THE FIFTH TREATISE.

 Of the generation of all kinds of Stones.

T

he matter of Stones is the same as of other things; and according to the purity of places they are made in this manner. When the four Elements distill¹ their vapour into the center of the earth; and the Archeus of nature sends forth² the same, and sublimes³ it; this whilst it passeth through places, and the pores of the earth, takes along with it self all the impurity⁴ of the earth unto the very superficies, which afterward⁵ the air congeals⁷ (for what the pure air makes, the crude aire congeals, because aire hath ingresse into aire, and they join themselves together, for nature is delighted in nature:) and so are made rocks, and stony⁸ mountains, according to great and little pores. And by how much the greater are the pores of the earth, by so much the better is the place purified. Since therefore by such a breathing place or vent⁹, a greater heat, and a greater quantity of water passeth, therefore the sooner is the earth depurated: and so afterward in those places metalls are more easily brought forth.[Pg 15] Even so very experience testifies, that gold cannot be got, or found any where but in mountains, and seldome or never in plain, and levell ground: for most commonly such places are moist, not with the vapour, but with Elementary water, which drawes to it self that vapour, and so they embrace one another, as that they can hardly be separated; afterwards the sun of the heavens digesting them, makes that fat clay which the Potters use. But in places where there is grosse sand, and whither the vapour doth not bring with it that fatnesse, or sulphur, it brings forth herbs and grasse in Meadows. There be other kind of stones, which are called precious stones, as the Diamond, Rubies¹⁰, Emerald, and such like gems¹¹ as these, all which are generated after this manner. When the vapour of Nature is sublimed¹² by it selfe, without being joined to the fatnesse of sulphur, and comes to a place of pure salt water, there are made Diamonds; and this is in cold places, whither that fatnesse cannot come, because that fatness would hinder the making of these stones. For wee must know, that the spirit of water is sublimed easily, and that with a small heat; but oil, and fatnesse cannot be carryed up but with a great heat, and that also into hot places; for when it is come from the center, if it meet with any little cold, it is congealed¹³, and is at a stand, but the vapour ascends¹⁴ to its due places, and in pure water is congealed into stones by grains. But how colours are made in gems; wee must know that they are made by reason of the sulphur in this manner: if the fatnesse of the sulphur be congealed, then by that perpetuall motion, the spirit of the water passing through, it digests and purifies it by virtue¹⁵ of the[Pg 16] salt, untill it bee coloured with a digested heate, red or white, which colour tending toward a further perfection, is carryed up by that spirit, because it is subtilized and made thin by so many reiterated¹⁶ distillations; the spirit afterward hath a power to enter into imperfect things, and so brings in a colour to them, which afterward is joined to that water, being then in part congealed, and so fills up the pores thereof, and is fixed¹⁷ with it, with an inseparable fixation. For all water is congealed with heat, if it be without spirit, & congeled with cold, if it hath a spirit; but he that knows how to congeal⁶ water with heat, & to join a spirit with it, shall certainly find out a thing more pretious then gold, and every thing else. Let him therefore cause that the spirit be separated from the water, that it may putrifie, and bee like a graine. Afterwards the feces being cast away, let him reduce and bring back the spirit again from the deep into water, and make them be joined together again: for that conjunction will generate a branch of an unlike shape to its parents.

1 distill   

vt.蒸馏，用蒸馏法提取，吸取，提炼

参考例句：

• This standard set determine the method of petroleum products distill.本标准规定了测定石油产品蒸馏的方法。
• Distill the crucial points of the book.从书中提炼出关键的几点。

2 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

3 sublimes   

[医]使升华，使纯化

参考例句：

• Ammonium chloride vaporizes on heating, and sublimes back to a solid on cooling. 氯化铵受热蒸发，升华，冷却还原为固体。

4 impurity   

n.不洁，不纯，杂质

参考例句：

• The oxygen reacts vigorously with the impurity in the iron.氧气与铁中的杂质发生剧烈的化学反应。
• The more general impurity acid corrosion faster.一般来说杂质越多酸蚀速度越快。

5 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

6 congeal   

v.凝结，凝固

参考例句：

• The blood had started to congeal.血液已经开始凝结。
• Gear lubricants may congeal and channel in cold weather.天气冷时齿轮润滑油可能凝结而形成凹槽。

7 congeals   

v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的第三人称单数 )；（指血）凝结

参考例句：

• Water congeals to ice. 水凝结成冰。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blood congeals to form a clot. 血凝结成块。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 stony   

adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的

参考例句：

• The ground is too dry and stony.这块地太干，而且布满了石头。
• He listened to her story with a stony expression.他带着冷漠的表情听她讲经历。

9 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

10 rubies   

红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色

参考例句：

• a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
• The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。

11 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

12 sublimed   

伟大的( sublime的过去式和过去分词 )； 令人赞叹的； 极端的； 不顾后果的

参考例句：

• After microtomy the sulphur is sublimed away under vacuum. 在完成切片后，可在真空下将硫升华除掉。
• The ice sublimed away, leaving the books, dry and undamaged. 冰已经升华掉了，剩下的是干燥的完好无损的书本。

13 congealed   

v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的过去式和过去分词 )；（指血）凝结

参考例句：

• The cold remains of supper had congealed on the plate. 晚餐剩下的冷饭菜已经凝结在盘子上了。
• The oil at last is congealed into a white fat. 那油最终凝结成了一种白色的油脂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 ascends   

v.上升，攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The azygos vein ascends in the right paravertebral gutter. 奇静脉在右侧脊柱旁沟内上升。 来自辞典例句
• The mortality curve ascends gradually to a plateau at age 65. 死亡曲线逐渐上升，到65岁时成平稳状态。 来自辞典例句

15 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

16 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

17 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。