| [Pg 113]Cadmia fossilis | Calmei; lapis calaminaris | Calamine | Calamine |
| Cadmia metallica | Kobelt | Part cobalt | *Cadmia metallica |
| Cadmia fornacis | Mitlere und obere offenbrüche | Furnace accretions or furnace calamine | Furnace accretions |
| Bituminosa cadmia | Kobelt des bergwacht | (Mannsfeld copper schists) | Bituminosa cadmia (see [note 4, p. 273]) |
| Galena inanis | Blende | Sphalerite* (Zn S) | *Blende |
| Cobaltum cineraceum | Smallite* (CoAs2) | Cadmia metallica | |
| Cobaltum nigrum | Abolite* | ||
| Cobaltum ferri colore | Cobaltite (CoAsS) | ||
| Zincum | Zinck | Zinc | Zinc |
| Liquor Candidus ex fornace ... etc. | Conterfei | Zinc | See [note 48, p. 408] |
| Atramentum sutorium, candidum, potissimum reperitur Goselariae | Goslarite (Zn SO4) | *Native white vitriol | |
| Spodos subterranea cinerea | Geeler zechen rauch | Either natural or artificial zinc oxides, no doubt containing arsenical oxides | Grey spodos |
| Spodos subterranea nigra | Schwartzer zechen rauch, auff dem, Altenberge nennet man in kis | Black spodos | |
| Spodos subterranea viridis | Grauer zechen rauch | Green spodos | |
| Pompholyx | Hüttenrauch | Pompholyx (see [note 26, p. 394]) |
As seen from the following quotations from Agricola, on cadmia and cobalt, there was infinite confusion as to the zinc, cobalt, and arsenic minerals; nor do we think any good purpose is served by adding to the already lengthy discussion of these passages, the obscurity of which is natural to the state of knowledge; but we reproduce them as giving a fairly clear idea of the amount of confusion then existing. It is, however, desirable to bear in mind that the mines familiar to Agricola abounded in complex mixtures of cobalt, nickel, arsenic, bismuth, zinc, and antimony. Agricola frequently mentions the garlic odour from cadmia metallica, which, together with the corrosive qualities mentioned below, would obviously be due to arsenic. Bermannus (p. 459). "This kind of pyrites miners call cobaltum, if it be allowed to me to use our German name. The Greeks call it cadmia. The juices, however, out of which pyrites and silver are formed, appear to solidify into one body, and thus is produced what they call cobaltum. There are some who consider this the same as pyrites, because it is almost the same. There are some who distinguish it as a species, which pleases me, for it has the distinctive property of being extremely corrosive, so that it consumes the hands and feet of the workmen, unless they are well protected, which I do not believe that pyrites can do. Three kinds are found, and distinguished more by the colour than by other properties; they are black (abolite?), grey (smallite?), and iron colour (cobalt glance?). Moreover, it contains more silver than does pyrites...." Bermannus (p. 431). "It (a sort of pyrites) is so like the colour of galena that not without cause might anybody have doubt in deciding whether it be pyrites or galena.... Perhaps this kind is neither pyrites nor galena, but has a genus of its own. For it has not the colour of pyrites, nor the hardness. It is almost the colour of galena, but of entirely different components. From it there is made gold and silver, and a great quantity is dug out from Reichenstein which is in Silesia, as was lately reported to me. Much more is found at Raurici, which they call zincum; which species differs from pyrites, for the latter contains more silver than gold, the former only gold, or hardly any silver."
(De Natura Fossilium, p. 170). "Cadmia fossilis has an odour like garlic" ... (p. 367). "We now proceed with cadmia, not the cadmia fornacis (furnace accretions) of which I spoke in the last book, nor the cadmia fossilis (calamine) devoid of metal, which is used to colour copper, whose nature I explained in Book V, but the metallic mineral (fossilis metallica), which Pliny states to be an ore from which copper is made. The Ancients have left no record that another metal could be smelted from it. Yet it is a fact [Pg 114]that not only copper but also silver may be smelted from it, and indeed occasionally both copper and silver together. Sometimes, as is the case with pyrites, it is entirely devoid of metal. It is frequently found in copper mines, but more frequently still in silver mines. And there are likewise veins of cadmia itself.... There are several species of the cadmia fossilis just as there were of cadmia fornacum. For one kind has the form of grapes and another of broken tiles, a third seems to consist of layers. But the cadmia fossilis has much stronger properties than that which is produced in the furnaces. Indeed, it often possesses such highly corrosive power that it corrodes the hands and feet of the miners. It, therefore, differs from pyrites in colour and properties. For pyrites, if it does not contain vitriol, is generally either of a gold or silver colour, rarely of any other. Cadmia is either black or brown or grey, or else reddish like copper when melted in the furnace.... For this cadmia is put in a suitable vessel, in the same way as quicksilver, so that the heat of the fire will cause it to sublimate, and from it is made a black or brown or grey body which the Alchemists call 'sublimated cadmia' (cadmiam sublimatam). This possesses corrosive properties of the highest degree. Cognate with cadmia and pyrites is a compound which the Noricians and Rhetians call zincum. This contains gold and silver, and is either red or white. It is likewise found in the Sudetian mountains, and is devoid of those metals.... With this cadmia is naturally related mineral spodos, known to the Moor Serapion, but unknown to the Greeks; and also pompholyx—for both are produced by fire where the miners, breaking the hard rocks in drifts, tunnels, and shafts, burn the cadmia or pyrites or galena or other similar minerals. From cadmia is made black, brown, and grey spodos; from pyrites, white pompholyx and spodos; from galena is made yellow or grey spodos. But pompholyx produced from copper stone (lapide aeroso) after some time becomes green. The black spodos, similar to soot, is found at Altenberg in Meissen. The white pompholyx, like wool which floats in the air in summer, is found in Hildesheim in the seams in the rocks of almost all quarries except in the sandstone. But the grey and the brown and the yellow pompholyx are found in those silver mines where the miners break up the rocks by fire. All consist of very fine particles which are very light, but the lightest of all is white pompholyx."
Quartz Minerals.
| Quarzum ("which Latins call silex") | Quertz oder kiselstein | Quartz | Quartz (see [note 15, p. 380]) |
| Silex | Hornstein oder feurstein | Flinty or jaspery quartz | Hornstone |
| Crystallum | Crystal | Clear crystals | Crystal |
| Achates | Achat | Agate | Agate |
| Sarda | Carneol | Carnelian | Carnelian |
| Jaspis | Jaspis | Part coloured quartz, part jade | Jaspis |
| Murrhina | Chalcedonius | Chalcedony | Chalcedony |
| Coticula | Goldstein | A black silicious stone | Touchstone (see [note 37, p. 252]) |
| Amethystus | Amethyst | Amethyst | Amethyst |
Lime Minerals.
| Lapis specularis | Gips | Gypsum | Gypsum |
| Gypsum | |||
| Marmor | Marmelstein | Marble | Marble |
| Marmor alabastrites | Alabaster | Alabaster | Alabaster |
| Marmor glarea | Calcite (?) | Calc spar(?) | |
| Saxum calcis | Kalchstein | Limestone | Limestone |
| Marga | Mergel | Marl | Marl |
| Tophus | Toffstein oder topstein stalagmites, etc. | Sintry limestones, | Tophus (see [note 13, p. 233]) |
Miscellaneous.
| Amiantus | Federwis, pliant salamanderhar | Usually asbestos | Asbestos |
| Magnetis | Silberweis oder katzensilber | Mica | *Mica |
| Bracteolae magnetidi simile | |||
| Mica | Katzensilber oder glimmer | ||
| [Pg 115]Silex ex eo ictu ferri facile ignis elicitur.... excubus figuris | Feldspar | *Feldspar | |
| Medulla saxorum | Steinmarck | Kaolinite | Porcelain clay |
| Fluores (lapides gemmarum simili) | Flusse | Fluorspar | *Fluorspar (see [note 15, p. 380]) |
| Marmor in metallis repertum | Spat | Barite | *Heavy spar |
Apart from the above, many other minerals are mentioned in other chapters, and some information is given with regard to them in the footnotes.