FLETA MINOR .

THE LAWS OF ART and NATURE , IN Knowing , Judging , Assaying , Fining , Refining and Inlarging the BODIES of confin'd METALS .

In Two Parts .

The First contains ASSAYS of Lazarus Erckern , Chief Prover ( or Assay-Master General of the Empire of Germany ) in V. Books : originally written by him in the Teutonick Language , and now translated into English .

The Second contains ESSAYS on Metallick Words , as a DICTIONARY to many pleasing DISCOURSES .

By Sir John Pettus , of Suffolk , K t. Of the Society for the MINES ROYAL .

Illustrated with 44 Sculptures .

Carolus D. G. Secundus .

LONDON , Printed , for the Author , by Thomas Dawks , his Majesty's British Printer , at the West-end of Thames-street . 1683.

THE Materials of this Book are derived from your Majesties undoubted Prerogative to the Mines ( in your Dominions , ) of which Metals are made ; Of them Moneys : And then honoured with your Majesties Superscription . And so by a Christian Circulation , the Possessors do , or ought to render to Caesar the things which are Caesar's .

Thus Your Majesty hath a double Right to the Mines , and to the Products of the Chimical Art , by which Metals are fitted for their Journey to Publick Commerce .

Herein I humbly offer my Endeavours to assist their motions , and onely to refresh your Majesties Memory , not to inform Your Knowledg : for ( as 't is hinted in the Title Page ) Your Majesty is ( in the Science of Chimistry , as in all Sciences of Humanity ) Nulli Secundus .

These Perfections are evident in Your Majesties publick and private Elaboratories , from which pure Justice , and pleasing Arts and Sciences are communicated to Your Subjects .

YOur Lordships free acceptance of the Government of the Mines Royal , hath encouraged me to add it to your Titles , and I hope without the least disparagement to your other Honours , deservedly conferred upon your Lordship by His Majesty .

It is a Trust of great Concern ( and I doubt not but it will be so managed by your Lordship ) and of Honour too , ( as it hath been always esteemed ) for ( not to trouble your Lordship with very Antient Records , ) I find that King Edward the Fourth did make Richard Earl of Warwick ( who soon after was made one of the Governors of this Kingdom , during its Troubles ) and John Earl of Northumberland , his Guardians and Governors jointly of all his Mines in England ; and King Henry the Seventh made Jasper Duke of Bedford , and other Earls and Lords , his Guardians also of all the Mines in England ( adding Wales . ) And Queen Elisabeth , in the 10th . of her Reign , did form the Government thereof into Societies , by the Names of Governors , Deputy-Governors , and Assistants for the Mines Royal and Battery-Works , and then made Sir Nicholas Bacon , Lord Keeper , and other eminent persons , her Governors for England and Wales , ( adding those within the English Pale in Ireland , ) which Government did continue Successively to the Earl of Pembrook , and others for some Years : and after , his late Highness Prince Rupert was made a Governour ; and your Lordship to our contentment , doth succeed him .

Now , my Lord , As for my self , I have been one of the Deputy Governors for above 30 Years , and do think my self obliged in point of Gratitude to the late Governours , and present Members ( who were pleased unanimously to order a Contribution to the Charge of this Book , and for some former Favours , ) to endeavour the advancing of their Concerns ( especially now we have the Honour to be under your Lordships Regiment , ) and therefore as an Introduction to my real Intents , I not only publish this , but by some Additionals , I shall study to make the Government more advantagious to the Society , and much more to His Majesty ; and even to other Proprietors of Mines , wherein I have sat still some Years , because I found that I should be obstructed by some who studied the advance of themselves more than His Majestics Revenues , which I do not aim to do by any Oppressing Method , or projecting Humour ( for I hate it ) but by an honest just way , and I hope not displeasing to any , but such as nothing will please .

And these I shall in due time communicate to your Lordship , being so confident of your Lordships great Abilities , ( join'd with your perfect Loyalty to your King , and Love to your Country ) that your Lordship will not approve of any thing that I shall offer , if it agrees not with your Lordships sound Judgment and deep Wisdom , for which all who knows your Lordship have an high value , and particularly

I Did design to have publish't your Names in a way that should have more fully manifested your Favours , and my Acknowledgments ; but this Book extending to above 50 sheets more than I design'd , or at first proposed , took up my limited time , so as I must respit that intention , for I have not done with this Subject ; intending not to trouble you or my self with Subscriptions , but such as have Subscribed to this , shall have notice when the next is ready ▪ and if they approve of this so well as to take the next from me , it will be an additional Obligation to me , for I am prepared to go through the Body of this ART , upon these Reasons ▪ First , That it contains the Grounds and Maxims of most admirable Speculations ; and next , That I may divulge their chifest and most curious Experiments and Practicks : Now , that which incited me to this , was occasioned from hence , That having caused Erckern's Books to be Translated about Ten years since ; some eminent persons did perswade me ( like the Story in Bocalino , ) not to publish it , lest the Common sort of People should make an ill use of its impartments , alledging , That it was not well Translated : whereupon I betook my self to the German Language , and in a short time I was so much Master of it , That with the help of a German here , I did indeed find many Errors , and Corrected them , which answers one Objection ; and I have Printed such a convenient Number as may answer the other ; And yet I am not altogether satisfied therein ; for , what hath made Arts and Sciences flourish more in the time of King Charles the First , and now in His Majesties Reign , than their Majesties encouragements to the free communication of such things as had many Ages before lain secret ? so that we hope that all Pancerollus his lost things may in a short time be found again .

We punish our selves by fixing and disputing on the Theorems of antient Writers , and thereby making things to be Diabolical , which are only Divine Favours shewn us by Natural Agents , so as for want of knowing the true Practicks & Experiments , they are divulged either by umbraging Sophistications , or concealed under the Name of Philosophical Secrets , which , no doubt , but GOD intends for a publick and common Good : and this ill Fortune befell the Vnguentum Armarium , as a piece of Witchcraft , 'till our Eyes were inlightned ; and in many other things ( which were they clearly communicated ) such Superstructures would be raised from them , as might arive us to a kind of Angelical Knowledg in this World , and make us more apprehensive of our Happiness in the next : and therefore it shall be my study to unfold the Metaphysical Notions of this SCIENCE : by Practicks especially about the Philosophers Stone , which Study I value only for its fine Pursuits and Products of Experiments , but more , because the Laborers for it are , by their own Affirmations , obliged to a strict and religious Life :

I shall trouble you no further at this time , but with my humble and hearty Thanks : and so subscribe my self

I Think fit before you read this Book , to instruct you in the Method of it , so as you may read the whole , or part , as your leisure serves .

1. It is divided into two parts ( as the Title mentions , ) viz. Erckern's V. Books , and my Dictionary .

2. Whereas the Original of Erckern's 5 Books had no Numeral distinction of Chapters and Sections , I have divided them into Chapters and Sections , and Printed them before the Five Books , with numeral referrences to their chapters where they are contain'd .

3. Whereas the Sculptures had only Literal , and no Numeral Directions of their Contents , I have in the second part of the Contents before the Five Books , Printed the Contents of the Sculptures , with references to the Pages where they may be seen and read .

4. Whereas the Original of Erckern's 5 Books hath no Coma's , Colons , Periods , Parenthesis , or Interrogatory Points , pertinent to the distinction of Words or Sentences ( which are also wanting in many German Books ) I have comply'd them to our way of Orthography , ( which was no little trouble , ) and therefore if the Reader find some few Omissions , they may upon that account be the more kindly dispens't with .

5. I do retain many antient and Saxon Words , upon the account of their affinity to the like Words which are still used among us , and these are hinted in the Dictionary .

6. In the Dictionary or second part , the first Words which I thought fit to explain , are in Capital Letters , and next , the Teutonick and Latine Words for those Capitals ; ( and other Languages , as occasion requires , ) and these I collected from G. Agricola , Alstidius , Cowel , Minshaw , and Skinners Dictionarys for the Teutonick , from Cooper and Holiock for the Latine ; from Florio for the Italian , from Cotgrave for the French ; and from Waltons Lexicon for the Oriental Tongues , which , with a German was all the help I had for the use of above 600 Words ; but the two chief Languages , of which I make the greatest use , are the Teutonick and Latine , this from the old Romans , ( who continued among us above 500 years ) the other from the Saxons ( who were mixt with us as long , ) from both of which Nations we gain'd a particular knowledg of Mines and Metals , as may be evident from many Roman and Saxon Works ▪ which remain here under their Names to this day ; and many of our Monarchs , particularly Queen Elizabeth did think fit to desire the assisting SKILL of the Germans , to improve OURS ; to prevent which trouble , I here publish part of their Art , and intend more .

Lastly , I have given it the Title of FLETA , which is borrowed from an eminent Lawyer , who whilst he was Prisoner in the FLEET , writ his Learned Book of the Common Laws of England , and thereupon ( as 't is said , ) he call'd his Book FLETA ( Cowel ) to which I add MINOR , in submission to his great Learning , and for its affinity to the word MINER , viz. one who Labours in the Mines , as I do in Learning the Metallick Art .

To conclude , I have writ some things from Authentick Authors ( too many to recite here , ) and some from my own Conceptions and Observations ; now as they pleased me in writing , so I hope they will not displease others in reading .

Of the Art of Assaying . TO learn and understand the way of Assaying , Proving and Refining of Metalls , is an Excellent , Noble Science , and an Antient and profitable Art , long since found out by the Art of Alchimy and Chimistry , as also all other Works of the Fire , by which not only the nature of Oars and Mines , and what Metalls contained in them are known ; but also how much there is in a Centner , or in greater or lesser Weights , and not only so , but this Art also teacheth how to Examine each Metal by it self , as whether there be any Adulterated or mixt Metal with it ; what , and how much the same is , and then which way those Metals may be separated from such mixtures or adulterations , as also by several ways to cleanse and separate other incorporated Metals , so that they may be judged to be fine , clean and free from mixtures , therefore this Art is very profitable to Minerists and such as work in Mines and intend to have benefit by them , and such Artists must endeavour by all means to learn and exercise themselves in the same , that they may thereby reap a Profit to themselves and others , and preserve themselves from Inconveniencies and Dangers by their want of knowledge therein .

By this Art of Refining and the Profit that acrews by it , many good and rich Mines have been discovered , which otherwise would have lain concealed : and by the Advantage of these Discoveries many Cities and Villages have been built , Lands have been improved in their Values , and People thereby increased and plentifully maintained : As also great and mighty Trades and dealings with Gold , Silver , Copper and other Metals here , and in other Countreys exercised , and the Coiners of Coin and Minting Works have been multiplyed by their Guardians and Masters ; for from Gold and Silver , Money is made and much improved , so that the true Insight , Tryal and Examination of this Art , cannot be in any wise omitted or neglected , as that which is highly necessary to be known .

Rewarded by Princes . And such Artists as have exercised themselves in the Knowledge of Assaying , and fundamentally and diligently practised the same , are by Princes , Lords and Communities thought worthy not only of great Thanks , but been also promoted and recompenced by them .

Mother of ARTS . For this ART of Assaying is the very Inlet and Mother of many other honorable and profitable Sciences as Experience teaches us , and the more a man finds out , the more he is stir'd up to the contemplating and doing things of an higher Nature .

To know Metals necessary . So that the Knowledg of Metallick Oars and Minerals are first to be inquir'd into , namely , How each one according to their Nature , Figure , Form and Colour are distinguishable from each other : Which without great diligence and daily Practice cannot be known , because God the Almighty Creator , in the beginning of the Creation of the World , hath placed Metals and Minerals in the Mountains , Valleys and Veins of the Earth , and causeth them to grow there : He hath also given to all and each of them an outward Form and Colour by which the one from the other may be distinctly known .

How to use Fire in Metals . Secondly , The Knowledg of the Fire is a principal part of this Science , and very necessary to be inquired into , that he may the better know how to govern the same , so that he may give no Metal more Fire than its due , but to every one its proportion of Heat and Cold , as necessity requires to add or take from it , in its Operation .

To make Instruments . After the Knowledg of Governing the Fire , the Artists must have the Knowledg also of making all the Instruments and Furnaces for this , either by his own handy Furnaces . work , skillfully to prepare them , or at least to direct that they may be well made , whereby he may not be hindred in his working , but by his own diligence accomplish them .

Weights and Scales . In like manner he must be careful in procuring good and just Scales and Weights , and to know also how to make them ( in case such Artificers should be wanting ) and fit them to all Metals , and he must have great Care in preserving them from Dust , and that they be alwayes pure and clean so that ( as occasion serves ) he may rely on the certainty of Proofs by them .

To be skill'd in Arithmetick . Next to the former Directions he must be well skill'd experienced and exercised in the Art of Arithmetick , for the numbring and casting up Accounts ( which to Assaying Coins and Refining Works are very necessary , and is one of the Master ▪ pieces in this Metallick ART ) And every Assayer must not only diligently learn this numeral Science ( necessary to be known for the Proving of Metals or what belongs thereto ) but also all such Arts and Sciences as may accomplish his full Designs therein .