that they may be discovered on the table of Isis, and employ them as a proof of the high antiquity, if not of the art of making gold, at least of chemistry. We are told also that they correspond with many other characters which the adepts have left us as emblems of their wisdom. If we are desirous of deciding without prejudice respecting both these explanations, it will be found necessary to make ourselves acquainted with the oldest form of the characters, which in all probability, like those used in writing, were subjected to many changes before they acquired that form which they have at present. I can, however, mention only three learned men, Salmasius1, Du Cange, and Huet3, who took the trouble to collect these characters. As I am afraid that my readers might be disgusted were I here to insert them, I shall give a short abstract of the conclusion which they form from them; but I must first observe that the oldest manuscripts differ very much in their representation of these characters, either because they were not fully established at the periods when they were written, or because many supposed adepts endeavoured to render their information more enigmatical by wilfully confounding the characters; and it is probable also that many mistakes may have been committed by transcribers. The character of Mars, according to the oldest mode of representing it, is evidently an abbreviation of the word Ooupos, under which the Greek mathematicians understood that deity; or, in other words, the first letter e, with the last letter s placed above it. The character of Jupiter was originally the initial letter of Zeus; and in the oldest manuscripts of the mathematical and astrological works of Julius Firmicus the capital Z only is used, to which the last letter s was afterwards added at the bottom, to render the abbreviation more distinct. The supposed looking-glass of Venus is nothing else than the initial letter, a little distorted, of the word wopópos, which was the name of that goddess. The imaginary sythe of Saturn has been gradually formed from the first two letters of his name Kpóros, which transcribers, for the sake of dispatch, made always more convenient for 1 Plinianæ Exercitat. in Solinum, p. 874. 2 Gloss. ad Script. Med. et Infimæ Græcitatis. 3 In his Annota tions on Manilii Astronomicon (in usum Delphini). Par. 1679, 4to, p. 80. use, but at the same time less perceptible. To discover in the pretended caduceus of Mercury the initial letter of his Greek name riλßwr, one needs only look at the abbreviations in the oldest manuscripts, where they will find that the Σ was once written as C; they will remark also that transcribers, to distinguish this abbreviation still more from the rest, placed the C thus, , and added under it the next letter 7. If those to whom this deduction appears improbable will only take the trouble to look at other Greek abbreviations, they will find many that differ still further from the original letters they express than the present character from the C and united. It is possible that later transcribers, to whom the origin of this abbreviation was not known, may have endeavoured to give it a greater resemblance to the caduceus of Mercury. In short, it cannot be denied that many other astronomical characters are real symbols, or a kind of proper hieroglyphics, that represent certain attributes or circumstances, like the characters of Aries, Leo, and others quoted by Salmasius. But how old is the present form of these characters? According to Scaliger', they are of great antiquity, because they are to be found on very old gems and rings. If the ring No. 104 in Goræus be old and accurately delineated, this must indeed be true; for some of these characters may be very plainly distinguished on the beazel. We are told by Wallerius that they were certainly used by the ancient Egyptians, because Democritus, who resided five years in Egypt, speaks of them in the plainest terms. I do not know whence Wallerius derived this information, but it proves nothing. He undoubtedly alludes to the laughing philosopher of Abdera, who lived about 450 years before our æra, but no authentic writings of his are now extant. Fabricius says that we have a Latin translation of a work of his, De Arte Sacra, Patavii, 1572, which, however, is certainly a production of 1 In his Annotations on Manilii Astron. Strasb. 1665, 4to, p. 460. 2 In Gorii Thesaurus Gemmarum antiquarum astriferarum, Florent. 1750, 3 vols. fol., I found nothing on this subject. Characters of the moon and of the signs in the zodiac often occur; but no others are to be seen, except in tab. 33, where there is a ring, which has on it the present characters of Mars and Venus. In general the planets are represented by seven small asterisks, or by six and the character of the moon. the antiquity of this gem cannot be ascertained. Besides, much later times. I have it now before me from the library of our university; and I find that it is not the whole book, but only an abstract, and written in so extravagant a manner that the deception is not easily discovered. It contains chemical processes, but nothing of the characters of metals; which is the case also with the letters of Democritus, published by Lubbinus'. [By way of contrast to the seven metals with which the ancients were acquainted, we may enumerate those known at the present day. They are as follows: 233. Cadmium Stromeyer.. 1818. ... 8. Antimony, Basil Valentine 1490. 34. Lithium.............. Arfwedson.. 1818. 1774. 41. Magnesium.. Bussy 1741. 39. Yttrium... Cronstedt... 1751. 40. Thorium 15. Manganese.. Gahn ... 1829. 16. Tungsten D'Elhujart.. 1781. 42. Vanadiun... Sefström 1830. 17. Tellurium Müller 1782. 43. Didymium ...... 18. Molybdenum Hjelm 1782. 44. Lanthanium} ... ... 19. Uranium Klaproth 1789. 45. Erbium 20. Titanium Gregor.. 1791. 46. Terbium ... ...... Mosander 1842. Mosander 1843. H. Rose 21. Chromium... Vauquelin... 1797. 17. Pelopium. ... 1845. 1845. 50. Norium ...... Svanberg... 1845. 1 See the collection of Greek letters of Eilh. Lubbinus. Commelin. 1601, 8vo. ZINC. ZINC is one of those metals which were not known to the Greeks, Romans, or Arabians. This we have reason to conjecture, because it has not been distinguished by a chemical character like the rest; but it is fully proved, by our not finding in the works of the ancients any information that appears even to allude to it. I know but of one instance where it is supposed to have been found among remains of antiquity. Grignon pretends that something like it was discovered in the ruins of the ancient Roman city in Champagne. Such an unexpected discovery deserved to have been investigated with the utmost minuteness; but it seems to have been examined only in a very superficial manner; and as that was the case, it is impossible to guess what kind of a metal or metallic mixture this author considered as zinc. It is not surprising that this metal should have remained so long unknown, for it has never yet been found in the metallic state. Its ores are often and in a great degree mixed with foreign ingredients; and when they are melted, it sublimes in a metallic form, and is found adhering above to the cool sides of the furnace; but a particular apparatus is necessary, else the reduced metal partly evaporates, and is partly oxidized, by which means it appears like an earth, and exhibits to the eye no traces of metal. That mixture of zinc and copper called at present brass, tomback, pinchbeck, princes-metal, &c., and which was first discovered by ores, abundant in zinc, yielding when melted not pure copper, but brass, was certainly known to the ancients. Mines that contained ores, from which this goldcoloured metal was produced, were held in the highest estimation; when exhausted, the loss of them was regretted; and it was supposed that the metal would never be again found. In the course of time it was remarked, no one knows by what 1 [It has been observed by an anonymous reviewer (British and Foreign Medical Review, vol. viii. p. 361) that a passage in Strabo authorises the belief that the ancients were acquainted with this metal in its separate state, and that it is the false silver, evdápyvpov, of that ancient geographer.] 2 Bulletin des fouilles d'une ville Romaine, p. 11. accident, that an ore, which must have been calamine, when added to copper while melting, gave it a yellow colour. This ore was therefore used, though it was not known what metal it contained, in the same manner as oxide of cobalt was employed in colouring glass before mineralogists were acquainted with that metal itself. Aristotle and Strabo speak of an earth of that kind, the use of which in making brass has been retained through every century. Ambrosius, bishop of Milan, in the fourth century; Primasius, bishop of Adrumetum in Africa, in the sixth; and Isidore, bishop of Seville, in the seventh, mention an addition by which copper acquired a gold colour, and which undoubtedly must have been calamine. When in course of time more calamine was discovered, the ancient method of procuring brass from copper-ore that contained zinc was abandoned; and it was found more convenient first to extract from it pure copper, and then to convert it into brass by the addition of calamine. Those desirous of inquiring further into the knowledge which the ancients had of this metal must examine the meaning of the word cadmia, which seems to have had various significations. This task I have ventured to undertake; and though I cannot clear up everything that occurs respecting it, I shall lay before my readers what information I have been able to obtain on the subject, because perhaps it may amount to somewhat more than is to be found in the works of old commentators. Cadmia signified, then, in the first place, a mineral abounding in zinc, as well as any ore combined with it, and also that zinc-earth which we call calamine. who should understand under it only the latter, would not be able to explain the greater part of the passages in the ancients where it is mentioned. It is probable that ore containing zinc acquired this name, because it first produced brass'. When it was afterwards remarked that calamine gave to copper a yellow colour, the same name was conferred on it also. It appears, however, that it was seldom found by the ancients; and we must consider cadmia in general as signi1 Plin. lib. xxxiv. sect. 22. Those 2 Zinc-ore, besides being mentioned by Aristotle and Strabo, is mentioned by Galen, De Simplic. Medicam. Facultatibus, lib. ix. p. 142. As he found no furnace-calamine when he resided in Cyprus, he procured from the overseer of the mines some raw cadmia, which had been found in the mountains and rivulets, and which certainly must have been calamine. VOL. II. D |