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TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS DUKE OF SAXONY AND
OF THURINGIA AND MISENA
PRINCE MAURICE
Georgius Agricola S.D.
Philosophy
which treats of the origins, causes and natures of things, Illustrious
Prince, has been divided into many parts and must explain very
difficult things. For example, it expounds the divinity and reality of
God, the heavens and stars, the elements, causes, interrelationships
between these things, changes in the atmosphere, as well as living and
subterranean bodies and their origins. The concept of God has aroused
all nations and peoples but the Jews, Egyptians and Greeks were the
first to consider the nature of God. The Chalddeans after long
observation and the Greeks after careful study came to know the stars
and learned to measure the heavens. The Greeks, more than any other
people, studied the elements, their causes, and the interrelationship
between natural bodies. Aristotle considered the movements and changes
in the atmosphere as well as the species, nature and origin of living
matter. Theophrastus has discussed the causes and natures of original
life. But the subject of subterranean things in which we are most
interested has never been properly treated.
We have already considered the origins and causes of subterranean things.1
Some of these flow from the earth while others are dug out of it. We
have discussed the nature of the former in a previous treatise.2
In the next ten books we will discuss the distinctive features,
physical characters and useful properties of those things which are
dug up. The first of these books considers the distinctive features and
discusses the origins of all mineral matter; the second treats of
earths; the third of congealed juices; the fourth treats of congealed
juices, amber, and stones which form from bitumen. The fifth book takes
up stones; the sixth, gems; the seventh, marbles and rocks; the eighth,
metals; the ninth, metallic substances. The tenth book describes mixed
and combined substances.
The
Greeks discussed the origin of all mineral matter but no one of them
has considered their nature. Likewise medical men and writers on
agricultural subjects have been concerned only with the earths related
to their own fields and have not considered any others. Medical men
have written about congealed juices and Theophrastus wrote a book on
salt, soda and alum which is not extant. Many have written about amber
but in most cases their discourses are very similar. Democritus and
Aristotle have both written books about stones. Theophrastus has
written a small book
1 De Ortu & Causis Subterraneorum, Lib. V, 1544.
2 De Natura Eorum Quae Effluunt Ex Terra, Lib. IV, 1545.
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