best are those which, on the contrary, extend from the VI or VII direction
of the west to the VI or VII direction of the east, through the slope of a
mountain which similarly inclines to the north, whose hangingwalls
are also in the south, whose footwalls are in the north, and whose
heads rise toward the north ; and lastly, whose rock seams raise
their heads toward the west. In the third place, they recommend those
veins which extend from XII north to XII south, through the slope
of a mountain which faces east ; whose hangingwalls are in the
west, whose footwalls are in the east ; whose heads rise toward
the east ; and whose rock seams raise their heads toward the north.
Therefore they devote all their energies to those veins, and give very little
or nothing to those whose heads, or the heads of whose rock seams rise
toward the south or west. For although they say these veins sometimes show bright specks of pure metal adhering to the stones, or they come
upon lumps of metal, yet these are so few and far between that despite them
it is not worth the trouble to excavate such veins ; and miners who persevere
in digging in the hope of coming upon a quantity of metal, always lose their
time and trouble. And they say that from veins of this kind, since the sun's
rays draw out the metallic material, very little metal is gained. But in
this matter the actual experience of the miners who thus judge of the veins
does not always agree with their opinions, nor is their reasoning sound ;
since indeed the veins which run from east to west through the slope of a
mountain which inclines to the south, whose heads rise likewise to the
south, are not less charged with metals, than those to which miners are
wont to accord the first place in productiveness ; as in recent years has been
proved by the St. Lorentz vein at Abertham, which our countrymen call
Gottsgaab, for they have dug out of it a large quantity of pure silver ; and
lately a veut in Annaberg, called by the name of Himmelsch hoz9, has made it
The names in the Latin are given as Donutn Divinum—" God's Gift," and
Coelestis Exercitus—" Heavenly Host." The names given in the text are from the German
Translation. The former of these mines was located in the valley of Joachim, where Agricola
spent many years as the town physician at Joachimsthal. It is of further interest, as Agricola
obtained an income from it as a shareholder. He gives the history of the mine (De Veteribus
et Novis Metallis, Book I.), as follows :—" The mines at Abertham were discovered, partly
" by chance, partly by science. In the eleventh year of Charles V. (1530), on the 18th of
" February, a poor miner, but one skilled in the art of mining, dwelt in the middle of the
" forest in a solitary hut, and there tended the cattle of his employer. While digging a little
" trench in which to store milk, he opened a vein. At once he washed some in a bowl and saw
" particles of the purest silver settled at the bottom. Overcome with joy he informed his
' ' employer, and went to the Bergmeister and petitioned that official to give him a head
" mining lease, which in the language of our people he called Gottsgaab. Then he proceeded
" to dig the vein, and found more fragments of silver, and the miners were inspired with
" great hopes as to the richness of the vein. Although such hopes were not frustrated,
" still a whole year was spent before they received any profits from the mine ; whereby
" many became discouraged and did not persevere in paying expenses, but sold their shares
" in the mine ; and for this reason, when at last an abundance of silver was being drawn
" out, a great change had taken place in the ownership of the mine ; nay, even the first
" finder of the vein was not in possession of any share in it, and had spent nearly all the
" money which he had obtained from the selling of his shares. Then this mine yielded such
" a quantity of pure silver as no other mine that has existed within our own or our
" fathers' memories, with the exception of the St. George at Schneeberg. We, as a share" holder, through the goodness of God, have enjoyed the proceeds of this ' God's Gift '
" since the very time when the mine began first to bestow such riches." Later on in the
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