APPENDIX B.
613
already skilled than to instruct the novice. The books appear to have grown by accretionsfrom many sources, for a large number of methods are given over and over again in the samebook with slight variations. We reproduce the title page of our earliest copy.
The following is a list of these booklets so far as we have been able to discover actual
copies :
Date.
Place.
Publisher.
Title (Short).
Author.
Un-
known
Unknown
Unknown
Probierbuchlein
Anon.
(Undated ;
but catalogue of British Museum suggests Augsburg, 1510.)
1524
Magdeburg
Probtrbuchleyn tzu Gotteslob
Anon.
1531
Augsburg
Unknown
Probierbuch alter Sachsischer
Ti ■vi yo
Anon.
1533
Frankfurt a.Meyn
L^rl/AO
Bergwerck und Probierbuch-lein
Anon.
1534
Augsburg
Heinrich Stey-ner, 8vo.
Probirbuchlein
Anon.
1546
Augsburg
Ditto, ditto
Probirbuchlein
Anon.
1549
Augsburg
Ditto, ditto
Probirbiichlein
Anon.
1564
Augsburg
Math. Francke,4to
Probirbuchlein
Zach. Lochner
1573
Augsburg
8vo.
Probirbuch
Sam. Zimmermann
1574
Franckfurt a.Meyn
Probierbuchlein
Anon.
1578
Ditto
Probierbuchlein Fremde undsubtile Kunst
Cyriacus
Schreittmann
1580
Ditto
Probierbuchlein
Anon.
1595
Ditto
Probierbuchlein darinn griind-licher Bericht
Modestin Fachs
1607
Dresden
4to
Metallische Probier KunstBericht vom Ursprung undErkenntniss der Metallis-chen erze
C. C. Schindler
1669
Amsterdam
Probierbuchlein darinn griind-licher Bericht
Modestin Fachs
1678
Leipzig
Probierbuchlein darinn grund-licher Bericht
Modestin Fachs
1689
Leipzig
Probierbuchlein darinn grund-licher Bericht
Modestin Fachs
1695
Niirnberg
i2mo.
Deutliche Vorstellung der Pro-bier Kunst
Anon.
1744
Liibeck
8vo.
Neu-eroffnete Probier Buck
Anon.
1755
Frankfurt andLeipzig
8vo.
Scheid-Kunstler . . . alle Ertzund Metalle . . . probiren
Anon.
1782
Rotenburg ander Fulde
8vo.
Probierbuch aus Erfahrungaufgesetzt
K. A. Scheidt
As mentioned under the Nutzlich Bergbiichlein, our copy of that work, printed in 1533,contains only a portion of the Probierbuchlein. Ferguson 13 mentions an edition of 1608, and theFreiberg School of Mines Catalogue gives also Frankfort, 1608, and Niirnberg, 1706. TheBritish Museum copy of earliest date, like the title page reproduced, contains no date. Thetitle page woodcut, however, in the Museum copy is referred from that above, possibly indi-cating an earlier date of the Museum copy.
The booklets enumerated above vary a great deal in contents, the successive printsrepresenting a sort of growth by accretion. The first portion of our earliest edition is devotedto weights, in which the system of “ lesser weights ” (the principle of the “ assay ton ”) isexplained. Following this are exhaustive lists of touch-needles of various composition.Directions are given with regard to assay furnaces, cupels, muffles, scorifiers, and crucibles,granulated and leaf metals, for washing, roasting, and the preparation of assay charges.Various reagents, including glass-gall, litharge, salt, iron filings, lead, “ alkali ”, talc, argol,saltpetre, sal-ammoniac, alum, vitriol, lime, sulphur, antimony, aqua fords, or scheid-wasser, etc., are made use of. Various assays are described and directions given for crucible,scorification, and cupellation tests. The latter part of the book is devoted to the refiningand parting of precious metals. Instructions are given for the separation of silver from iron,from lead, and from antimony ; of gold from silver with antimony (sulphide) and sulphur, orwith sulphur alone, with “ scheidwasser ,” and by cementation with salt; of gold from copperwith sulphur and with lead. The amalgamation of gold and silver is mentioned.
13 Bibliotheca Chemica.