APPENDIX A.
AGRICOLA' S WORKS.
Georgius agricola was not only the author of
works on Mining and allied subjects, usually asso−
ciated with his name, but he also interested himself
to some extent in political and religious subjects.
For convenience in discussion we may, therefore,
divide his writings on the broad lines of (1) works on
mining, geology, mineralogy, and allied subjects; (2)
works on other subjects, medical, religious, critical,
political, and historical. In respect especially to the
constant rain and split away by frost, and the rocks, unless they are exceed−
ingly firm, since their seams are similarly softened by the damp, roll down
into the excavations below. This continues until the steep eminence is
changed into a slope. Each side of the excavation is said to be a mountain,
just as the bottom is called a valley. Moreover, streams, and to a far greater
extent rivers, effect the same results by their rushing and washing; for this
reason they are frequently seen flowing either between very high mountains
which they have created, or close by the shore which borders them. . . .
Nor did the hollow places which now contain the seas all formerly exist,
nor yet the mountains which check and break their advance, but in many
parts there was a level plain, until the force of winds let loose upon it a
tumultuous sea and a scathing tide. By a similar process the impact of
water entirely overthrows and flattens out hills and mountains. But
these changes of local conditions, numerous and important as they are, are
not noticed by the common people to be taking place at the very moment
when they are happening, because, through their antiquity, the time, place,
and manner in which they began is far prior to human memory. The wind
produces hills and mountains in two ways: either when set loose and free
from bonds, it violently moves and agitates the sand; or else when, after
having been driven into the hidden recesses of the earth by cold, as into a
prison, it struggles with a great effort to burst out. For hills and mountains
are created in hot countries, whether they are situated by the sea coasts or
in districts remote from the sea, by the force of winds; these no longer held
in check by the valleys, but set free, heap up the sand and dust, which they
gather from all sides, to one spot, and a mass arises and grows together. If
time and space allow, it grows together and hardens, but if it be not allowed
(and in truth this is more often the case), the same force again scatters the
sand far and wide. . . . Then, on the other hand, an earthquake
either rends and tears away part of a mountain, or engulfs and devours the
whole mountain in some fearful chasm. In this way it is recorded the
Cybotus was destroyed, and it is believed that within the memory of man
an island under the rule of Denmark disappeared. Historians tell us that
Taygetus suffered a loss in this way, and that Therasia was swallowed up
with the island of Thera. Thus it is clear that water and the powerful
winds produce mountains, and also scatter and destroy them. Fire only
consumes them, and does not produce at all, for part of the mountains
usually the inner parttakes fire."
The major portion of Book III. is devoted to the origin of ore channels,
which we reproduce at some length on page 47. In the latter part of Book
III., and in Books IV. and V., he discusses the principal divisions of the mineral
kingdom given in
De Natura Fossilium,
and the origin of their characteristics.
It involves a large amount of what now appears fruitless tilting at the Peripa−
tetics and the alchemists; but nevertheless, embracing, as Agricola did, the
fundamental Aristotelian elements, he must needs find in these same ele−
ments and their subordinate binary combinations cause for every variation in
external character.
Bermannus.
This, Agricola' s first work in relation to mining, was appa−rently first published at Basel, 1530. The work is in the form of a dialoguebetween "Bermannus," who is described as a miner, mineralogist, and "astudent of mathematics and poetry," and "Nicolaus Ancon" and "JohannesNeavius," both scholars and physicians. Ancon is supposed to be of philoso−phical turn of mind and a student of Moorish literature, Naevius to be par−ticularly learned in the writings of Dioscorides, Pliny, Galen, etc. "Berman−nus" was probably an adaptation by Agricola of the name of his friend LorenzBerman, a prominent miner. The book is in the main devoted to a correla−tion of the minerals mentioned by the Ancients with those found in the Saxonmines. This phase is interesting as indicating the natural trend of Agricola' sscholastic mind when he first comes into contact with the sciences to whichhe devoted himself. The book opens with a letter of commendation fromErasmus, of Rotterdam, and with the usual dedication and preface by theauthor. The three conversationalists are supposed to take walks among themines and to discuss, incidentally, matters which come to their attention;therefore the book has no systematic or logical arrangement. There areoccasional statements bearing on the history, management, titles, and methodsused in the mines, and on mining lore generally. The mineralogical part, whileof importance from the point of view of giving the first description of severalminerals, is immensely improved upon in De Natura Fossílíum, published 15 years later. It is of interest to find here the first appearance of the namesof many minerals which we have since adopted from the German into our ownnomenclature. Of importance is the first description of bismuth, although,as pointed out on page 433, the metal had been mentioned before. In therevised collection of collateral works published in 1558, the author makesmany important changes and adds some new material, but some of the latereditions were made from the unrevised older texts.
Rerum Metallícarum Interpretatío.
This list of German equivalentsfor Latin mineralogical terms was prepared by Agricola himself, and firstappears in the 1546 collection of De Ortu et Causis, De Natura Fossilium, etc.,
being repeated in all subsequent publications of these works. It consists ofsome 500 Latin mineralogical and metallurgical terms, many of which are ofAgricola' s own coinage. It is of great help in translation and of great valuein the study of mineralogic nomenclature.
De Mensuris et Ponderibus.
This work is devoted to a discussion of theGreek and Roman weights and measures, with some correlation to those usedin Saxony. It is a careful work still much referred to by students of thesesubjects. The first edition was published at Paris in 1533, and in the 1550edition at Basel appears, for the first time, De Precío Metallorum et Monetís.
De Veteribus et Novís Metallís.
This short work comprises 31 folio pages, and first appears in the 1546 collection of collateral works. It consists mainly of historical and geographical references to the occurrence of metals and mines, culled from the Greek and Latin classics, together with some information as to the history of the mines in Central Europe. The latter is the only original material, and unfortunately is not very extensive. We have incorporated some of this information in the footnotes.
De Animantibus Subterraneis.
This short work was first printed in Basel, 1549, and consists of one chapter of 23 folio pages. Practically the whole is devoted to the discussion of various animals who at least a portion of their time live underground, such as hibernating, cave−dwelling, and burrowing animals, together with cave−dwelling birds, lizards, crocodiles, serpents, etc. There are only a few lines of remote geological interest as to migration of animals imposed by geologic phenomena, such as earthquakes, floods, etc.This book also discloses an occasional vein of credulity not to be expected fromthe author' s other works, in that he apparently believes Aristotle' s story ofthe flies which were born and lived only in the smelting furnace; and further,the last paragraph in the book is devoted to underground gnomes. This wereproduce in the footnote on page 217.
De Natura eorum quae Effluunt ex Terra.
This work of four books,comprising 83 folio pages, first appears in the 1546 collection. As the titleindicates, the discussion is upon the substances which flow from the earth,such as water, bitumen, gases, etc. Altogether it is of microscopic value andwholly uninteresting. The major part refers to colour, taste, temperature,medicinal uses of water, descriptions of rivers, lakes, swamps, and aqueducts.