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THE GRECQ-SYRIAC AND ARABIC SOURCES OF BARHEBRAEUS' MINERALOGY 233
4e& A d* (s) dunha -Ha & KAH tj3~ H*. &
. A-a -ha ~ P H
(1) w-henon halen aw hlimay rukk5ba enon aw m-lay rukkab. (2) w-hlimay rukkabii
(a) aw mettassesine enon akznii d-dahba ... (b) aw la rnettassesine, (3) w-henon hden
(a) Sw b-'ellat saggiaM rakkikuth6n la mewsesin, akzna da-zyog, (b) aw bCellat
saggput qashyuthon, w-henon halen (i) aw glizin men dahhinu* w-mettul hade 18
metparkkin akzna d-y'uqande, (ii) aw 'am dahhinua d-hassinlait serkat b-keptinayutii
w-respat la-mnawiiteh wetyabbshat; menhen ettkin akzna d-adamas kepi: hlde ger
law hlhud la metfassesa, ella w-kad metmahya 'a1 saddtins 'am& beh, w-kad hakannii
1-kul gsh6m qashyazaya w-ham%, men dmad-'ezzi5 metparkki w-methabbla. wa-mhilay
rukkab5 man (a) iiw b-rattib0tii metpashsh-n ak kulhon melhe, shhi13 5mar na w-nitron
wa-srapii w-ammoniqon wqalqantis, (b) 5w , akznii d-zamikii w-
kebritii.
Matxihirh: (I) Mineral substances are either strongly-composed or are weakly-composed.
(2) If they are strong!ycomposed. they are either (a) malleable - and these are the
seven 'bodies' - or (b) not malleable, (3a) either due to its extreme moistness. like
mercury, or (b) due to its extreme dryness, like corundum etc. (4) If they are weakly-
composed, they are either (a) dissolved by moisture - i.e. those which are salty - like
vitriol, sal ammoniac, alum and qalqand, or (b) are not dissolved by moisture, i.e. those
which are oily - like sulphur and zamikh.
'Ajc'ib: (1) They are either strongly-composed or weakly-composed. (2) The strongly-
composed are either (a) malleable or (b) not malleable - (a) the malleable are the seven
'bodies', I mean Gold ... - (3) Those which are not malleable are (a) sometimes
extremely soft, like mercury, (b) sometimes extremely hard, like corundum. (4) Those
which are extremely hard are (a) sometimes dissolved by moisture and they are the
salty substances, like vitriol and sal ammoniac, and (b) sometimes not dissolved by it
and they are the oily substances, like zamikh and sulphur.
Dial.: (I) These have either a hard composition or a weak composition. (2) Those which
have a hard composition are either (a) beatable and extensible or (b) not beatable and
not extensible - those which are beatable and extensible are the seven 'bodies', I mean
gold ... (3) Those which are not subject to extension through hammering are either (a)
very unsolid, like mercury, or (b) very hard, like corundums. (4) Those which are very
hard are either (a) loosened by moisture - which are the salty bodies - like qalqandis
and sal ammoniac [niishadir], or (b) not loosened by moisture - and are the oily bodies
- like arsenikh and sulphur.
Cund. 86.1-87.3: (I )These [i-e. minerals] are either firmlycomposed or weakly-composed.
(2) The firmly-composed are either (a) malleable, like gold ... or (b) not malleable and
(3) these are not malleable either (a) because of their great softness, like mercury, or
(b) because of their great hardness, and these [latter] either (i) lack oiliness and for this
reason crumble, like corundums, or (ii) have oiliness which has become strongly attached
to the stony nature, has solidified its parts and has become dry: from them are formed,
for example, the adhas [diamond] stone: for this [stone] is not only not malleable. but
when beaten on an anvil sinks inside it and, although in this way it conquers and
overcomes every hard body, it is made to crumble and is destroyed by the blood of
goats. (4) The weakly-composed are either (a) dissolved by moisture. like all the salts,
I mean soda [nitron], alum, sal ammoniac [ammoniak6n] and qalqantis, or (b) not
dissolved, like zarnikii and sulphur.