The early mining treatise written by Agricola De Re Metallica " (1556) does mention dowsing but he is perfectly aware of it's shortcomings e.g. "therefore a miner ,since we think he ouight to be a good and serious man should not make us of an enchanted twig, because if he is prudent and skilled in the natural signs, he understands that a forked stick is of no use to him, for ... there are natural indications of the veins which he can see for himself without the help of twigs. "