PTER XI

OF SUNDRY MINERALS AND METALS

[1577, Book III., Chapters 16 and 18; 1587, Book III., Chapters
10 and 11.]

With how great benefits this island of ours hath been endued from the
beginning I hope there is no godly man but will readily confess, and
yield unto the Lord God his due honour for the same. For we are
blessed every way, and there is no temporal commodity necessary to be
had or craved by any nation at God's hand that he hath not in most
abundant manner bestowed upon us Englishmen, if we could see to use
it, and be thankful for the same. But alas! (as said in the chapter
precedent) we love to enrich them that care not for us, but for our
great commodities: and one trifling toy not worth the carriage,
coming (as the proverb saith) in three ships from beyond the sea, is
more worth with us than a right good jewel easy to be had at home.
They have also the cast to teach us to neglect our own things; for,
if they see that we begin to make any account of our commodities (if
it be so that they have also the like in their own countries) they
will suddenly abase the same to so low a price that our gain not
being worthy our travel, and the same commodity with less cost ready
to be had at home from other countries (though but for a while), it
causeth us to give over our endeavours and as it were by-and-by to
forget the matter whereabout we went before, to obtain them at their
hands. And this is the only cause wherefore our commodities are oft
so little esteemed of. Some of them can say, without any teacher,
that they will buy the case of a fox of an Englishman for a groat,
and make him afterwards give twelve pence for the tail. Would to God
we might once wax wiser, and each one endeavour that the commonwealth
of England may nourish again in her old rate, and that our
commodities may be fully wrought at home (as cloth if you will for an
example) and not carried out to be shorn and dressed abroad, while
our clothworkers here do starve and beg their bread, and for lack of
daily practice utterly neglect to be skilful in this science! But to
my purpose.

We have in England great plenty of quicksilver, antimony, sulphur,
black lead, and orpiment red and yellow. We have also the finest alum
(wherein the diligence of one of the greatest favourers of the
commonwealth of England of a subject[1] hath been of late egregriously
abused, and even almost with barbarous incivility) and of no less
force against fire, if it we