Make a little long trench within a barre of iron, and cast thereinto melted lead, then make it evaporate with a strong fire as of a coupelle. Put againe therein new lead four or five times, and the iron will grow soft, which you may afterwards make hard againe quenching it in forge water, to make lancets, and other subtill cutting irons, yea that shall cut other iron, without splinters or gapping. And indeed we have found by experience, that to temper well a harnesse against the shot of harquebuse, we first sweeten it with oils and gums, with wax and the like incerative things; and after we harden them by frequent extinctions, in waters that make it fast againe. _John_ the Grammarian expounding this place of _Hesiod_, they wrought in brasse, for iron was not yet knowne, was forced to relate the word χάλκος to the people _Chalybs_ in _Scythia_, who (saith he) first found out the use of iron and steel: the Poet _Lucretius_ in his 5. booke imitates _Hesiod_ in this kinde, _Antient arms were hands and nails, Stones and fragments of tree boughes, And flames and fires, were first knowne, Afterwards the force of Iron and Brasse, But the use of Brasse, before Iron._ Steel furthermore is made of the most pure and subtiliate iron; for that it participates lesse of the earthinesse, then iron. The artifice of it, is sufficiently knowne, and is common in forges. But to come to that of _Damas_, you must first resweeten it of its too much bitter tartnesse, and after it is reduced into filings to make it red in a cruset, and quench it many times with oil of Olives, where there hath often times been quenched molten lead, suddenly covering the vessell, for fear lest the oil take flame. There are yet other secret observations, which our intention is not to reveal all; it is enough to have attained to the maxims.