Page:Theophrastus - History of Stones - Hill (1774).djvu/149

 LIII. This is much to the Honour of Theophratus. I have before had Occaion to oberve, that in departing from the Opinions of this Author, After-ages became more and more ignorant, their Sytems erroneous, and their Accounts full of Confuion and Obcurity; till in ome late Ages we have been at the pains of unlearning what our Forefathers had been taught by them, and now have brought ourelves to Sytems of real Knowledge, by cloer Obervations of Nature. In many Caes, we find all that we have been tudying for is to know jut what we might have learnt from the Works of this Author alone. Of this I have before given ome Intances; and the Sentence before us, is another very remarkable one: That Amber is a Stone, or native Foile, the bet of the modern Writers eem as certain, as that Gems, Rocks, or Minerals are o. It has, however, for many Ages, been judged by ome, to be of a vegetable, and by others an animal, nature. And a thouand idle and incoherent Sytems have been received as to its Formation: Diocorides thought it an Exudation of the black Poplar; and Pliny, of the Pine; and others, the Fat or Semen of Whales. And it is but of late, that the World has been again brought into the Opinion, that it is, as this Author eteemed it, a mere native Foile. It is of various Colours, white, brown, and yellow, and is found in Maes of different Shapes and Sizes, on the Shores, in many Parts of the World, particularly in Pruia; but where-ever it is found on the Shores, it is alo to be found, if carefully fought for, in the neighbouring Cliffs, the Sea having had no Share in bringing it to light; but that it has, in Storms and high Tides, wah'd it out of the Strata of thoe Cliffs, and cleaned and rounded it at the Edges, by contantly toing it about; and rubbing it againt harder Subtances. Amber is naturally inveted with a Crut, as the Flints and other natural foile Nodules are; it is found in this State, in digging, in Pruia, Pomerania, and other Places, and is called Rock Amber. When it has been wahed out of its native Place by the Sea, and diveted of this Crut, it is called Wah'd Amber alo is a Stone: It is dug out of the Earth in Liguria, and has, as the before mentioned, a Power