De la Pirotechnia

ON THE LOCATIONS OF MINES

[...va]cuo The word completes "vacuo," referring to a massive cavernous space within the mine. of such great size, where more than 200 men, all at once, were standing at work, some below and some above, having no other light than that of lamps. They made various cuts everywhere that the ore original: "minera" showed itself to them, and so assiduously they worked in shifts both day and night. It was certainly a marvelous thing, even beyond the excavation itself; it also seemed remarkable to me to see the ore that had been dug, sorted, and yet to be sorted at the mouth of the mine. Among the rest, there was a piece consisting of a single solid mass of pure ore that was so large and of such weight that a pair of good horses with a cart could hardly move it, let alone pull it.

This ore was (as I have told you) of copper, but to increase its prestige, they called it silver, because in substance it contained so much [silver] that it exceeded every expense they incurred, and they also had the copper that was in its company as an added advantage; so that (as you can understand) they drew from it a very great profit.

Now I want you to know that in the middle of the excavation original: "caua" was a channel that collected the waters that fell into it through various fissures. This ran with such vehemence that I hold for certain it would have vigorously powered any large mill. I remember that in going to and returning from the excavation, due to the waters from above as well as those from below, I became almost entirely wet, as if I had passed through a great rain. I was not surprised by this, having understood that water is the primary and proper companion—or perhaps even the cause—from which the actual substances of the minerals' generation proceed. For this reason (as I have already told you), those knowledgeable in such matters argue and give it as a universal rule that all mountains that gush with an abundance of water are also abundant in minerals.

Reflecting upon this, the greatness of such a thing occurred to my thoughts, and I began to say to myself: if the owners of this present mine had regretted the expense, or because of the long tunnel, or for fear of not finding anything, and had in despair or cowardice abandoned the work; or if (having reached that hard rock) they had stopped, then the expense already incurred and the many labors of both spirit and body would have been vainly thrown away. Nor would they have become very rich and abundant in every convenience as they are; nor would they have been able to benefit their lords, their relatives, the homeland where they were born, the poor, or even the rich, nor even their neighbors, as they have done through the strength of their good spirit, their knowledge, and their will.

Whence I concluded that whoever begins such things should follow them with great spirit and patience, going at least as far as one can judge (by signs) that the ore might be. One must always hope that by going forward (as might happen), the following day you might discover the thing you seek and be made rich and content. This (as you can understand) can truly happen, because the mothers of all the most esteemed riches, and the treasuries of all treasures, are the mountains; which (if with the help of fortune and your ingenuity) you know how to open...