De Natura eorum quae Effluunt ex Terra. Albinus, Hofmann, Schmid, Jacobi, Richter, Reuss, and Weinart give an edition of 1545. We believe this is again the dedication instead of the publication date (1546).
De Animantibus Subterraneis. Van der Linden gives an edition at Schweinfurt, 8vo, 1607. Although we have been unable to find a copy, this slightly confirms the possibility of an octavo edition of De Re Metallica of this date, as they were usually published together. Leupold gives assurance that he handled an octavo edition of Wittenberg, 1612, cum notis Johann Sigfridi. We think he confused this with Bermannus sive de re metallica of that date and place. Schmid, Richter, and Draud all refer to an edition similarly annotated, Leipzig, 1613, 8vo. We have no trace of it otherwise.
UNPUBLISHED WORKS ON SUBJECTS RELATED TO MINING.
Agricola apparently projected a complete series of works covering the whole range of subjects relating to minerals: geology, mineralogy, mining, metallurgy, history of metals, their uses, laws, etc. In a letter[5] from Fabricius to Meurer (March, 1553), the former states that Agricola intended writing about 30 books (chapters) in addition to those already published, and to the twelve books De Re Metallica which he was about to publish. Apparently a number of these works were either unfinished or unpublished at Agricola's death, for his friend George Fabricius seems to have made some effort to secure their publication, but did not succeed, through lack of sympathy on the part of Agricola's family. Hofmann[6] states on this matter: "His intentions were frustrated mainly through the lack of support with which he was met by the heirs of the Mineralogist. These, as he complains to a Councillor of the Electorate, Christopher von Carlovitz, in 1556, and to Paul Eber in another letter, adopted a grudging and ungracious tone with regard to his proposal to collect all Agricola's works left behind, and they only consented to communicate to him as much as they were obliged by express command of the Prince. At the Prince's command they showed him a little, but he supposed that there was much more that they had suppressed or not preserved. The attempt to purchase some of the works—the Elector had given Fabricius money for the purpose (30 nummos unciales)—proved unavailing, owing to the disagreeableness of Agricola's heirs. It is no doubt due to these regrettable circumstances that all the works of the industrious scholar did not come down to us." The "disagreeableness" was probably due to the refusal of the Protestant townsfolk to allow the burial of Agricola in the Cathedral at Chemnitz. So far as we know the following are the unpublished or lost works.
De Jure et Legibus Metallicis. This work on mining law is mentioned at the end of [Book IV.] of De Re Metallica, and it is referred to by others apparently from that source. We have been unable to find any evidence that it was ever published.
De Varia temperie sive Constitutione Aeris. In a letter[7] to Johann Naevius, Agricola refers to having a work in hand of this title.
De Metallis et Machinis. Hofmann[8] states that a work of this title by Agricola, dated Basel 1543, was sold to someone in America by a Frankfort-on-Main bookseller in 1896. This is apparently the only reference to it that we know of, and it is possibly a confusion of titles or a "separate" of some chapters from De Re Metallica.
De Ortu Metallorum Defensio ad Jacobum Scheckium. Referred to by Fabricius in a letter[9] to Meurer. If published was probably only a tract.
De Terrae Motu. In a letter[10] from Agricola to Meurer (Jan. 1, 1544) is some reference which might indicate that he was formulating a work on earthquakes under this title, or perhaps may be only incidental to the portions of De Ortu et Causis dealing with this subject.
Commentariorum in quibus utriusque linguae scriptorum locos difficiles de rebus subterraneis explicat, Libri VI. Agricola apparently partially completed a work under some such title as this, which was to embrace chapters entitled De Methodis and De Demonstratione. The main object seems to have been a commentary on the terms and passages in the classics relating to mining, mineralogy, etc. It is mentioned in the Preface of De Veteribus et Novis Metallis, and in a letter[11] from one of Froben's firm to Agricola in 1548, where it is suggested that Agricola should defer sending his new commentaries until the following spring. The work is mentioned by Albinus[12], and in a letter from Georg Fabricius to Meurer on the 2nd Jan. 1548,[13] in another from G. Fabricius, to his brother Andreas on Oct. 28, 1555,[14] and in a third from Fabricius to Melanchthon on December 8th, 1555[15], in which regret is expressed that the work was not completed by Agricola.