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Uneafinefsto Paffengers, who when theytread on it can hardly draw up their Feet 'tisfo flicking, and who by Reafon thereof arevery often forc'd to leave their Shoes behindthem. 'Tis this fame famous Drugg theHuckfters dry, and then fell to Grocers andignorant Appothecaries and others, inftead ofthe true Bitumen of Judea, tho' it be eafilydiftinguifhable from it by its ftrong Smell,whereas the true Judea Bitumen is almoflwithout any Smell at all ; 'tis from its fsetidSmell, fome, as to Afafatida, have given it theName of Stercus Diaboli, or Devil's Dung.There are alfo many other Sorts of Bitu-men that come from the Bowels of theEarth ; but we having no Commerce in, ashaving none of 'em, I (hall not trouble myfeJf to fpeak any Thing about them.

General Biflory of D R U G G S. Vol. IL

9. Of Naphtha of Italy.

THE Naphtha of Italy is an Oil of dif--*• ferent Colours, flowing from a Rockfituate in the Valley of Montfeftin, in theDutchy of Modena ^ and this Oil has beenknown to us but a few Years fince by theMeans of one Rogue Foura, a Native and anInhabitant of the Village call'd Prat, nearBrian/on, in the Vpper Dauphine, of whomI bought the different Sorts of Naphtha that Ihave by me, and had the following Ac-count.

The Italian, or Montfeflin Naphtha, comesfrom a Rock which is upon a Mountain,whether it is convey'd by Subterranean Veins,and it is gather'd into Oil of different Co-lours, by Means of certain Canals and Cop-per Cauldrons which feparate it 3 or tofpeak more intijligibiy, the Duke of Sara andDarce, and the Marquefs of Arpia in Modena,to whom the aforeiaid Rock belongs, havecaus'd Trenches, and Copper Canals, orPipes to be made, which are purpofelyplac'u to receive the Oil as it diftills fromthe i\ock, by Means oi which it falls intothe Cauldrc.s or Ccppers, from whence it istaken or gather'd for XJi's. It is obfervable,that this Oil changes Colour according as itis nearer or farther off from the direct Lightof the Sun ; fo that which is of the funny Sideis white, and clear as Water, and moft e-flteem'd j that next to it clear and ted like

Wine, the next yellow, afterwards green ;and in fhort, that which is at the other op-pofite Side of the Rock, quite off from theSun, is black.

fVhite Naphtha, which we commonlycall Oil of Petre, or White t\ock. Oil, be-caufe of its Whitenefs, Clearnefs, and Beau-ty, is immifcible with any Thing in theWorld befides, being lighter than what-soever can be put to it; and confequent-ly it will be uppermoft : as alfo by Rea-fon of its ftrong piercing Smell, coming nearthat of Sulphur, which renders it extreamlyvolatile, it is eafy to catch Fire, whichmay ferve as a Precaution to thofe that feJI it,to be as careful of it as of Gun-Pouder.

The great Virtues of this Oil is the Rea-fon why I will not fay any Thing of it here,but rather refer my Reader to what the a-fore-nam'd Rogue Foura has printed concern-ing it, As for the red, yellow, or greenNaphtha, they are fo little in Ufe, that wedon't fee any of 'em at all: And moreoveranother Reafon may be, that the Italiansmix 'em with the black Oil before they fendit to us, and this makes the Oil of Petre,which we have thence, inftead of being blackand thick as it comes out of the Rock, to bered, tranfparent, and yellowifli, and mode-rately fulphureous in its Smell; and as thisOil is pretty dear fome counterfeit it, as wiilbe feen in the next Chapter.

Naphtha, Pijjafphaltum Naturale,is a Kind of foft or liquid Bitu- Lemery.men, of different Colours, very in-flammable, which is brought from feveralParts; as the Place where ancient Babylonflood, and about Ragufa ; Jikewife from acertain Lake or Marfh of Samofata, and di-vers other Parts; but we have no other Naph-tha brought biu what comes from France and'Italy ■. The laft of which is a Sort of Petro-leum, or clear Oil, that is fometimes white,fometimes red, fometimes yellow, fometimesgreen, and fometimes black ; it flows froma Rock fituate on a Mountain near MountFefii'n, in the Dutchy of Modena ; the Whiteis moft valued. The Bitumens, call d Naph-tha, are almoft ail Sulphur or Oil mix'dwith fome acid and volatile Salt; they areincifive, penetrating, deterfive, digeftive,vulnerary, and ftrengthening, and fo areprevalent againft Pajfies, Weaknefs, and Re-laxation