5.11. Of mettals to be had in our land. Chap. 11.
Of mettals to be had in our land. Chap. 11.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 _ALl mettals receiue their be|ginning of quicksiluer
and sulphur, which are as mother and father to them.
And such is the purpose of nature in their
generations: that she tendeth alwaies to the
pro|creation of gold, neuerthe|lesse she sildome
reacheth vnto that hir end, bicause
of the vnequall mixture and proportion of these two in
the substance ingendered, whereby impediment and
corruption [...] induced, which as it is more or lesse,
dooth shew it selfe in the mettall that is producted.
First of all therefore the substance of sulphur and
quicksiluer being mixed in [...] proportion, after long
and temperate decoction in the [...]els of the earth,
orderlie ingrossed and fixed, becommeth gold, which
Encelius dooth call the sunne and right
heire of na|ture but if it swarue but a little (saith
he) in [...]he com|mixtion and
other circumstances, then doo [...]t, it pro|duct siluer
the daughter, not so noble a child as g [...]ld
hir brother, which among mettall is worthilie called
the cheefe. Contrariwise, the substances of the
aforesaid parents mixed without proportion, and lesse
digested and fixed in the entrailes of the earth,
where|by the radicall moisture becommeth combustible
and not of force to indure heat and hammer, dooth
either turne into tin, lead, copper, or iron, which
were the first mettals knowne in
time past vnto antiqui|tie, although that in these
daies there are diuerse o|ther, whereof neither they
nor our alchumists had euer anie knowledge. Of these
therfore which are re|puted among the third sort, we
here in England haue our parts, and as I call them to
mind, so will I in|treat of them, and with such
breuitie as may serue the turne, and yet not
altogither omit to saie some|what of gold and siluer
also, bicause I find by good ex|perience how it was
not said of old time without great
reason,Gold Siluer. that
all countries haue need of Bri|taine, and Britaine it
selfe of none. For truelie if a man regard such
necessities as nature onelie requi|reth, there is no
nation vnder the sunne, that can saie so much as ours:
sith we doo want none that are con|uenient for vs.
Wherefore if it be a benefit to haue anie gold at all,
we are not void of some, neither like|wise of siluer:
whatsoeuer Cicero affirmeth to the contrarie,
Lib. 4. ad Atticum epi. 16. in whose time
they were not found, Britannici belli exitus
(saith he) expecta|tur, constat
enim aditus insulae esse munitos mirificis molibus:
etiam illud iam cognitum est, neque argenti
scrupulum esse vllum in illa insula, neque vllam
spem praedae nisiex mancipijs, ex quibus nullos puto
te litteris aut musicis eruditos expectare. And
albeit that we haue no such abundance of these (as
some other countries doo yéeld) yet haue my rich
countrimen store inough of both in their pursses,
where in time past they were woont to haue least,
bi|cause the garnishing of our churches, tabernacles,
images, shrines and apparell of the preests consumed
the greatest part, as experience hath confirmed.
Of late my countriemen haue found out I wot not what
voiage into the west Indies, from whence they haue
brought some gold, whereby our countrie is inriched:
but of all that euer aduentured into those parts, none
haue sped better than sir Francis Drake whose successe
1582 hath far passed euen his owne expectation. One
Iohn Frobisher in like maner at|tempting to séeke out
a shorter cut by the northerlie regions into the
peaceable sea and kingdome of Ca|thaie, happened 1577
vpon certeine Ilands by the waie, wherein great
plentie of much gold appeared, and so much that some
letted not to giue out for cer|teintie, that Salomon
had his gold from thence, wherewith he builded the
temple. This golden shew made him so desirous also of
like successe, that he left off his former voiage,
& returned home to bring news of such things
as he had seene. But when after another voiage it was
found to be but drosse, he gaue ouer both the
enterprises, and now keepeth home without anie desire
at all to séeke into farre coun|tries. In truth, such
was the plentie of ore there séene and to be had, that
if it had holden perfect, might haue furnished all the
world with abundance of that met|tall; the iorneie
also was short and performed in foure or fiue moneths,
which was a notable incourage|ment. But to proceed.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 Tin and lead, mettals which Strabo noteth in
his time to be carried vnto Marsilis from
hence,Tin. Lead. as
Dio|dorus also confirmeth, are verie
plentifull with vs, the one in Cornewall, Deuonshire
(& else-where in in the north) the other in
Darbishire, Weredale, and sundrie places of this
Iland; whereby my countrie|men doo reape no small
commoditie, but especiallie our pewterers, who in time
past imploied the vse of pewter onelie vpon dishes,
pots, and a few other tri|fles for seruice here at
home, whereas now they are growne vnto such exquisit
cunning, that they can in maner imitate by infusion
anie forme or fashion of cup, dish, salt, bowle, or
goblet, which is made by goldsmiths craft, though they
he neuer so curious, exquisite, and artificiallie
forged. Such furniture of houshold of this mettall, as
we commonlie call by the name of vessell, is sold
vsuallie by the garnish, which dooth co [...]eine
twelue plaiters, twelue dishes, twelue saucers, and
those are either of siluer fashion, or else with brode
or narrow brims, and bought by the pound, which is now
valued at six or seuen pence, or peraduenture at eight
pence. Of poringers, pots, and other like I speake not
albeit that in the making of all these things there is
such exquisite diligence vsed, I meane for the mixture
of the mettall and true making of this commoditie (by
reason of sharpe laws prouided in that behalfe) as the
like is not to be found in any other trade. I haue
béene also informed that it consisteth of a
composition, which hath thirtie pounds of kettle
brasse to a thousand pounds of tin, whervnto they ad
thrée or foure pounds of tinglasse: but as too much of
this dooth make the stuffe brickle, so the more the
brasse be, the better is the pewter, and more
profitable vnto him that dooth buie and purchase the
same. But to proceed.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 In some places beyond the sea a garnish of good flat
English pewter of an ordinarie making (I saie flat,
bicause dishes and platters in my time begin to be
made déepe like basons, and are indéed more
con|uenient both for sawce, broth, and kéeping the
meat warme) is estéemed almost so pretious, as the
like number of vessels that are made of fine siluer,
and in maner no lesse desired amongst the great
estates, whose workmen are nothing so skilfull in that
trade as ours, neither their mettall so good, nor
plentie so great, as we haue here in England. The
Romans made excellent looking glasses of our English
tin, howbeit our workemen were not then so equisite in
that feat as the Brundusiens: wherefore the wrought
mettall was carried ouer vnto them by waie of
merchandize, and verie highlie were those glasses EEBO page image 238 estéemed of till siluer came
generallie in place, which in the end brought the tin
into such contempt, that in manner euerie dishwasher
refused to looke in other than siluer glasses for the
attiring of hir head. How|beit the making of siluer
glasses had béene in vse be|fore Britaine was knowne
vnto the Romans, for I read that one Praxiteles
deuised them in the yoong time of Pompeie, which was
before the comming of Caesar into this Iland.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 There were mines of lead sometimes also in Wales, which indured so long till the
people had con|sumed all their wood by melting of the
same (as they did also at Comeristwith six miles from
Stradfluer) and I suppose that in Plinies
time the abundance of lead (whereof he speaketh) was
to be found in those parts, in the seauentéenth of his
thirtie fourth booke: also he affirmeth that it laie
in the verie swart of the earth, and dailie gotten in
such plentie, that the Ro|mans made a restraint of the
cariage thereof to Rome, limiting how much should
yearelie be wrought and transported
ouer the sea. And here by the waie it is worthie to be
noted, of a crow which a miner of tin, dwelling néere
Comeristwith (as Le|land saith) had made so
tame, that it would dailie flie and follow him to his
worke and other places where soeuer he happened to
trauell. This labourer wor|king on a time in the
bottome or vallie, where the first mine was knowne to
be, did laie his pursse and girdle by him, as men
commonlie doo that addresse themselues to applie their
businesse earnestlie, and he
himselfe also had vsed from time to time before. The
crow likewise was verie busie flittering about him,
and so much molested him, that he waxed angrie with
the bird, & in his furie threatened to wring
off his necke, if be might once get him into his
hands; to be short, in the end the crow hastilie
caught vp his girdle and pursse, and made awaie
withall so far as hir wings could carrie hir.
Héerevpon the pore man falling into great agonie (for
he feared to vse perad|uenture all his monie) threw
downe his mattocke at aduenture and
ran after the bird, curssing and me|nacing that he
should lose his life if euer he got him againe: but as
it fell out, the crow was the means whereby his life
was saued, for he had not béene long out of the mine,
yer it fell downe and killed all his fellowes. If I
should take vpon me to discourse and search out the
cause of the thus dealing of this bird at large, I
should peraduenture set my selfe further into the
briers than well find which waie to come out againe:
yet am I persuaded, that the crow was Gods instrument herein, whereby the life of this
poore labourer was preserued. It was doone also in an
o|ther order than that which I read of another tame
crow, kept vp by a shoomaker of Dutch land in his shop
or stoue: who séeing the same to sit vpon the pearch
among his shoone, verie heauilie and drousie, said
vnto the bird: What aileth my iacke, whie art thou sad
and pensiue? The crow hearing his maister speake after
this sort vnto him, answered (or else the diuell
within him) out of the psalter: Cogitaui dies
an|tiquos & aeternos in
mente habui. But whither am I di|gressed, from
lead vnto crowes, & from crowes vnto diuels?
Certes it is now high time to returne vnto our
mettals, and resume the tractation of such things as I
had earst in hand.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 Iron is found in manie places,Iron. as in Sussex, Kent, Weredale, Mendip,
Walshall, as also in Shropshire, but chéeflie in the
woods betwixt Beluos and Willocke or Wicberie néere
Manchester, and elsewhere in Wales. Of which mines
diuerse doo bring foorth so fine and good stuffe, as
anie that com|meth from beyond the sea, beside the
infinit gaines to the owners, if we would so accept
it, or bestow a little more cost in the refining of
it. It is also of such toughnesse, that it yéeldeth to
the making of cla|ricord wire in some places of the
realme. Neuerthe|lesse, it was better cheape with vs
when strangers onelie brought it hither: for it is our
qualitie when we get anie commoditie, to vse it with
extremitie to|wards our owne nation, after we haue
once found the meanes to shut out forreners from the
bringing in of the like. It breedeth in like manner
great ex|pense and waste of wood, as dooth the making
of our pots and table vessell of glasse, wherein is
much losse sith it is so quicklie broken; and yet (as
I thinke) easie to be made tougher, if our alchumists
could once find the true birth or production of the
red man, whose mixture would induce a metallicall
tough|nesse vnto it, whereby it should abide the
hammer.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 Copper is latelie not found,Copper. but rather restored a|gaine to
light. For I haue read of copper to haue béene
heretofore gotten in our Iland; howbeit as strangers
haue most commonly the gouernance of our mines, so
they hither to make small gains of this in hand in the
north parts: for (as I am informed) the profit dooth
verie hardlie counteruaile the charges, whereat wise
men doo not a litle maruel, consider|ing the abundance
which that mine dooth séeme to of|fer, and as it were
at hand Leland our countrie|man noteth
sundrie great likelihoods of naturall copper mines to
be eastwards, as betwéene Dud|man and Trewa [...]thher places,
wherea [...] in
sundrie pla [...]es of this booke alreadie, and
therefore it shall b [...] but in vaine to
repeat them here againe: as for [...]hat which is gotten
out of the marchasite, I speake not of it, sith it is
not incident to my purpose. In Dorsetshire also a
copper mine latelie found is brought to good
perfection.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 As for our stéele,Stéele.
it is not so good for edge-tooles as that of Colaine,
and yet the one is often sold for the other, and like
tale vsed in both, that is to saie, thirtie gads to
the sheffe, and twelue sheffes to the burden. Our
alchumie is artificiall, and thereof our spoones and
some salts are commonlie made, and preferred before
our pewter with some, albeit in truth it be much
subiect to corruption, putrifaction, more heauie and
foule to handle than our pewter; yet some ignorant
persons affirme it to be a mettall more na|turall, and
the verie same which Encelius calleth
Plumbum cinereum, the Germans, wisemute,
mithan, & counterfeie, adding, that where it
groweth, siluer can not be farre off. Neuerthelesse it
is knowne to be a mixture of brasse, lead, and tin (of
which this latter occupieth the one halfe) but after
another proportion than is vsed in pewter. But alas I
am persuaded that neither the old Arabians, nor new
alchumists of our time did euer heare of it, albeit
that the name thereof doo séeme to come out of their
forge. For the common sort indeed doo call it
alchumie, an vnwhol|some mettall (God wot) and
woorthie to be banished and driuen out of the land.
And thus I conclude with this discourse, as hauing no
more to saie of the mettals of my countrie, except I
should talke of brasse, bell mettall, and such as are
brought ouer for merchandize from other countries: and
yet I can not but saie that there is some brasse found
also in England, but so small is the quantitie, that
it is not greatlie to be estéemed or accounted of.