BOOKS.RESEAU.ORG - English-French Library

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Quarrie stones are of sundrie sorts, and serue to diuers purposes.
For walling, there are rough, and Slate: the rough maketh speedier
building, the Slate surer. For Windowes, Dornes, and Chimnies, Moore
stone carrieth chiefest reckoning.  That name is bestowed on it, by
the Moores or waste ground, where the same is found in great
quantitie, either lying vpon the ground, or verie little vnder.
This stone answereth the charge of fetching, with the fairenes of his
whitish colour, containing certaine glimmering sparkles, and
counteruaileth his great hardnesse in working, with the profit of long
endurance, nature hauing ordained the same, as of purpose, to
withstand the fretting  weather.  There are also three other sorts of
stones, seruing to the same vse, and hewed with lesse, though
differing labour: Pentuan digged out of the Sea Cliffes,and in colour
[7] somewhat resembleth gray Marble, Caraclouse blacke, not vnlike the
Ieat; the third taken out of inland Quarries, and not much differing
from the Easterne free stone.

The Sea strond also in many places, affordeth Peeble-stones, which
washed out of the earth, or falling from the Rockes, and there lying
loose, are, by often rolling of the waues, wrought to a kind of
roundnesse, and serue verie handsomely for pauing of streetes and
Courts.

For couering of Houses there are three sorts of Slate, which from that
vse take the name of Healing-stones.  The first and best Blew: the
second, Sage-leafe coloured, the third and meanest Gray.  The Blew,
and so the rest, are commonly found vnder the walling Slate, when
the depth hath brought the workmenn to the Water.  This Slate is in
substance thinne, in colour faire, in waight light, in lasting strong,
and generally carrieth so good regard, as (besides the supplie for
home prouision) great store is yeerely conueied by shipping both to
other parts of the Realme, and also beyond the Seas, into Britaine
and Netherland.

  They make Lyme, moreouer, of another kind of Marle-stone, either by
burning a great quantitie thereof together, with a seruent fire of
Furze, or by maintaining a continuall, though lesser heate, with stone
Cole in smaller Kils: this is accompted the better cheape, but that
yeeldeth the whiter Lyme.

Touching mettals: Copper is found in sundrie places, but with what
gaine to the searchers, I haue not beene curious to enquire, nor they
hastie to reueale.  For at one Mine (of which I tooke view) the Owre
was shipped to bee refined in Wales, either to saue cost in the fewell
or to conceale the profit.

Neither hath nature denyed Siluer to Cornwall, though Cicero excluded
the same out of all Britaine: and if wee may beleeve our Chroniclers
reports, who ground themselues vpon authenticall Records, king Edward
the first, and king Edward the third, reaped some good benefit
thereof.  But for our present experience, what she proffereth with the
one hand, shee seemeth to pull backe with the other, whereof some
Gentlemen not long sithence, made triall to their losse: howbeit,
neither are they discouraged by this successe, nor others from the
like attempt.

Tynners doe also find little hoppes of Gold amongst their Owre, which
they keepe in quils, and sell to the Goldsmithes oftentimes with
little better gaine, then Glaucus exchange.

Yea it is not altogether barren of precious stones, and Pearle: for
Dyamonds are in many places found cleauing to those Rockes, out of
which the Tynne is digged: they are polished, squared, and pointed by
nature: their quantitie from a Pease, to a Walnut: in blacknesse and
hardnesse they come behind the right ones, and yet I haue knowne some
of them set on so good a foile, as at first sight, they might appose a
not vnskilfull Lapidarie.

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