OF THE MINERAL WORK.

poor they may be, can be extracted with profit by the spirit of salt, and fixed and purified by antimonium antimony. In sum, this is such a Secret that no one can be an impediment to another, as is the case in other mechanical works, which no one needs to be ashamed of. For this reason, God created gold in the earth and in stones, so that we might draw it forth to the glory of His name and the benefit of our neighbor, nor did He forbid us the true and genuine use of it. I say, therefore, in the truth of things, that I have described here an art, however much despised by the ignorant, yet of the greatest moment and almost incomprehensible. Consider the matter only a little more deeply, and you will find in almost every part of the world huge treasures lying hidden, which are not brought forth only because of ignorance. Since it escapes no one that golden sand and clay are found in various places, which are left uncultivated for the aforementioned reasons, by this our art they can be worked most easily.

Silver mountains are also found, from which silver cannot be smelted due to the lack of weight. A certain yellow or reddish earth is also found in many places, or such clay, which, although it contains silver in sufficient quantity, cannot be smelted with profit; it is, however, separable with profit in this manner, but not by the spirit of salt, which leaves ☽ silver untouched, but by something else, found everywhere in abundance, of which I say nothing here for certain reasons.

This method of separation also applies to poor copper ore, which cannot be worked with profit in the common way, being separated from copper by maturing...