put into his bed, and care taken of him, it was nevertheless 24 houres before he came to himself.

The dead bodies being drawn out of the Well it was filled with earth by order of the Magistrate of the said City.

Sect. 5. Relation of an accident like the former happened at London.

The like accidents have at severall times been seen in other Countries, whereof we could alledge many instances, but passing by all other we shall make mention of one lately befaln here at London. Without Aldesgate, there is a little court called Carpenters-yard, in the midst of which there stood a Pump; the water whereof not being good for to dress meat, was used by the neighbours only for the washing and cleaning of their houses, and the like. But in length of time being grown so thick and muddy that no use could be made on't, it was resolved that the Well, whereout the Pump drew its water, should be made clean, to which purpose the Pump being taken down, in the latter end of Iuly anno sixteen hundred fourtie-four, a laborer was let down, with a cord into the Well, being little and narrow, to take out the mud by pailes full, which as soon as he came to the bottome presently fell stark dead. Those that had let him down, seeing this, and suspecting nothing else, but that a sudden faintness had overcome him, let down another to see what he ayled, and to bring him out. But he sped no better than the first, which when the people perceived, no more went into the Well, untill three or four houres after, in which middle space of time a great Iron pan or plate, heaped up with burning charcoal, had been let down into the Well, and severall times as the fire did slacken, renewed, that through the heat thereof that mortiferous vapour might be overcome and dispersed, the which accordingly fell out; so that the person afterwards went down to fetch away the dead bodies, got no hurt at all A great covered or vaulted gutter, whereby the ordures of the streets are under ground conveyed into the City ditch, passeth under the yard where-in the said Well, (dammed up since this sad accident) did stand; so as it may be probably beleeved

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beleeved that that deadly infection of the air within the same Well had partly been caused through the neerness of the same

sewer.

CHAP. XIX.

Of the Free-stone, Marble, Flints, Slate, and Sea-coales which are found in Ireland.

Sect. 1. Of the Free-stone.

AVING in the precedent Chapters treated of the Metals and Minerals, which are found in Ireland, we shall now go on to speak of severall other substances, raised out of the ground there, of a less noble nature, but nevertheless profitable and serving for severall good uses.

To begin with Free-stone, there is two sorts of it, the one being gray or ash-coloured, and the other blew; which both for the most part lying in the uppermost parts of the ground, covered over with very little earth, are raised with small labour and charge, whereas in most other countries it is as much labour to digge Free-stone as the Metalls themselves. The blew Free-stone is not very abundant, and as little in request, as unfit for great buildings; it lying for the most part in small unshapely peeces; and when they are bigger commonly broke in the raising and hewing, partly through the unskillfulness of the workmen there, and chiefly because they are exceeding hard, and cannot well endure the Iron. The gray Free-stone which is found very abundantly in most parts of the land is of a contrary nature; and may easily be cut out into stones of all bigness or fashion, wherefore also this sort hath been used by the English, to all the Churches, Castles, and Edifices, which since the Conquest have been builded by them; for the Irish themselves, never had the skill nor industry to erect any considerable buildings of Free-stone, Brick, or other the like materials, their dwellings being very poor and contemptible cottages. True it is, that the English at their first comming found severall Maritime-townes in Ireland with

stone walls and houses, the Churches also, not only in those, but in many other Townes being of the same; but built by strangers, who being come out of the Northern-parts of Germany, and other neighbouring Countries, have settled themselves there, inhabiting severall parts of the Sea-coasts, some ages before the English Conquest; which people called themselves Oastmans, or Easterlings; all those Countries of the which they were come being situated to the East of Ireland.

Sect. 2. Certain evill properties of the Irish Free-stone. This sort of gray Free-stone in Ireland hath a bad qualitie, that it draweth the moisture of the air continually to it, and so becommeth dank and wet both in and out-side, especially in times of much rain. To mend this inconvenience the English did wainscot those walls with oak or other boards, or line them with a thin crust of brick.

Sect. 3. Of the Marble.

Besides the Free-stone, which is almost in every part of the land, there is Marble found in many places of severall sorts; one is red, streaked with white and other colours, such as with a peculiar name is called Porphyre; other black, very curiously streaked with white, and some all of one colour.

The first two sorts are found but in small quantity, especially the second; but the last is very abundant in some places, but most about Kilkenny, where not only many houses are built of the same, but whole streets are paved with it.

Sect. 4. Description of the Marble-quarrie at Kilkenny. The quarrie out of which they have their Marble at Kilkenny, is not above a quarter of a mile distant from the Town, and belongeth to no body in particular, lying in common for all the Townsmen, who at any time may fetch as much out of it, as seemeth good unto them, without paying any thing for it: It is in fashion like unto Quarries of Free-stone, to wit, a wide open pit, whereout stones and pillars of great thickness and height may be digged. This Marble, whilst it is rude, and as it commeth out of the ground, looketh grayish, but being

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being polished it getteth a fine blewish colour, drawing somewhat towards the black.

Sect. 5. Of the Flint.

Although flints are not digged from under the ground, yet shall we give them a place next to the Free-stone and Marble, because of the affinity which they have with them. They are found in every part of Ireland in great abundance near the sea-side, within the land, upon the hills and mountains, and in the rivers, many of which have not only their banks covered with them, but also the bottom of their chanels, and that for great spaces together, which as they are of all sizes and fashions, so of very different colours.

Sect. 6. Of the Slate.

In sundry parts of Ireland Slate is found in great abundance, and that nothing deep within the ground, just in the same manner as the Free-stone, so as it may be raised with little charge and labour; wherefore at all times it hath been much used by the English inhabitants for the covering of their houses and other buildings. Nevertheless some years since in places near the sea, especially at Dublin, that kind of Holland Tiles, which by them are called Pannen begun to be used generally, the Merchants causing them to be brought in from thence in great abundance, because in Ireland they had neither convenient stuff to make them of, nor work-men skilfull in that business: although the common tiles usual in many parts of England and other Countries, were made and used in several places within the land.

Besides these there was another kind of covering in use, both for Churches and Houses, to wit, a certain sort of woodden tiles, vulgarly called Shingles; the which are thight enough at the first, but do not many yeares continue so, it being necessary to change them often: which thing properly not appertaining to this chapter, we nevertheless for affinities sake have thought not amiss here to mention.

Some yeares ago another kind of Slate hath been discovered in Ireland, which for the colours-sake is called Black-slate, being

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being of a blackish colour, which is come into great esteem, not so much for the ordinary use of covering houses, for which they are no better than common Slate, but because it hath been found by experience, very good and medicinall against severall diseases, especially to stay all kind of bleeding, and to hinder that after falls and bruises the blood do not congeal within the body.

Sect. 7. Of the Sea-coal.

The Trees and Woods having been so much destroyed in Ireland, as heretofore we have shewed, and consequently wood for firing being very dear in great part of the land, the inhabitants are necessitated to make use of other fuel, viz. of Turf, and of Sea-coales. Of the Turf we shall speak in the next Chapter. As for Sea-coales, they are the ordinary firing in Dublin, and in other places lying near the sea, where the same in time of peace are brought in out of England, Wales, and Scotland, in great abundance, and therefore reasonable cheap: which is the reason, that the less care hath been taken to find out Coal-mines in Ireland it self, whereas otherwise it is the opinion of persons knowing in these matters, that if diligent search were made for them, in sundry parts of the land good Coal-mines would be discovered. This opinion is the more probable, because that already one Coal-mine hath bin found out in Ireland, a few yeares since, by meer hazard, and without having been sought for. The Mine is in the Province of Leinster, in the County of Carlo, seven miles from Idof, in the same hill where the Iron-mine was of Mr. Christopher Wandsworth, of whom hath been spoken above. In that Iron-mine, after that for a great while they had drawn Ironoar out of it, and that by degrees they were gone deeper, at last in lieu of Oar they met with Sea-coal, so as ever since all the people dwelling in those parts have used it for their firing, finding it very cheap; for the load of an Irish-car, drawn by one garron, did stand them, besides the charges of bringing it, in nine pence only, three pence to the digger, and six pence to the owner.

There be coales enough in this Mine for to furnish a whole country;

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