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Georgii Agricolae GEORGII AGRICOLAE de re metallica LIBRI XII► avi* bus Offida,Inftramenta,Machinae,ac omnia denicp ad Metallic tamfpertantia, nonmodoluculentiffime defcribuntur,fed & per effigies, fuis locis infertas, adiurwftis Latinis, Geitnanicisqj appel* lationibus ita ob oculos poiumtur4 ut darius tradi non poffint. E I V S D E M t>B anim antib v ss v b t err an e i s Liber, ab Autore re* cognitus:cum Indicibus diuerfis, quicquid in opere tradatum eft* pulchre demonftrantibus. BASILEAE U> D* LVI► Cum Priuilegio Imperatoris in annos v* & Gailiarum Regis ad Sexennium* GEORGIVS FABRICIVS IN LI brosMetallicos georgii agricolaephi* lofophi praeftantiflimi. AD L E C T O R B A. i iuuat ignita cognofccrc fronte Chimseram, S Semicanem nympham,femibouemqj uirum: Si centum capitum iitanem,totc£ ferentem Sublimem manibus tela cruenta Gygen: Si iuuat Altneum penetrare Cyclopis in antrum, Atque alios, Vates quos peperere,metus: Nunc placeat mecum do<ftos euoluere libros, Ingenium agrfcolae quos dedit acre tibi. Non hie uana tenet fufpenfam fabula mentem: Sed precium,utilitas multa,Iegentis erit. Quidquid terra finu,gremiocp recondiditimo, Omne tibi multis eruit ante libris: Siueftuensftiperasultronitaturin oras, Inueniat facilem feu magis arte uiam. Perpetuiproprqs manant de fontibus amnes, Eft grauis Albuneae (ponte Mephitis odor* Lethales funtlponte ftrobes Dicsearchidis orar, Et micat e media conditus ignis hirmo. Plana Narifcorum aim tellus arfitin agro, Ter curua nondum falcereie<fta Ceres. Nec dedit hoc damnum paftor,riec Iuppiter igne; Vulcani per (eruperat ira folum. Terrifico aura foras erumpens,incita motu, Saspefadt montes,ante ubi planauia eft. Haecabftrufa cauis,imoqj incognitafundo, Cognita natura (sepe mere duce. Artehommum,inlucemueniunt quoqj multa, manuefc Terrae multiplices efFodiuntur opes. Lydia ficnitrum profert,Isfandia fulfur, Acmodo Tyrrhenus mittit alumen ager. Succina,qu£ trifido fubit sequor Viftula cornu, Pifcantur Codano corpora feruaftnu. Quid memorem regum preciofa iniignia geramas, Marmoraq? excelfis ftrufta Tub aftra iugis C N il lapides,nil faxa morortiunt pulchra metalla, Croefetuis opibus clara^yda'cptuis, Qu&cp acerMacedo terra Creneide fodit, Nominepermutans nomina prifea fuo. Atmmcnonulliscedit germania tern's, a 4 Terra Terra ferax hominum,terrac£ diues opura. Hie aim in uenis locupledbus aura refiilget, N on alio meflis carior ulla ioco. Auricomum extuleritfelix Campania ramum, Necfrudu nobis defidente cadit. Emit argenti iblidas hoc tempore mafias FofTor,de proprij$arma% miles agris. Sgnotum Grains eflrHefperijs'cp metallum, Quod Bifemutum lingua paterna uocat. Candidius nigro,fed plumbo nigrius albo, Noftra quoqj hoc uena diuite fundit humus. Funditur in tormenta,corns cum imitantia fulmen, ALs,in'cp hoftiles ferrea mafia domos. Scribuntur plumbo libri:quis crediditante Quam mirandam artemTeutonis ora dedit? Nec tamen hoc alqs,aut ilia petuntur ab oris, Eruta Germano cunda metalla fblo. Sed quid ego haec repeto,monumentis tradita dans agricolab, quae nunc doda per ora uolantC Hie cauflis ortus,& formas uiribus addit, Etquaerenda quibus fintmelioralocis. Quae fi mente prius legifti candidus aequa: Da reliquis quoqj nunc temp ora pauca libris. Vtilitas fequitur cultorem:crede,uoluptas N on iucunda minor,rara legends,erit. fudiciocp prius ne quis male damnetiniquo, Quae funt audoris munera mira Dei: Eripit ipfe fuis primumtela hoflibus,inqj Mittentis torquetfpicula rapta caput. Fertur equo latro,uehitur pirata triremi: Ergo necandus equus,necfabricanda ratisC Vifceribus terrae lateant abftrufa metalla, V ti opibus nefeit quqd mala turba fuis ? Quifquis es,aut dodis pareto monentibus,aut te Inter habere bonosnefateare locum. Se non in praerupta metallicus abijeit audax, > V t quondam immiflo Curtius accr equo: Sed prius edifcit,quae funt nofeenda perito, Quod£p facit,multa dodus ab arte fecit. V tepgubernator feruat cum fidere uentos: ' Sic minime dubijs utitur ille notis. lafides nauim,curruwegit arte Metifcus: FofTor opus peragit nec minus arte fuum. Indagat uenae fpacium,numerum'cpymodumc]t, Siue obliqua fuum,redaue tendat iter. Paftor Pallor ut explorat quse terra ficapta colentf, Quae bene lanigeras,quar male pafcat oucs* Hn terras intcntus,quid uincula linea tcndit C Fungitur officio iam Ptolemaee tuo* V t q j fuae inuenit menfuram iuracp uenae, In uarios operas diuidit ind e uiros, Iam'cp aggreflus opusjuiden* ut mouet omne quod obftat, Affidua ut uerlat ftrenuus arma manu C N e tibi furdefcant ferri tinnitfbus aures, Ad grauiora ideo confpicienda ueni. Inftru it ecce fuis nunc artibus ille minores: Sedulitas nulli non operola loco* Metiri docet hie uenae fpaciumqj modumcp, Vtcp regat politis finibus arua lapis, N e quis transmiflo uiolentus limitepergens, N on fibi conceflas,in fua uertat,opes. Hie docet inftrumenta,quibus Plutoniaregna T utus adit,faxi permeat atep uias* Quama(irides) folidas expugnetmachinaTCrntR Machina non ullo tempore uila prius* Cede nouis,nulla non indyca laudeuetuftas, Pofteritas mentis eft quocp grata tuis. Tum quia Germano funt haec inuenta Tub axe, Si quis es,inuidiae contrahe uela tuae* Aufonis ora tumet bellis,terra Attica cultu, Germanum infraeftus tollit ad aftra labor* N ec tamen ingenio folet infeliciter uti, Mite geratPhoebi,feu graue Martis opus* Tempus adeft,ftru&is uenarum montibus,igne Explorare,ufum quern fibi tiena ferat* N on labor ingenio cafret hie,non copia fruftu, Eft adaperta bonae prima feneftra fpei* Ergo inftat porro grauiores ferre labores, lntentas operi nec remouere manus* Vrere fiue locus pofcat,feu tundere uerras, Siue lauare lacu praeter euntis aquae* Seu flammis iterum modicis torrere necefte eft, Excoquere aut faftis ignibus omnetnalum, Cum fluit aes riuis,auri argenticp metallum, Spes animo foflor uix capit ipfe fuas* Argentum cupidus fiiluo fecernitab auro, Et plumbi lentam demit utricp moram* Separat argentum, lucri ftudiofus,ab aere, Seruatis,lmquensdcteriora,bonis* XXIV, Q usb fi cun&a udim tcnuipercurrere ucrfu, Antcalium rcuchat Memnonis o m diem,’ Poftremus labor eft,concretos difccreiuccos, Q uos fert innumeris Teutona terra locis, Q u o fal,quo nitrum,quo pa<flo fiat alumen, V fibus artificis cum parat ilia manus: N ecnon chalcantum,iulfur,fluidumcp bitumen, Mafia quouitri lenta dolanda modo* Sufdpit haec hominum mirandos cura labores, Pauperiem ufenadeo ferrefamem'cB graue eft, Tantus amor ui&um paruis extundere patis, Et patriae duem non dare uelle malum* Nec manet in terrae fofloris merfalatebris Mens,fed fert domino uota preces'q* Deo* Munificse expe Aat,fpe plenus,munera dextrse, Extollens animum laetus ad aftra ilium* Diuitias c h r i s t v s dat notidam'qjfruendi, Cui memori grates pe&ore Temper agit. Hoc quoque laudati quondam fecere Philippi, Q ui uirtutis habent cum pietate decus* Hue oculos,huc flede animum,(uauifiime Ledor, Audloremcp pia noicito mente Deum* agricolae hincoptansoperofofaufta labori, Laudibus eximij candidus efto uiri* Die (uum extollit patriae cum nomine nomen, Et uir in ore firequens pofteritatis erit* Cundla caduntletho,ftudij monumenta uigebunt, Purpurei doneclumina folis erunt, Mifenae m* d . cludoilluftri For completeness’ sake we reproduce in the original Latin the laudation of Agricola by his friend, Georgius Fabricius, a leading scholar of his time. It has but little intrinsic value for it is not poetry of a very high order, and to make it acceptable English would require certain improvements, for which only poets have license. A “ free ” translation of the last few lines indicates its complimentary character :— He doth raise his country’s fame with his own “ And in the mouths of nations yet unborn “ His praises shall be sung ; Death comes to all “ But great achievements raise a monument “ Which shall endure until the sun grows cold.” TO THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS AND MOST MIGHTY DUKES OF Saxony, Landgraves of Thuringia, Margraves of Meissen, Imperial Overlords of Saxony, Burgraves ol Altenberg and Magdeburg, Counts of Brena, Lords of Pleissnerland, To m a u r i c e Grand Marshall and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire and to his brother A u g u s t u s , 1 GEORGE AGRICOLA S. D. OST illustrious Princes, often have I considered the metallic arts as a whole, as Moderatus Columella* considered the agricultural arts, just as if I had been considering the whole of the human body; and when I had perceived the various parts of the subject, like so many members of the body, I became afraid that I might die before I should understand its full extent, much less before I could immortalise it in writing. This book itself indicates the length and breadth of the subject, and the number and importance of the sciences of which at least some little knowledge is necessary to miners. Indeed, the subject of mining is a very exten­ sive one, and one very difficult to explain ; no part of it is fully dealt with by the Greek and Latin authors whose works survive ; and since the art is one of the most ancient, the most necessary and the most profitable to mankind, I considered that I ought not to neglect it. Without doubt, none of the arts is older than agriculture, but that of the metals is not less ancient; in fact they are at least equal and coeval, for no mortal man ever tilled a field without implements. In truth, in all the works of agricul­ ture, as in the other arts, implements are used which are made from metals, or which could not be made without the use of metals ; for this reason the metals are of the greatest necessity to man. When an art is so poor that it lacks metals, it is not of much importance, for nothing is made without tools. Besides, of all ways whereby great wealth is acquired by good and honest means, none is more advantageous than mining; for although from fields which are well tilled (not to mention other things) we derive rich yields, yet we obtain richer products from mines ; in fact, one mine is often much more beneficial to us than many fields. For this reason we learn from the history of nearly all ages that very many men have been made rich by the T o r Agricola’s relations with these princes see p.
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