LIBERloca aquarum indiga exiſtēs cognoſcit̉. Cæterum cū illic quidē minus appareat per aquatilia quædam aurei elucent grumuli. Quod ſi ꝗbus a natura negatæ ſint aquæ: illatis rigantes aquis: debin-ſplendeſcentē efficiūt grumulū. Puteos quoqꝫ effodiētes & alia per ſolertiā tractātes artificia: lauandis arenis aurū excerpunt. Plureſqꝫ hac ætate ſunt ꝗ aurū eruant ꝗͣ qui aurū effodiāt. Vnde & ch-ſoplyſia: ideſt auri lauacra ſunt appellata. Galli quidē digniora eē ſua prædicāt metalla: quæ in CimChryſoplmerio monte ſunt: præſertim quæ ad Pyrenen uergunt. Verūenimuero quod iis e locis educit̉ magis probatum eſt. Inter auri micas autē quandoqꝫ dimidiæ libræ grūmos quas pilas uocant: reptoCimeriusfuiſſe memoriæ traditū eſt: qui paruæ admodū purgationis indigeant. Traditū etiā eſt ſciſſis lapiomonsbus glebulas quaſdā papillis mamarū ſimiles inueniri. Ex auro autē excocto & tenaci quadā Crer-repurgato purgamentū electū eſt. Rurſus hoc excoquit̉ cōmixtionē auri atqꝫ argēti habens Argertum quidē exurit̉: cæterū aurū ipſum remanet. Forma enim facile fuſilis & lapidoſa. Ea propter-leis aurū potius liquefit: quoniā cū flāma mollis exiſtat ad illud ſeſe pariter metitur: quod & facucedit facileqꝫ diffundit̉. Carbo autē caloris uehemētia liquefaciens & ſublimis tollens magis ac magis abſumit In Erythris uero extrahit̉: & prope lauat̉ in auleolis: uel puteus ipſe mollificat̉: limuſohinc exhauſtus eluit̉. Argētarias autē fornaces excelſas efficiunt: ut fumoſa illa glebarū euaporatitollatur in altū. Grauis enim eſt ꝑnicioſa. Aerariæ quoqꝫ effodinæ uocant̉ & aureæ. Ex ꝗbus per coiecturas licet agnoſcere: aurū inde prius effodi ſolitū. Poſidonius autē cū effodiēdi locos multitusnēqꝫ laudibus extollat: & eorū uirtutem ab ſolita minime ſeſe abſtinet eloquentia. Verum diuinoquodā afflatus ſpiritu per ipſos agitat̉ exceſſus. Haud enim fidem inꝗt abnego fabulæ: ꝙ ſyluis alquando per incendia abſumptis terra ipſa auri atqꝫ argēti feraciſſima per noua quædā in ſuperficiē& in ſuꝑiorē telluris faciem germina efferbuit. Montes enim oīs: & omnem tumulū materiem eſmonetæ: quā quædā fœlicitatis abūdātia cumulauit. Quod ſiꝗs regionē ipſam inſpectet inꝗt efflutis ubiqꝫ ꝑpetuo naturæ theſauros & imꝑatoriæ cuiuſda maieſtatis nequaꝗͣ deficiens ærariū eſſe d-cat. Non enim diues tantūmodo: ſed & diuitias ſufficiens & ſuggerens eſt inquit regio. Peneſqꝫ ill(ut uere dicam) ſubterraneū locū: nō infernus: ſed Pluton. i. dis ipſe opulentiæ deus inhabitat. TaliPlutonquidem ſpetioſa quadā figura de hiſce locutus eſt: ꝑinde ac & ipſe ex metallis copioſa uſus oratiōeEffodientiū uero ſolertiā cōmemorās ſcitum illud Phalerii adiungit ꝗ in argenti fodinis agri attic-ſic intente atqꝫ acriter hoīes effodere aſſerit: ut in ſuꝑiora Plutonē ipſum adducendū eſſe præſtolertur. Horū igit̉ ſtudiū ac ſedulitatē ægyptiis æqualē eſſe declarat obliquas ac ꝓfundas cōcidentiū ſſtulas: in ꝗbus ſæpenumero in flumina incidunt. Hūc autē dolū nō eundē eſſe & Atticis: ſed illis ꝗdem enigmati ſimilē eſſe ſcrutādi metalla rationē. Nā quotcūqꝫ ait aſſumpſerūt nō ſumpſere. Qautē habebant amiſerunt. His uero magis atqꝫ magis fructuoſum eſt: quoniā æs faciētes quarta educunt terræ partē .ſ. æs ipſum. At priuatim argetū effodiētes diebus tribus Euboicū talentū eximūtStagnū in ſuꝑficie nequaꝗͣ reꝑiri aſſerit: ut hiſtorici uulgant: uerū effodi. Generari autē in Barbarisſupra Luſitanos: & in Caſſiteriis inſulis. Et e Britānis Maſſiliā deferri. In Artabris uero: ꝗ LuſitaniaArtabripoſtremi ad ſeptentrionē & occaſum ſunt terrā argēto ſtagno auro albicanti egerminare fama eſt.nam argēto mixtū eſt. Hanc autē terrā amnes ipſos deferre: quā mulieres ſarculis euellētes: abluerepāno implicito: έπίπίστήν Ipſe quidē talia de metallis ſcripta reliquit. Polybius aūt effodiēdi loco:argenti: quia circa nouā Carthaginē ſunt memorans maximos eſſe dicit. Diſtare uero ab urbe ſtadcirciter. xx. In circuitu ſtad̓. cccc. Quo in loco quattuor hoīum centurias oꝑariorū manere. Qui tuipopulo Ro. xxv. drachmarū millia per dies ſingulos referebant. Reliquā operationē omitto. Lōgioris enī ſermocinatiōis eſt. Ductilē glebā argēteiā (ut ait) cōterūt. Cribris inde ꝑ aqͣs ſuſpēſam agitanRurſus qͥ ſubſiſtūt cōterūt Iteꝝ liqͣta diffuſis aꝗs cōterūt. Quintā deīde ſubſiſtētiā digeſtam effiplūbo parū argērū educūt. Nūc etiā ſūt argētariæ non ꝗdē publicæ: neqꝫ hic nec alijs in locis: ſed-priuatoꝝ poſſeſſiones demigrarūt. Aurariæ uero res fiſci habent̉ ut plurimū. Hinc aūt cū aliis in ſocis tū uero Caſtaone: peculiaris eſt effodiēdi plūbi natura & metallū. Huic etiā argēti pars parua-CaſtaonBetis origo mixta eſt. Nō adeo ut eius utilis ſit expurgatio. Nō ꝓcul aūt a Caſtaone mons eſt: equo Betis: eiuiquē argentū noīant: cū in eo ſint argetariæ. Autor uero eſt Polybius & hūc & Anā e Celtiberia naſci. ꝗ noningētis diſtāt īter ſe ſtad̓. Cū enī Celtiberi plurimā fortunæ ac dignitatis acceſſione uencaſſet: finitimā totā regionē eodē noīatā uocabulo reddiderūt uidet̉ ſane priſcos illos Betim noīa-TarteſſusTarteſſum. Gades uero īſulaſqꝫ uicinas Erythiā. Ideo Steſicoꝝ de Gerionis armēto ſic ceciniſſe eniGadesſtimāt: ut e regione illuſtris Erythiæ ꝓgenitū fuerit penes argēteos īmēſi Tarteſſi fontes occuſtaſqpetras. Cū autē fluuiis duobus erūpat oſtiis oppidū inter ipſius curſum quondā habitatū fuiſſe cor-ſtat: quod Tarteſſum eodē quo fluuius noīe appellatū eſt extiterit: agrūqꝫ Tarteſſiū: quem IurdiTurdulihac ætate paſcunt̉. Eratoſthenes quoqꝫ cōtigua Calpe terrā Tarteſſiam uocitari ꝑhibet: & Erytmeximiæ felitatis inſulā: aduerſus quem Artemidorus ſcribēs: & hæc ab eo falſo cōmemorari tradiErythiaſicut & de diſtantia a Gadibus ad ſacrū promontoriū: quod abeſſe dierū quinqꝫ nauigatione dcit.cum nō plura ꝗͣ mille &. dcc. ſtad. eſſe cōſtet: & maris æſtuaria hucuſqꝫ tranſmitti: cum hoc quaquerſum circū orbem terraꝝ eueniat & Hiſpaniæ partes ad aꝗ lonē uergētes faciliorē ad Galliasbere meatū: ꝗͣ qui ꝑ oceanū nauigationē agunt. Et quæcūqꝫ alia tradidit Pitheæ uerbis ꝑ arroginductus. Poeta uero grādiloquus atqꝫ ꝑitiſſimus occaſiōes ſuppeditauit ad cognoſcēdū ut eoꝝ/

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