb
/>
</
s
>
<
s
>No less a fraud, warranting capital punishment, is committed by a third sort
<
lb
/>
of alchemists; these throw into a crucible a small piece of gold or silver
<
lb
/>
hidden in a coal, and after mixing therewith fluxes which have the power of
<
lb
/>
extracting it, pretend to be making gold from orpiment, or silver from tin and
<
lb
/>
like substances. </
s
>
<
s
>But concerning the art of alchemy, if it be an art, I will
<
lb
/>
speak further elsewhere. </
s
>
<
s
>I will now return to the art of mining.</
s
>
</
p
>
<
p
type
="
main
">
<
s
>Since no authors have written of this art in its entirety, and since
<
lb
/>
foreign nations and races do not understand our tongue, and, if they did
<
lb
/>
understand it, would be able to learn only a small part of the art through the
<
lb
/>
works of those authors whom we do possess, I have written these twelve books
<
lb
/>
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
De Re Metallica.
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
</
s
>
<
s
> Of these, the first book contains the arguments which may
<
lb
/>
be used against this art, and against metals and the mines, and what can be
<
lb
/>
said in their favour. </
s
>
<
s
>The second book describes the miner, and branches into </
s
>
</
p
>
</
chap
>
</
body
>
</
text
>
</
archimedes
>