mm

Book IV.

0/BITUMENS.

?8 5

is of Amber in China, and amongft the Sava-ges, as well as in Europe; but the greateftConfumption of it is in Aufiria, Germany,in Poland, and in the Neighbourhood of Ve-nice ; and the Venetians were the Firft thatbrought it into fuch Vogue and Fafhionthereabout, there being few People in Lorn-bar dy, or all along the Po, but wear AmberNecklaces, believing they keep 'em fromQuinzies, and other ill Effects of the Neckand Throat, to which they are very fubjecl,by Reafon of the bad Waters they are fore'dto drink in thofe Parts: And Hiftory in-forms us, that the Romans made fuch Ac-count of it, that Nero caus'd great Quanti-ties of it to be imported ; but no where isAmber more efteem'd and valu'd than in Po-land and the lower Hungary, a pretty hand-fome Piece, without Fault or Flaw, beingthere as valuable, and prefer'd even to Gold ;fuch Lovers and Admirers of this Commodityare they. As for France, 'tis by no Means fomuch in Efteem there, though 'twas notmany Years ago that all People of Qualityand Fafhion wore Necklaces of it, but atprefent it's become fo vulgar and common,none but Servants make Ufe of it. Befidethe great Ufe of Yellow Amber for Trinckets,&c. 'tis of fome Ufe too in Medicine,not only to powder, bnt to draw a Tincture ,a Spirit, volatile Salt, and an Oil, and tomake a Varnifh with Spirit of Wine.

Amber ought to be clear and tranfparent,capable of attracting Straws, whence comesits Name of Carabe, which in the PerfianLanguage fignifies draw Straw. When it isdefign'd for any Piece of Workmanfhip, orto powder, it fhou'd be white 5 but when itis to undergo the Fire, it matters not ofwhat Colour it be, provided 'tis genuine Am-ber; for there are a great many that lell theC0p.1l of America for it, of which I havefpoken above, but it is eafily diltinguifh'dfrom it, the Copal being in Pieces of ihe Big-nefs and Figure of Gum Arabick, and thetrue Carabe ordinarily in great Lumps, andalfo molt commonly in a Sort of Film orSkin, which ferves as a Kind of Matrixfor it; and then again Amber burnt at theCandle fends forth an exceeding ftrong Smell;and moreover, as has been noted, will at-tract Straw, which Copal will not do. Somehave aflui'd me that Yellow Amber is counter-

feited with Turpentine and Cotton, or withYelks of Eggs and Gum Arabick : But asthis Sort of falfe Amber, wou'd be worth lie—tie or nothing, I cannot conceive how anyone need fear its being difguis'd with thofeDruggs.

Amber is powder'd upon a Porphyry, andredue'd into Troches, which are of fomeUfe in Phyfick, particularly to reftrain Spit-ting of Blood, and to flop Dyfenteries andother Lasks. Dofe from ten to thirty fixGrains in any appropriate Vehicle. Alfo fromPowder of Amber, with Spirit of Wine, isdrawn a Yellow Tindture, endow'd with agreat many good Qualities, efpecially in a-poplectick and epilepick Fits, and paraly-tick Cafes, taken from ten Drops to aDram in any agreeable Liquor : Some dif-folve pure fine Camphir in this Tincture tomake what Monfieur Soleyfel calls the Flam-ing Balfam, and recommends for Wounds,Brnifes, or cold Humours in Horfe or Man,which may be feen defcrib'd in his Book,/>. 274-

IQirabe, Succinum, EleBrum, Am-bra Citrina, or Yellow Amber, is a Lemery.hard Matter, like a Stone, yellowcitron, or white, of a fine, fhining, tranf-parent Colour, that is brought from the Du-cal PruJJit in Pieces of different Shapes andSizes: This Amber is thrown by the Wavesof the Baltick Sea up the Rivers oi Pruflia,efpecially by certain Winds. They like-wife find both the liquid and folid on theBanks of feveral little Rivers, and upon theBrooks that are about the fame Sea ; thatwhich is liquid hardens in a little Time, andbecomes folid as the other.

Opinions are divided upon the Nature andOrigin of Amber; the Ancients believ'd thatit was a Mixture of Gum and Roiin thatflow'd from Poplars, Pines, or Firs, which be-ing confufedly carried by the Winds into theBaitick S*a, incorporated with the Salt, andwas elaborated or work'd up, and thenthrown by the Waves upon the Banks otthe Rivers. This Notion is rejected by themodern Authors, who have all writ that Suc-cinum, or Amber, is a Bitumen or Juice ofthe Earth, which the Sea has rais'd up, andthe Waves thrown a Shore about the DucalPrtiJJia where it is form'd, and hardens afterthe Manner we lee it in. I my felf fol-Vol. II. Y low'd