BOOK XXXVII.
THE NATURAL HISTORY OF PRECIOUS STONES.
CHAP. 1. (1.)—THE FIRST USE OF PRECIOUS STONES.
THAT nothing may be wanting to the work which I have
undertaken, it still remains for me to speak of precious stones:
a subject in which the majestic might of Nature presents itself
to us, contracted within a very limited space, though, in the
opinion of many, nowhere displayed in a more admirable form.
So great is the value that men attach to the multiplied varieties
of these gems, their numerous colours, their constituent parts,
and their singular beauty, that, in the case of some of them, it
is looked upon as no less than sacrilege to engrave them, for
signets even, the very purpose for which, in reality, they were
made. Others, again, are regarded as beyond all price, and could
not be valued at any known amount of human wealth; so much
so that, in the case of many, it is quite sufficient to have some
single gem or other before the eyes, there to behold the supreme
and absolute perfection of Nature's work.
We have already
1 stated, to some extent, when speaking on
the subject of gold and rings, how the use of precious stones
first originated, and from what beginnings this admiration of
them has now increased to such an universal passion. According
to fabulous lore, the first use of them was suggested
by the rocks of Caucasus, in consequence of an unhappy interpretation
which was given to the story of the chains of Prometheus:
for we are told by tradition, that he enclosed a fragment
of this stone in iron, and wore it upon his finger;
2 such
being the first ring and the first jewel known.
CHAP. 2.—THE JEWEL OF POLYCRATES.
With a beginning such as this, the value set upon precious
stones increased to such a boundless extent, that Polycrates,
3
the tyrant of Samos, who ruled over the islands and the adjacent
shores, when he admitted that his good fortune had been
too great, deemed it a sufficient expiation for all this enjoyment
of happiness, to make a voluntary sacrifice of a single
precious stone; thinking thereby to balance accounts with the
inconstancy of fortune, and, by this single cause for regret,
abundantly to buy off every ill-will she might entertain.
Weary, therefore, of his continued prosperity, he embarked on
board a ship, and, putting out to sea, threw the ring which he
wore into the waves. It so happened, however, that a fish of remarkable
size, one destined for the table of a king, swallowed
the jewel, as it would have done a bait; and then, to complete
the portentous omen, restored it again to the owner in the
royal kitchen, by the ruling hand of a treacherous
4 fortune.
The stone in this ring, it is generally agreed, was a sardonyx,
5
and they still show one at Rome, which, if we believe the
story, was this identical stone. It is enclosed in a horn of gold,
and was deposited, by the Emperor Augustus, in the Temple
of Concord, where it holds pretty nearly the lowest rank among
a multitude of other jewels that are preferable to it.
CHAP. 3.—THE JEWEL OF PYRRBUS.
Next in note after this ring, is the jewel that belonged to
another king, Pyrrhus, who was so long at war with the Romans.
It is said that there was in his possession an agate,
6 upon which
were to be seen the Nine Muses and Apollo holding a lyre; not
a work of art, but the spontaneous produce of Nature,
7 the veins
in it being so arranged that each of the Muses had her own
peculiar attribute.
With the exception of these two jewels, authors make no
mention of any others that have been rendered famous. We
only find it recorded by them, that Ismenias the flute-player
8
was in the habit of displaying great numbers of glittering
stones, a piece of vanity, on his part, which gave occasion to
the following story. An emerald,
9 upon which was engraved
a figure of Amymone,
10 being offered for sale in the Isle of
Cyprus at the price of six golden denarii, he gave orders to
purchase it. The dealer however, reduced the price, and
returned two denarii; upon which, Ismenias remarked—"By
Hercules! he has done me but a bad turn in this, for the merit
of the stone has been greatly impaired by this reduction in
price."
It seems to have been this Ismenias who introduced the
universal practice among musicians of proclaiming their artistic
merit by this kind of ostentation. Thus Dionysodorus, for
instance, his contemporary and rival, imitated his example,
in order that he might not appear to be his inferior in skill;
whereas, in reality, he only held the third rank among the
musicians of that day. Nicomachus, too, it is said, was the
possessor of great numbers of precious stones, though selected
with but little taste. In mentioning these illustrations, by way
of prelude to this Book, it is by no means improbable that they
may have the appearance of being addressed to those, who,
piquing themselves upon a similar display, become puffed up
with a vanity which is evidently much more appropriate to a
performer on the flute.
CHAP. 4.—WHO WERE THE MOST SKILFUL LAPIDARIES. THE
FINEST SPECIMENS OF ENGRAVING ON PRECIOUS STONES.
The stone of the ring
11 which is now shown as that of Polycrates,
is untouched and without engraving. In the time of
Ismenias, long
12 after his day, it would appear to have become
the practice to engrave smaragdi even; a fact which is established
by an edict of Alexander the Great, forbidding his portrait
to be cut upon this stone by any other engraver than
Pyrgoteles,
13 who, no doubt, was the most famous adept in this
art. Since his time, Apollonides and Cronius have excelled in
it; as also Dioscurides,
14 who engraved a very excellent likeness
of the late Emperor Augustus upon a signet, which, ever since,
the Roman emperors have used. The Dictator Sylla, it is
said, always made use of a seal
15 which represented the surrender
of Jugurtha. Authors inform us also, that the native
of Intercatia,
16 whose father challenged Scipio Æmilianus,
17
and was slain by him, was in the habit of using a signet
with a representation of this combat engraved upon it; a circumstance
which gave rise to the well-known joke of Stilo
Præconinus,
18 who naively enquired, what he would have done
if Scipio had been the person slain?
The late Emperor Augustus was in the habit, at first, of
using the figure of a Sphinx
19 for his signet; having found
two of them, among the jewels of his mother, that were perfectly
alike. During the Civil Wars, his friends used to employ
one of these signets, in his absence, for sealing such letters
and edicts as the circumstances of the times required to be
issued in his name; it being far from an unmeaning pleasantry
on the part of those who received these missives, that the
Sphinx always brought its enigmas
20 with it. The frog, too,
on the seal of Mæcenas, was held in great terror, by reason of
the monetary imposts which it announced. At a later period,
with the view of avoiding the sarcasms relative to the Sphinx,
Augustus made use of a signet with a figure upon it of Alexander
the Great.
CHAP. 5.—THE FIRST DACTYLIOTHECÆ AT ROME.
A collection of precious stones bears the foreign name of
"dactyliotheca."
21 The first person who possessed one at Rome
was Scaurus,
22 the step-son of Sylla; and, for a long time,
there was no other such collection there, until at length Pompeius
Magnus consecrated in the Capitol, among other donations,
one that had belonged to King Mithridates; and which,
as M. Varro and other authors of that period assure us, was
greatly superior to that of Scaurus. Following his example,
the Dictator Cæsar consecrated six dactyliothecæ in the Temple
of Venus Genetrix; and Marcellus, the son of Octavia,
23 presented
one to the Temple of the Palatine Apollo.
CHAP. 6.—JEWELS DISPLAYED AT ROME IN THE TRIUMPH OF
POMPEIUS MAGNUS.
But it was this conquest by Pompeius Magnus that first
introduced so general a taste for pearls and precious stones;
just as the victories, gained by L. Scipio
24 and Cneius Manlius,
25
had first turned the public attention to chased silver,
Attalic tissues, and banquetting-couches decorated with bronze;
and the conquests of L. Mummius had brought Corinthian
bronzes and pictures into notice.
(2.) To prove more fully that this was the case, I will here
give the very words of the public Registers
26 with reference
to the triumphs of Pompeius Magnus. On the occasion of his
third triumph, over the Pirates and over the Kings and nations
of Asia and Pontus that have been already enumerated in the
Seventh Book
27 of this work, M. Piso and M. Messala being
consuls,
28 on the day before
29 the calends of October, the anniversary
of his birth, he displayed in public, with its pieces,
a chess-board,
30 made of two precious stones, three feet in
width by two in length—and to leave no doubt that the resources
of Nature do become exhausted, I will here observe,
that no precious stones are to be found at the present day, at all
approaching such dimensions as these; as also that there was
upon this board a moon of solid gold, thirty pounds in weight!
—three banquetting-couches; vessels for nine waiters, in
gold and precious stones; three golden statues of Minerva,
Mars, and Apollo; thirty-three crowns adorned with pearls;
a square mountain of gold, with stags upon it, lions, and all
kinds of fruit, and surrounded with a vine of gold; as also a
musæum,
31 adorned with pearls, with an horologe
32 upon the
top of it.
There was a likeness also in pearls of Pompeius himself, his
noble countenance, with the hair thrown back from the forehead,
delighting the eye. Yes, I say, those frank features, so
venerated throughout all nations, were here displayed in pearls!
the severity of our ancient manners being thus subdued, and
the display being more the triumph of luxury than the triumph
of conquest. Never, most assuredly, would Pompeius have so
long maintained his surname of "Magnus" among the men of
that day, if on the occasion of his first
33 conquest his triumph
had been such as this. Thy portrait in pearls, O Magnus! those
resources of prodigality, that have been discovered for the
sake of females only! Thy portrait in pearls, refinements in
luxury, which the Roman laws would not have allowed thee to
wear even! And was it in this way that thy value must be appreciated?
Would not that trophy have given a more truthful likeness
of thee which thou hadst erst erected upon the Pyrenæan
34
mountain heights? Assuredly such a portrait as this had been
no less than a downright ignominy and disgrace, were we not
bound to behold in it a menacing presage of the anger of the
gods, and to see foreshadowed thereby the time when that head,
now laden with the wealth of the East, was to be displayed,
severed from the body.
35
But in other respects, how truly befitting the hero was this
triumph! To the state, he presented two thousand millions of
sesterces; to the legati and quæstors who had exerted themselves
in defence of the sea coast, he gave one thousand millions
of sesterces; and to each individual soldier, six thousand sesterces.
He has rendered, however, comparatively excusable
the Emperor Caius,
36 who, in addition to other femmine luxuries,
used to wear shoes adorned with pearls; as also the
Emperor Nero, who used to adorn his sceptres with masks
worked in pearls, and had the couches, destined for his pleasures,
made of the same costly materials. Nay, we have no longer any
right, it would seem, to censure the employment of drinking-cups
adorned with precious stones, of various other articles in
daily use that are similarly enriched, and of rings that sparkle
with gems: for what species of luxury can there be thought of,
that was not more innocent in its results than this on the part of
Pompeius?
CHAP. 7.—AT WHAT PERIOD MURRHINE VESSELS WERE FIRST INTRODUCED
AT ROME. INSTANCES OF LUXURY IN REFERENCE TO THEM.
It was the same conquest, too, that first introduced murrhine
37
vessels at Rome; Pompeius being the first to dedicate, at
the conclusion of this triumph, vases and cups, made of this
material, in the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus: a circumstance
which soon brought them into private use, waiters, even, and
eating-utensils made of murrhine being in great request.
This species of luxury, too, is daily on the increase, a single
cup, which would hold no more than three sextarii, having
been purchased at the price of seventy thousand sesterces. A
person of consular rank, who some years
38 ago used to drink
out of this cup, grew so passionately fond of it, as to gnaw its
edges even, an injury, however, which has only tended to enhance
its value: indeed there is now no vessel in murrhine that
has ever been estimated at a higher figure than this. We
may form some opinion how much money this same personage
swallowed up in articles of this description, from the fact that
the number of them was so great, that, when the Emperor
Nero deprived his children of them, and they were exposed to
public view, they occupied a whole theatre to themselves, in
the gardens beyond the Tiber; a theatre which was found
sufficiently large even, for the audience that attended on the
occasion when Nero
39 rehearsed his musical performances before
his appearance in the Theatre of Pompeius. It was at this
exhibition, too, that I saw counted the broken fragments of a
single cup, which it was thought proper to preserve in an urn
and display, I suppose, with the view of exciting the sorrows
of the world, and of exposing the cruelty of fortune; just as
though it had been no less than the body of Alexander the
Great himself!
T. Petronius,
40 a personage of consular rank, intending, from
his hatred of Nero, to disinherit the table of that prince, broke
a murrhine basin, which had cost him no less than three
hundred thousand sesterces. But Nero himself, as it was only
proper for a prince to do, surpassed them all, by paying one
million of sesterces for a single cup: a fact well worthy of
remembrance, that an emperor, the father of his country,
should have drunk from a vessel of such costly price!
CHAP. 8.—THE NATURE OF MURRHINE VESSELS.
Murrhine vessels come from the East, in numerous localities
of which, remarkable for nothing else, they are to be found.
It is in the empire of the Parthians, more particularly, that
they are met with, though those of the very finest quality
come to us from Carmania.
41 It is generally thought that
these vessels are formed of a moist substance, which under
ground becomes solidified by heat.
42 In size they never ex-
ceed a small waiter,
43 and, as to thickness, they rarely admit of
being used as drinking-cups, so large as those already
44 mentioned.
The brightness of them is destitute of strength, and
it may be said that they are rather shining than brilliant.
45
But the chief merit of them is the great variety of their
colours, and the wreathed veins, which, every here and there,
present shades of purple and white, with a mixture of the two;
the purple gradually changing, as it were, to a fiery red, and
the milk-white assuming a ruddy hue. Some persons praise
the edges of these vessels more particularly, with a kind of
reflection in the colours, like those beheld in the rain-bow.
Others, again, are more pleased with them when quite opaque,
it being considered a demerit when they are at all transparent,
or of a pallid hue. The appearance, too, of crystals
46 in them
is highly prized, and of spots that look like warts; not prominent,
but depressed, as we mostly see upon the human body.
The perfume,
47 too, of which they smell, is looked upon as an
additional recommendation.
CHAP. 9.—THE NATURE OF CRYSTAL.
It is a diametrically opposite cause to this that produces
crystal,
48 a substance which assumes a concrete form from excessive
congelation.
49 At all events, crystal is only to be found
in places where the winter snow freezes with the greatest intensity;
and it is from the certainty that it is a kind of ice,
that it has received the name
50 which it bears in Greek. The
East, too, sends us crystal, there being none preferred to the produce
of India. It is to be found, also, in Asia, that of the vicinity
of Alabanda,
51 Orthosia,
52 and the neighbouring mountains,
being held in a very low degree of esteem. In Cyprus, also,
there is crystal, but that found upon the Alpine heights in
Europe is, in general, more highly valued. According to
Juba, there is crystal in a certain island of the Red Sea, opposite
the coast of Arabia, called "Necron;"
53 as, also, in another
neighbouring island
54 which produces the precious stone
known as the "topazus;" where a block of crystal was extracted,
he says, by Pythagoras, the præfect of King Ptolemaæus,
no less than a cubit in length.
Cornelius Bocchus informs us that in Lusitania, there have
been blocks of crystal found, of extraordinary weight, in sinking
shafts in the Ammiensian
55 mountains there, to a water-level
for the supply of wells. It is a marvellous fact, stated by Xenocrates
of Ephesus, that in Asia and in the Isle of Cyprus,
crystal is turned up by the plough; it having been the general
belief that it is never to be found in terreous soils, and only
in rocky localities. That is much more probable which the
same Xenocrates tells us, when he says that the mountain
streams often bring down with them fragments of crystal.
Sudines says, that crystal is only to be found in localities that
face the south, a thing that is known to be really the fact:
indeed, it is never found in humid spots, however cold the
climate may be, even though the rivers there freeze to the very
bottom. Rain-water and pure snow are absolutely necessary
for its formation,
56 and hence it is, that it is unable to endure
heat, being solely employed for holding liquids that are taken
cold. From the circumstance of its being hexagonal
57 and
hexahedral, it is not easy to penetrate this substance; and the
more so, as the pyramidal terminations do not always have
the same appearance. The polish on its faces is so exquisite,
that no art can possibly equal it.
CHAP. 10.—LUXURY DISPLAYED IN THE USE OF CRYSTAL. REMEDIES
DERIVED FROM CRYSTAL.
The largest block of crystal that has ever been beheld by
us, is the one that was consecrated by Julia Augusta in the Capitol,
and which weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds.
58
Xenocrates speaks of having seen a vase of crystal, which held
one amphora,
59 and we find other writers mentioning a vessel
from India which held four sextarii. For my own part, I can
positively say, that there is crystal amid the crags of the Alps,
so difficult of access, that it is usually found necessary to be
suspended by ropes in order to extract it. Persons who are
experienced in the matter detect its presence by certain signs
and indications.
Crystal is subject to numerous defects, sometimes presenting
a rough, solder-like, substance, or else clouded by spots
upon it; while occasionally it contains some hidden humour
60
within, or is traversed by hard and brittle knurrs,
61
which are known as "salt grains."
62 Some crystal, too, has a
red rust upon it, while, in other instances, it contains filaments
that look like flaws, a defect which artists conceal by
engraving it. But where crystals are entirely free from defect,
they are preferred uncut; in which case, they are known
as "acenteta,"
63 and have the colour, not of foam, but of
limpid water. In the last place, the weight of crystals is a
point which is taken into consideration.
I find it stated by medical men that the very best cautery
for the human body is a ball of crystal acted upon by the rays
of the sun.
64 This substance, too, has been made the object of
a mania; for, not many years ago, a mistress of a family,
who was by no means very rich, gave one hundred and fifty
thousand sesterces for a single basin made of crystal. Nero,
on receiving tidings that all was lost, in the excess of his
fury, dashed two cups of crystal to pieces; this being his last
act of vengeance upon his fellow-creatures, preventing any
one from ever drinking again from these vessels. Crystal,
when broken, cannot by any possibility be mended. Vessels in
glass have been brought to a marvellous degree of resemblance
to crystal; and yet, wonderful to say, they have only tended
to enhance the value of crystal, and in no way to depreciate
it.
CHAP. 11.—AMBER: THE MANY FALSEHOODS THAT HAVE BEEN
TOLD ABOUT IT.
Next in rank among the objects of luxury, we have amber;
65
an article which, for the present, however, is in request among
women
66 only. All these three last-mentioned substances hold
the same rank, no doubt, as precious stones; the two former
for certain fair reasons; crystal, because it is adapted for
taking cool drinks, and murrhine vessels, for taking drinks that
are either hot or cold. But as for amber, luxury has not been
able, as yet, to devise any justification for the use of it. This
is a subject which affords us an excellent opportunity of exposing
some of the frivolities and falsehoods of the Greeks;
and I beg that my readers will only have patience with me
while I do so, it being really worth while, for our own practical
improvement, to become acquainted with the marvellous
stories which they have promulgated respecting amber.
After Phaëthon had been struck by lightning, his sisters, they
tell us, became changed into poplars,
67 which every year shed
their tears upon the banks of the Eridanus, a river known to
us as the "Padus." To these tears was given the name of "electrum,"
68
from the circumstance that the Sun was usually called
"elector." Such is the story, at all events, that is told by
many of the poets, the first of whom were, in my opinion,
Æschylus, Philoxenus, Euripides, Satyrus, and Nicander; and
the falsity of which is abundantly proved upon the testimony
of Italy itself.
69 Those among the Greeks who have
devoted more attention to the subject, have spoken of certain
islands in the Adriatic Sea, known as the "Electrides," and
to which the Padus,
70 they say, carries down electrum. It is the
fact, however, that there never were any islands there so called,
nor, indeed, any islands so situate as to allow of the Padus
carrying down anything in its course to their shores. As to
Æschylus placing the Eridanus in Iberia, or, in other words,
in Spain, and giving it the name of Rhodanus; and as to
Euripides and Apollonius representing the Rhodanus and the
Padus as discharging themselves by one common mouth on
the shores of the Adriatic; we can forgive them all the more
readily for knowing nothing about amber when they betray
such monstrous ignorance of geography.
Other writers, again, who are more guarded in their assertions,
have told us, though with an equal degree of untruthfulness,
that, at the extremity of the Adriatic Gulf, upon certain inaccessible
rocks there, there are certain trees
71 which shed their
gum at the rising of the Dog-Star. Theophrastus
72 has stated
that amber is extracted from the earth in Liguria;
73 Chares,
that Phaëthon died in the territory of Hammon, in Æthiopia,
where there is a temple of his and an oracle, and where amber
is produced; Philemon, that it is a fossil substance, and that
it is found in two different localities in Scythia, in one of
which it is of a white and waxen colour, and is known as
"electrum;" while in the other it is red, and is called "sualiternicum."
Demostratus calls amber "lyncurion,"
74 and he
says that it originates in the urine of the wild beast known as
the "lynx;" that voided by the male producing a red and fiery
substance, and that by the female an amber of a white and
less pronounced colour: he also informs us that by some persons
it is called "langurium," and that in Italy, there are
certain wild beasts known as "languri." Zenothemis, how-
ever, calls these wild beasts "langæ," and gives the banks of
the river Padus as their locality. Sudines says, that it is a
tree in reality, that produces amber, and that, in Etruria, this
tree is known by the name of "lynx;" an opinion which is
also adopted by Metrodorus. Sotacus expresses a belief that
amber exudes from certain stones in Britannia, to which he
gives the name of "electrides." Pytheas says that the
Gutones,
75 a people of Germany, inhabit the shores of an
æstuary of the Ocean called Mentonomon, their territory extending
a distance of six thousand stadia; that, at one day's
sail from this territory, is the Isle of Abalus, upon the shores
of which, amber is thrown up by the waves in spring, it being
an excretion of the sea in a concrete form; as, also, that the
inhabitants use this amber by way of fuel, and sell it to their
neighbours, the Teutones. Timæus, too, is of the same belief,
but he has given to the island the name of Basilia.
76
Philemon says that electrum does not yield a flame.
77 Nicias,
again, will have it, that it is a liquid produced by the rays of
the sun; and that these rays, at the moment of the sun's
setting, striking with the greatest force upon the surface of
the soil, leave upon it an unctuous sweat, which is carried off
by the tides of the Ocean, and thrown up upon the shores of
Germany. He states, also, that in Egypt it is similarly produced,
and is there called "sacal;"
78 that it is found in India,
too, where it is held as a preferable substitute for frankincense;
and that in Syria the women make the whirls of their
spindles of this substance, and give it the name of "harpax,"
79
from the circumstance that it attracts leaves towards it, chaff,
and the light fringe of tissues. According to Theochrestus,
amber is thrown up by the tides of the Ocean, at the foot of
the Pyrenæan range; an opinion adopted also by Xenocrates.
Asarubas, who has written the most recently upon these subjects,
and is still living, informs us, that near the shores of the
Atlantic is Lake Cephisis, known to the Mauri by the name
of "Electrum;" and that when this lake is dried up by the
sun, the slime of it produces amber, which floats upon
the surface. Mnaseas speaks of a locality in Africa called
Sicyon, and of a river Crathis there, which discharges itself
from a lake into the Ocean, the banks of which are frequented
by birds which he calls "meleagrides"
80 and "penelopes:" it is
here that, according to him, electrum is produced, in manner
above mentioned. Theomenes says that near the Greater
Syrtis are the Gardens of the Hesperides, and Lake Electrum:
on the banks, he says, are poplars, from the summits of which
amber falls into the water below, where it is gathered by the
maidens of the Hesperides.
Ctesias asserts that there is in India
81 a river called Hypobarus,
a word which signifies "bearer of all good things;"
that this river flows from the north into the Eastern Ocean,
where it discharges itself near a mountain covered with trees
which produce electrum; and that these trees are called
"siptachoræ," the meaning of which is "intense sweetness."
Mithridates says, that off the shores of Germany there is an
island called "Serita,"
82 covered with a kind of cedar, from
which amber falls upon the rocks. According to Xenocrates,
this substance is called, in Italy, not only "succinum," but
"thieum" as well, the Scythian name of it, for there also it
is to be found, being "sacrium:" others, he says, are of opinion
that it is a product of Numidia. But the one that has
surpassed them all is Sophocles, the tragic poet; a thing that
indeed surprises me, when I only consider the surpassing
gravity of his lofty style, the high repute that he enjoyed in
life, his elevated position by birth at Athens, his various exploits,
and his high military command. According to him,
amber is produced in the countries beyond India, from the tears
that are shed for Meleager, by the birds called "meleagrides!"
83
Who can be otherwise than surprised that he should have believed
such a thing as this, or have hoped to persuade others
to believe it? What child, too, could possibly be found in such
a state of ignorance as to believe that birds weep once a year,
that their tears are so prolific as this, or that they go all the
way from Greece, where Meleager died, to India to weep?
"But then," it will be said, "do not the poets tell many other
stories that are quite as fabulous?" Such is the fact, no doubt,
but for a person seriously to advance such an absurdity with
reference to a thing so common as amber, which is imported
every day and so easily proves the mendacity of this assertion,
is neither more nor less than to evince a supreme contempt
for the opinions of mankind, and to assert with impunity an
intolerable falsehood.
(3.) There can be no doubt that amber is a product of the
islands of the Northern Ocean, and that it is the substance by
the Germans called "glæsum;"
84 for which reason the Romans,
when Germanicus Cæsar commanded the fleet in those parts,
gave to one of these islands the name of Glæsaria,
85 which by the
barbarians was known as Austeravia. Amber is produced from
a marrow discharged by trees belonging to the pine
86 genus, like
gum from the cherry, and resin from the ordinary pine. It is
a liquid at first, which issues forth in considerable quantities,
and is gradually hardened by heat or cold, or else by the action
of the sea, when the rise of the tide carries off the fragments
from the shores of these islands. At all events, it is thrown
up upon the coasts, in so light and voluble a form that in the
shallows it has all the appearance of hanging suspended in the
water. Our forefathers, too, were of opinion that it is the juice
of a tree, and for this reason gave it the name of "succinum:"
87
and one great proof that it is the produce of a tree of the pine
genus, is the fact that it emits a pine-like smell when rubbed,
and that it burns, when ignited, with the odour and appearance
of torch-pine wood.
Amber is imported by the Germans into Pannonia, more
particularly; from whence the Veneti, by the Greeks called
Eneti, first brought it into general notice, a people in the
vicinity of Pannonia, and dwelling on the shores of the
Adriatic Sea. From this it is evident how the story which
connects it with the Padus first originated; and at the present
day we see the female peasantry in the countries that lie
beyond that river wearing necklaces of amber, principally
as an ornament, no doubt, but on account of its remedial virtues
as well; for amber, it is generally believed, is good for affec-
tions of the tonsillary glands and fauces, the various kinds of
water in the vicinity of the Alps being apt to produce disease
in the human throat.
88
From Carnuntum in Pannonia, to the coasts of Germany
from which the amber is brought, is a distance of about six
hundred miles, a fact which has been only very recently ascertained;
and there is still living a member of the equestrian
order, who was sent thither by Julianus, the manager of the
gladiatorial exhibitions for the Emperor Nero, to procure a
supply of this article. Traversing the coasts of that country
and visiting the various markets there, he brought back amber,
in such vast quantities, as to admit of the nets, which are used
for protecting the podium
89 against the wild beasts, being
studded
90 with amber.
The arms too, the litters,
91 and all the other apparatus, were,
on one day, decorated with nothing but amber, a different kind
of display being made each day that these spectacles were exhibited.
The largest piece of amber that this personage brought
to Rome was thirteen pounds in weight.
That amber is found in India too, is a fact well ascertained.
Archelaüs, who reigned over Cappadocia, says that it is brought
from that country in the rough state, and with the fine bark
still adhering to it, it being the custom there to polish it by
boiling it in the grease of a sucking-pig. One great proof that
amber must have been originally in a liquid state, is the fact
that, owing to its transparency, certain objects are to be seen
within, ants for example, gnats, and lizards. These, no doubt,
must have first adhered to it while liquid, and then, upon its
hardening, have remained enclosed within.
92
CHAP. 12.—THE SEVERAL KINDS OF AMBER: THE REMEDIES
DERIVED FROM IT.
There are several kinds
93 of amber. The white is the one
that has the finest odour;
94 but neither this nor the wax-coloured
amber is held in very high esteem. The red amber is more
highly valued; and still more so, when it is transparent, without
presenting too brilliant and igneous an appearance. For
amber, to be of high quality, should present a brightness like
that of fire, but not flakes resembling those of flame. The
most highly esteemed amber is that known as the "Falernian,"
from its resemblance to the colour of Falernian wine; it is
perfectly transparent, and has a softened, transparent, brightness.
Other kinds, again, are valued for their mellowed tints, like the
colour of boiled honey in appearance. It ought to be known,
however, that any colour can be imparted to amber that may
be desired, it being sometimes stained with kid-suet and root
of alkanet; indeed, at the present day, amber is dyed purple
even. When a vivifying heat has been imparted to it by
rubbing it between the fingers, amber will attract chaff, dried
leaves, and thin bark, just in the same way that the magnet
attracts iron. Pieces of amber, steeped in oil, burn with a more
brilliant and more lasting flame than pith of flax.
95
So highly valued is this as an object of luxury, that a very
diminutive human effigy, made of amber, has been known to sell
at a higher price than living men even, in stout and vigorous
health. This single ground for censure, however, is far from
being sufficient; in Corinthian objects of vertu, it is the copper
that recommends them, combined with silver and gold; and in
embossed works it is the skill and genius of the artist that
is so highly esteemed. We have already said what it is that
recommends vessels of murrhine and of crystal; pearls, too, are
of use for wearing upon the head, and gems upon the fingers.
In the case of all other luxuries, in fact, it is either a spirit of
ostentation or some utility that has been discovered in them
that pleads so strongly in their behalf; but in that of amber
we have solely the consciousness that we are enjoying a luxury,
and nothing more. Domitius Nero, among the other portentous
extravagances of his life, bestowed this name upon the
ringlets of his wife Poppæa, and, in certain verses of his, he has
even gone so far as to call them "succini." As fine names,
too, are never wanting for bodily defects, a third tint has been
introduced of late for hair among our ladies, under the name of
"amber-colour."
Amber, however, is not without its utility in a medicinal
point of view; though it is not for this reason that the women
are so pleased with it. It is beneficial for infants also, attached
to the body in the form of an amulet; and, according to Callistratus,
it is good for any age, as a preventive of delirium and as
a cure for strangury, either taken in drink or attached as an
amulet to the body. This last author, too, has invented a new
variety of amber; giving the name of "chryselectrum"
96 to an
amber of a golden colour, and which presents the most beautiful
tints in the morning. This last kind attracts flame, too,
with the greatest rapidity, and, the moment it approaches the
fire, it ignites. Worn upon the neck, he says, it is a cure
for fevers and other diseases, and, triturated with honey and
oil of roses, it is good for maladies of the ears. Beaten up
with Attic honey, it is good for dimuess of sight; and the
powder of it, either taken by itself or with gum mastich in
water, is remedial for diseases of the stomach. Amber, too, is
greatly in request for the imitation of the transparent precious
stones, amethystos in particular: for, as already stated, it
admits of being dyed of every colour.
CHAP. 13.—LYNCURIUM: TWO ASSERTED REMEDIES.
The pertinacity that has been displayed by certain authors
compels me to speak of lyncurium
97 next; for even those who
maintain that it is not a variety of amber, still assure us that
it is a precious stone. They assert, too, that it is a product of
the urine of the lynx and of a kind of earth, the animal
covering up the urine the moment it has voided it, from a
jealousy that man should gain possession of it; a combination
which hardens into stone. The colour of it, they inform us,
like that of some kinds of amber, is of a fiery
98 hue, and it admits,
they say, of being engraved. They assert, too, that this
substance attracts
99 to itself not only leaves or straws, but thin
plates of copper even or of iron; a story which Theophrastus
even believes, on the faith of a certain Diocles.
For my own part, I look upon the whole of these statements
as untrue, and I do not believe that in our time there
has ever been a precious stone seen with such a name as this.
I regard, too, the assertions that have been made as to its
medicinal properties, as equally false; to the effect that, taken
in drink, it disperses urinary calculi, and that, taken in wine,
or only looked at, it is curative of jaundice.
CHAP. 14.—THE VARIOUS PRECIOUS STONES, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING
TO THEIR PRINCIPAL COLOURS.
We will now proceed to speak of the various kinds of precious
stones, the existence of which is generally admitted,
beginning with those which are the most highly esteemed.
Nor shall we content ourselves with doing this only; but, with
the view of consulting the general welfare of mankind, we
shall also refute the infamous lies that have been promulgated
by the magicians: for it is with reference to precious stones,
more particularly, that they have circulated most of their
fabulous stories, stepping, under that most alluring guise of
ascertaining remedial virtues, beyond all bounds, and entering
the region of the marvellous.
CHAP. 15. (4.)—ADAMAS: SIX VARIETIES OF IT. TWO REMEDIES.
The substance that possesses the greatest value, not only
among the precious stones, but of all human possessions, is
adamas;
100 a mineral which, for a long time, was known to kings
only, and to very few of them. Such was the name given to
a nodosity of gold,
101 sometimes, though but rarely, found in the
mines, in close proximity with gold, and only there to be
found, it was thought. The ancients supposed that adamas
was only to be discovered in the mines of Æthiopia,
102 between
the Temple of Mercury and the island of Meroë; and they
have informed us that it was never larger than a cucumber-seed,
or differing at all from it in colour.
At the present day, for the first time, there are no less than
six different varieties of it recognized. The Indian adamas is
found, not in a stratum of gold, but in a substance of a
kindred nature to crystal; which it closely resembles in its
transparency and its highly polished hexangular and hexahedral
103
form. In shape it is turbinated, running to a point at
either extremity, and closely resembling, marvellous to think
of, two cones united at the base. In size, too, it is as large
even as a hazel-nut. Resembling that of India, is the adamas
104
of Arabia, which is found in a similar bed, but not so large in
size. Other varieties have a pallid hue like that of silver,
and are only to be found in the midst of gold of the very
finest quality. These stones are tested upon the anvil, and
will resist the blow to such an extent, as to make the iron rebound
and the very anvil split asunder.
105 Indeed its hardness
is beyond all expression, while at the same time it quite sets
fire at defiance
106 and is incapable of being heated; owing to
which indomitable powers it is, that it has received the name
which it derives from the Greek.
107
One kind, about as large as a grain of millet in size, has been
called "cenchros,"
108 and another,
109 that is found in the gold
mines at Philippi, is known as the "Macedonian" adamas:
this last is about as large as a cucumber-seed in size. We next
come to the Cyprian
110 adamas, so called from its being found
in the Isle of Cyprus: it is of a colour somewhat inclining to
that of copper, but, in reference to its medicinal virtues, of
which we shall have to make further mention, it is the most
efficacious of them all. Next in succession to this we have
siderites,
111 a stone which shines like iron, and is more ponderous
than any of the others, but differs in its properties from them
all. For it breaks when struck by the hammer, and admits of
being perforated by other kinds of adamas; a thing which is
the case, also, with that of Cyprus: in short, these two are
degenerate stones, and only bear the name of "adamas" for
the purpose of enhancing their value.
Now with reference to those affinities and repugnances which
exist between certain objects, known to the Greeks as "sympathia"
and "antipathia," phænomena to which we have endeavoured
112
to draw attention thoughout these books, they nowhere
manifest themselves with greater distinctness than here.
This indomitable power, in fact, which sets at nought the
two most violent agents in Nature, fire, namely, and iron, is
made to yield before the blood of a he-goat.
113 The blood,
however must be no otherwise than fresh and warm; the stone,
too, must be well steeped in it, and then subjected to repeated
blows: and even then, it is apt to break both anvils and hammers
of iron, if they are not of the very finest temper. To
what spirit of research, or to what accident, are we indebted for
this discovery? or what conjecture can it have been, that first
led man to experiment upon a thing of such extraordinary
value as this, and that, too, with the most unclean
114 of all
animals? Surely a discovery, such as this, must have been due
solely to the munificence of the gods, and we must look for
the reason of it in none of the elementary operations of
Nature, but wholly in her will.
When, by good fortune, this stone does happen to be broken,
it divides into fragments so minute as to be almost imperceptible.
These particles are held in great request by engravers,
who enclose them in iron, and are enabled thereby, with the
greatest facility, to cut
115 the very hardest substances known.
So great is the antipathy borne by this stone to the magnet,
that when placed near, it will not allow of its attracting
iron; or if the magnet has already attracted the iron, it will
seize the metal and drag it away from the other.
116 Adamas,
too, overcomes and neutralizes poisons, dispels delirium, and
banishes groundless perturbations of the mind; hence it is
that some have given it the name of "ananchites."
117 Metrodorus
of Scepsis is the only author, that I know of, who says
that this stone is found also in Germany, and in the island of
Basilia,
118 where amber is found. He says, too, that this is preferable
to the stone of Arabia; but can there be any doubt
that his statement is incorrect?
CHAP. 16.—SMARAGDUS.
Next
119 in esteem with us are the pearls of India and Arabia,
of which we have already spoken in the Ninth Book,
120 when
treating of the marine productions.
(5.) The third rank, for many reasons, has been given to
the smaragdus.
121 Indeed there is no stone, the colour of which
is more delightful to the eye; for whereas the sight fixes itself
with avidity upon the green
122 grass and the foliage of the trees,
we have all the more pleasure in looking upon the smaragdus,
there being no green in existence of a more intense colour
123
than this. And then, besides, of all the precious stones, this is
the only one that feeds the sight without satiating it. Even
when the vision has been fatigued with intently viewing other
objects, it is refreshed by being turned upon this stone; and
lapidaries know of nothing that is more gratefully soothing to
the eyes, its soft green tints being wonderfully adapted for
assuaging lassitude, when felt in those organs.
And then, besides, when viewed from a distance, these stones
appear all the larger to the sight, reflecting as they do, their
green hues upon the circumambient air. Neither sunshine,
shade, nor artificial light effects any change in their appearance;
they have always a softened and graduated brilliancy; and
transmitting the light with facility, they allow the vision to
penetrate their interior; a property which is so pleasing, also,
with reference to water. In form they are mostly concave, so
as to re-unite the rays of light and the powers of vision:
and hence it is, that it is so universally agreed upon among
mankind to respect these stones, and to forbid their surface
124
to be engraved. In the case, however, of the stones of Scythia
and Egypt, their hardness is such, that it would be quite impossible
to penetrate them. When the surface of the smaragdus
is flat, it reflects the image of objects in the same manner as
a mirror. The Emperor Nero used to view
125 the combats of
the gladiators upon a smaragdus.
CHAP. 17.—TWELVE VARIETIES OF THE SMARAGDUS.
Of this stone there are no less than twelve different kinds;
of which the finest is the Scythian
126 smaragdus, so called from
the country where it is found. None of them has a deeper
colour than this, or is more free from defects: indeed, in the
same degree that the smaragdus is superior to other precious
stones, the Scythian smaragdus is superior to the other varieties.
Next in esteem to this, as also in locality, is the smaragdus
of Bactriana.
127 These stones are collected, it is said, in the
fissures of rocks, when the Etesian
128 winds prevail; a period
at which the earth that covers them is removed, and the stones
are detected by their brightness, the sands being greatly agitated
by the action of the winds. These last, however, are
much inferior, they say, to those of Scythia in size. The third
rank is held by the stones of Egypt,
129 which are extracted from
the hills in the vicinity of Coptos, a city of Thebais.
All the other kinds are found in copper-mines, and hence it
is that, of these varieties, the smaragdus of Cyprus holds the
highest rank. The merit of them consists in their clear colour,
which has nothing thin or diluted in it, but presents a rich
and humid transparency, closely resembling the tints of the
sea, in fact. Hence it is that these stones are at once diaphanous
and shining, or, in other words, reflect their colours and
allow the vision to penetrate within. They say that in this
island, upon the tomb of a petty king named Hermias, near
the fisheries
130 there, there was formerly a lion in marble, with
eyes made of smaragdi; the brilliancy of which penetrated
the sea to such a degree, as to alarm the tunnies and put them
to flight: a novel circumstance, which for a long time excited
wonder in the fishermen, till at last the stones in the statue
were changed for others.
CHAP. 18.—DEFECTS IN THE SMARAGDUS.
It will be only proper, too, seeing that the prices of these
stones are so exorbitant, to point out their defects. Some
defects, no doubt, are common to all of them, while others,
again, like those found in the human race, are peculiar only
to those of a certain country. Thus, for example, the stones
of Cyprus are not all green alike, and in the same smaragdus
some parts are more or less so than others, the stone not always
preserving that uniform deep tint which characterizes the smaragdus
of Scythia. In other instances, a shadow runs through
the stone, and the colour becomes dulled thereby; the consequence
of which is, that its value is depreciated; and even
more so, when the colour is thin and diluted.
In consequence of the defects
131 in these stones, they have
been divided into several classes. Some of them are obscure,
and are then known as "blind" stones; some have a certain
density, which impairs their transparency; others, again, are
mottled, and others covered with a cloud. This cloud, however,
is altogether different from the shadow above mentioned;
for it is a defect which renders the stone of a whitish hue, and
not of a transparent green throughout; presenting, as it does, in
the interior or upon the surface, a certain degree of whiteness
which arrests the vision. Other defects, again, in these stones,
are filaments, salt-like
132 grains, or traces of lead ore, faults
which are mostly common to them all.
Next after the kinds above described, the smaragdus of
Æthiopia is held in high esteem; being found, as Juba tells
us, at a distance of twenty-five days' journey from Coptos.
These are of a bright green, but are seldom to be met with perfectly
clear or of an uniform colour. Democritus includes in
this class the stones that are known as "herminei," and as
"Persian" stones; the former of which are of a convex,
massive shape, while the latter are destitute of transparency,
but have an agreeable, uniform colour, and satisfy the vision
without allowing it to penetrate them; strongly resembling, in
this respect, the eyes of cats and of panthers, which are radiant
without being diaphanous. In the sun, he says, they lose their
brilliancy, but they are radiant in the shade, the brightness of
them being seen at a greater distance than in the case of other
stones. One other fault, too, in all these stones is, that they
often have a colour like that of honey or rancid oil, or else
are clear and transparent, but not green.
These defects exist in the smaragdi of Attica,
133 more particularly,
which are found in the silver-mines there, at a place
known by the name of Thoricos.
134 These last are never so
massive as the others, and are always more pleasing to the
sight when viewed from a distance: lead ore, too, is often to
be detected in them, or, in other words, they have a leaden
appearance when looked at in the sun.
135 One peculiarity in
them is, that some of them become impaired by age, gradually
lose their green colour, and are even deteriorated by exposure
to the sun. Next to the stones of Attica come those of
Media, a variety which presents the most numerous tints of all,
and sometimes approaches sapphiros
136 in colour. These stones
are wavy,
137 and represent various natural objects, such as
poppy-heads, for example, birds, the young of animals, and
feathers: all of them appear naturally of a green colour, but
become improved by the application of oil. No stones of this
species are of a larger size than these.
I am not aware that any of these stones
138 are still in existence
at Chalcedon, the copper mines of that locality being now
exhausted: but be this as it may, they were always the smallest
in size and the most inferior in value. Brittle, and of a colour
far from distinctly pronounced, they resembled in their tints
the feathers that are seen in the tail of the peacock or on the
necks of pigeons.
139 More or less brilliant, too, according to the
angle at which they were viewed, they presented an appearance
like that of veins and scales. There was another defect, also,
peculiar to these stones, known as "sarcion," from the circumstance
that a kind of flesh
140 appeared to attach itself to the
stone. The mountain near Chalcedon, where these stones were
gathered, is still known by the name of "Smaragdites." Juba
informs us that a kind of smaragdus, known as "cloras,"
141 is
used in Arabia as an ornament for buildings, as also the stone
which by the people of Egypt is called "alabastrites." On the
same authority, too, we learn that there are several varieties
of the smaragdus in the neighbouring mountains, and that
stones like those of Media are found in Mount Taygetus,
142 as
also in Sicily.
CHAP. 19.—THE PRECIOUS STONE CALLED TANOS. CHALCOSMA-RAGDOS.
Among the smaragdi is also included the precious stone
known as "tanos."
143 It comes from Persia, and is of an
unsightly green, and of a soiled colour within. There is the
chalcosmaragdos
144 also, a native of Cyprus, the face of which is
mottled with coppery veins. Theophrastus relates that he
had found it stated in the Egyptian histories, that a king of
Babylon once sent to the king of Egypt a smaragdus
145 four
cubits in length by three in breadth. He informs us, also, that
in a temple of Jupiter in Egypt there was an obelisk made of
four smaragdi, forty cubits in length, and four in breadth at
one extremity, and two at the other. He says, too, that at
the period at which he wrote, there was in the Temple of Hercules
at Tyrus a large column made of a single smaragdus;
146
though very possibly it might only be pseudo-smaragdus, a
kind of stone not uncommonly found in Cyprus, where a block
had been discovered, composed, one half of smaragdus, and
one half of jasper,
147 and the liquid in which had not as yet
been entirely transformed. Apion, surnamed "Plistonices,"
148
has left a very recent statement, that there was still in existence,
in his time, in the Labyrinth of Egypt, a colossal statue
of Serapis made of a single smaragdus, nine cubits in height.
CHAP. 20.—BERYLS: EIGHT VARIETIES OF THEM. DEFECTS IN
BERYLS.
Beryls, it is thought, are of the same
149 nature as the smaragdus,
or at least closely analogous. India
150 produces them, and
they are rarely to be found elsewhere. The lapidaries cut all
beryls of an hexagonal
151 form; because the colour, which is
deadened by a dull uniformity of surface, is heightened by the
reflection resulting from the angles. If they are cut in any
other way, these stones have no brilliancy whatever. The most
esteemed beryls are those which in colour resemble the pure
green of the sea;
152 the chrysoberyl
153 being next in value, a stone
of a somewhat paler colour, but approaching a golden tint.
Closely allied to this last in its brilliancy, but of a more pallid
colour, and thought by some to constitute a separate genus, is
chrysoprasus.
154 In the fourth rank are reckoned the hyacinthine
beryls; and in the fifth, those known as "aëroides."
155
Next, we have the wax-coloured beryls, and, after them, the
oleaginous beryls, so called from the resemblance of their colour
to that of oil. Last of all, there are the stones which closely
resemble crystal in appearance; mostly disfigured by spots and
filaments, and of a poor, faint, colour as well; all of them so
many imperfections in the stone.
The people of India are marvellously fond of beryls of an
elongated
156 form, and say that these are the only precious stones
they prefer wearing without the addition of gold: hence it is
that, after piercing them, they string them upon the bristles of
the elephant. It is generally agreed, however, that those
stones should not be perforated which are of the finest quality;
and in this case they only enclose the extremities of them in
studs of gold. They prefer, too, cutting the beryls in a cylindrical
form, instead of setting them as precious stones; an elongated
shape being the one that is most highly esteemed. Some
are of opinion that beryls are naturally angular,
157 and that
when pierced they become improved in colour; the white substance
being thus removed that lies within, and their brilliancy
heightened by the reflection of the gold in which they are set;
or, at all events, their transparency being increased by this
diminution in their thickness. In addition to the defects
already
158 mentioned, and which are pretty nearly the same as
those to which the smaragdus is subject, beryls are affected with
cloudy spots,
159 like those on the finger-nails in appearance. In
our own part of the world, it is thought that they are sometimes
found in the countries that lie in the vicinity of Pontus.
160 The
people of India, by colouring crystal, have found a method of
imitating various precious stones, beryls in particular.
CHAP. 21. (6.)—OPALS: SEVEN VARIETIES OF THEM.
Opals
161 are at once very similar to, and very different from,
beryls, and only yield to the smaragdus in value. India, too,
is the sole
162 parent of these precious stones, thus completing
her glory as being the great producer of the most costly gems.
Of all precious stones, it is opal that presents the greatest difficulties
of description, it displaying at once the piercing fire
of carbunculus,
163 the purple brilliancy of amethystos, and the
sea-green of smaragdus, the whole blended together and refulgent
with a brightness that is quite incredible. Some authors
have compared the effect of its refulgence to that of the colour
known as Armenian
164 pigment, while others speak of it as resembling
the flame of burning sulphur, or of flame fed with
oil. In size, the opal is about as large as a hazel-nut,
165 and,
with reference to it, there is a remarkable historical anecdote
related. For there is still in existence a stone of this class, on
account of which Antonius proscribed the senator Nonius, son
of the Nonius Struma, whom the poet Catullus
166 was so displeased
at seeing in the curule chair, and grandfather of the
Servilius Nonianus, who in our own times was consul.
167 On
being thus proscribed, Nonius took to flight, carrying with
him, out of all his wealth, nothing but this ring, the value of
which, it is well known, was estimated at two millions of sesterces.
How marvellous must have been the cruelty, how marvellous
the luxurious passion of Antonius, thus to proscribe a
man for the possession of a jewel! and no less marvellous must
have been the obstinacy of Nonius, who could thus dote upon
what had been the cause of his proscription; for we see the
very brutes even tear off the portion of their body for the sake
of which they know their existence to be imperilled,
168 and so
redeem themselves by parting with it.
CHAP. 22.—DEFECTS IN OPALS: THE MODES OF TESTING THEM.
Defects in opal are, a colour inclining to that of the flower
called heliotropium,
169 or to that of crystal or of hailstones; saltlike
grains intervening; roughness on the surface; or sharp
points, presenting themselves to the eye. There is no stone
that is imitated by fraudulent dealers with more exactness than
this, in glass, the only mode of detecting the imposition being
by the light of the sun. For when a false
170 opal is held between
the finger and thumb, and exposed to the rays of that luminary,
it presents but one and the same transparent colour throughout,
limited to the body of the stone: whereas the genuine opal
offers various refulgent tints in succession, and reflects now
one hue and now another, as it sheds its luminous brilliancy
upon the fingers.
This stone, in consequence of its extraordinary beauty, has
been called "pæderos"
171 by many authors; and some who make
a distinct species of it, say that it is the same as the stone that in
India is called "sangenon." These last-mentioned stones, it
is said, are found in Egypt also, Arabia, and, of very inferior
quality, in Pontus. Galatia, too, is said to produce them, as
also Thasos and Cyprus. The finest in quality of them have
all the beauty of opal, but they are of a softer brilliancy, and
are mostly rough on the surface. Their colour is a mixture of
sky-blue and purple, and the green hues of the smaragdus are
wanting: those, too, are preferred, which have their brilliancy
deepened by a vinous hue, rather than those which have their
colours diluted, as it were, with water.
CHAP. 23.—SARDONYX; THE SEVERAL VARIETIES OF IT. DEFECTS
IN THE SARDONYX.
Thus far we have spoken in reference to the stones, which,
it is generally agreed, belong to the highest rank; in obedience,
more particularly, to a decree
172 that has been passed by the
ladies to that effect. There is less certainty with respect to
those upon which the men as well have been left to form a
judgment; seeing that the value of each stone depends more
particularly upon the caprice of the individual and the rivalry
that exists in reference thereto; as, for example, when Claudius
Cæsar was so much in the habit of wearing the smaragdus and
the sardonyx.
173 The first Roman who wore a sardonyx, according
to Demostratus, was the elder Africanus, since whose
time this stone has been held in very high esteem at Rome: for
which reason, we shall give it the next place after the opal.
By sardonyx, as the name
174 itself indicates, was formerly understood
a sarda with a white ground beneath it, like the flesh
beneath the human finger-nail; both parts of the stone being
equally transparent. Such, according to Ismenias, Demostratus,
Zenothemis, and Sotacus, is the sardonyx of India; the last
two giving the name of "blind" sardonyx to all the other
stones of this class which are not transparent, and which have
now entirely appropriated the name to themselves. For, at
the present day, the Arabian sardonyx presents no traces whatever
of the Indian sarda,
175 it being a stone that has been found
to be characterized by several different colours of late; black
or azure for the base, and vermilion, surrounded with a line of
rich white, for the upper part, not without a certain glimpse
176
of purple as the white passes into the red.
177
We learn from Zenothemis that in his time these stones
were not held by the people of India in any high esteem, although
they are found there of so large a size as to admit of
the hilts of swords being made of them. It is well known, too,
that in that country they are exposed to view by the mountain-streams,
and that in our part of the world they were formerly
valued from the fact that they are nearly the only ones
178 among
the engraved precious stones that do not bring away the wax
when an impression is made. The consequence is, that our
example has at last taught the people of India to set a value
upon them, and the lower classes there now pierce them even,
to wear them as ornaments for the neck; the great proof, in
fact, at the present day, of a sardonyx being of Indian origin.
Those of Arabia are remarkable for their marginal line of
brilliant white, of considerable breadth, and not glistening in
hollow fissures in the stone or upon the sides, but shining upon
the very surface, at the margin, and supported by a ground
intensely black beneath. In the stones of India, this ground
is like wax in colour,
179 or else like cornel, with a circle also of
white around it. In some of these stones, too, there is a play
of colours like those of the rainbow, while the surface is redder
even than the shell of the sea-locust.
180
Those stones which are like honey in appearance, or of a
fæculent
181 colour—such being the name given to one defect in
them—are generally disapproved of. They are rejected also
when the white zone blends itself with the other colours, and
its limits are not definitely marked; or if, in like manner, it is
irregularly intersected by any other colour; it being looked
upon as an imperfection if the regularity of any one of the
colours is interrupted by the interposition of another. The
sardonyx of Armenia is held in some esteem, but the zone
round it is of a pallid hue.
CHAP. 24.—ONYX: THE SEVERAL VARIETIES OF IT.
We must give some account also of onyx,
182 because of
the name which it partly shares in common with sardonyx.
This name, though in some places
183 given to a marble, is
here used to signify a precious stone. Sudines says, that in this
stone there is a white portion which resembles the white of
the human-finger nail, in addition to the colours of chrysolithos,
sarda, and iaspis. According to Zenothemis, there are numerous
varieties of the Indian onyx, the fiery-coloured, the black, and
the cornel, with white veins encircling them, like an eye as it
were, and in some cases running across them obliquely.
184
Sotacus mentions an Arabian onyx, which differs from the rest;
that of India, according to him, presenting small flames,
185 each
surrounded by one or more white zones; in a manner altogether
different from the Indian sardonyx, which presents a series of
white specks, while in this case it is one continuous circle.
The Arabian onyx, on the other hand, is black, he says, with a
white zone encircling it.
Satyrus says, that there is an onyx in India of a flesh
colour,
186 partly resembling carbuneulus, and partly chrysolithos
and amethystos; a variety, however, which he altogether
disapproves of. The real onyx, according to him, has numerous
veins of variegated colours, interspersed with others of a milk-white
hue; the shades of which, as they pass into one another,
produce a tint which surpasses all description, and blends itself
into one harmonious whole, of a most beautiful appearance.
Not unlike sardonyx, too, is sarda,
187 a stone which also has,
in part, a kindred name with it; but before passing on to it,
we must first take some notice of all those precious stones which
have a brilliancy like that of flame.
CHAP. 25. (7.)—CARBUNCULUS: TWELVE VARIETIES OF IT.
In the first rank among these is carbunculus,
188 so called from
its resemblance to fire; though in reality it is proof against the
action of that element:
189 hence it is that some persons call
these stones "acaustoi."
190 There are various kinds of carbunculus,
the Indian and the Garamantic, for example, which last
has been also called the Carchedonian,
191 in compliment to the
former opulence of Great Carthage.
192 To these are added the
Æthiopian and the Alabandic stones, the latter of which are
found at Orthosia
193 in Caria, but are cut and polished at Alabanda.
194
In addition to this, each kind is subdivided into the
male carbunculus and the female, the former of which is of a
more striking brilliancy, the brightness of the latter being not
so strong. In the male varieties too, we see some in which
the fire is clearer than in others; while some, again, are of a
darker
195 hue, or else have their brilliancy more deeply seated,
and shine with a more powerful lustre than others when viewed
in the sun.
The most highly esteemed, however, is the amethyst-coloured
196
stone, the fire at the extremity of which closely
approaches the violet tint of amethystos: next in value to
which, are the stones known as "syrtites," radiant with a
wavy, feathery,
197 refulgence. They are found more particularly,
it is said, where the reflection is most powerful of the
rays of the sun. Satyrus says that the carbunculus
198 of India
has no lustre, that it is mostly soiled, and that in all cases its
brilliancy is of a tawny complexion. The Æthiopian stones,
he says, are dense, emit no lustre, and burn with a concentrated
flame. According to Callistratus, the refulgence of this stone
should be of a whitish hue, and, when placed upon a table, it
should heighten by its lustre other stones placed near it that
are clouded at the edge. Hence it is, that many writers speak
of this stone as the white carbunculus, while the Indian stone,
with its comparatively feeble lustre, is known by the name of
" lignyzon."
199 The Carchedonian stones, they say, are of much
smaller size than the others; but those of India admit of being
hollowed out, and making vessels that will hold as much as
one sextarius
200 even.
According to Archelaüs, the Carchedonian carbunculus is of
a more swarthy appearance than the others, but, when exposed
to the light of the fire or sun, and viewed obliquely, the brilliancy
of it is much more intense than that of the rest. He says,
too, that this stone, when overshadowed by a roof, has a purple
tint; that when viewed in the open air, it is of a flame colour;
and that, when exposed to the rays of the sun, it scintillates.
He states also that wax, if sealed with these stones, in the
shade even, will melt. Many authors have asserted that the
Indian stones are paler than the Carchedonian, and that, quite
the converse of these last, they are all the less brilliant when
viewed obliquely; as also, that in the male Carchedonian stone
there are luminous points like stars within, while, in the case
of the female stone, the whole of its refulgence is thrown beyond
it. The stones of Alabanda too, it is said, are darker than
the other kinds, and rough on the surface. In the vicinity
also of Miletus, there are stones of this description found in the
earth, resembling those of Alabanda in colour, and proof against
the action of fire.
According to Theophrastus,
201 these stones are to be found also
at Orchomenus in Arcadia and in the Isle of Chios;
202 the former
203
of which are of a darker hue, and are used for making mirrors.
He says too, that at Trœzen they are found of various colours
and mottled with white spots, those found at Corinth being
of a more pallid, whitish, hue. He states also, that they are
sometimes imported from Massilia. Bocchus informs us in his
writings, that these stones are extracted from the ground at
Olisipo;
204 at the cost of great labour, however, in consequence
of the parched, argillaceous, nature of the soil.
CHAP. 26.—DEFECTS IN CARBUNCULUS, AND THE MODE OF
TESTING IT.
Nothing is more difficult than to distinguish the several
varieties of this stone, so great an opportunity do they afford
to artistic skill of compelling them to reflect the colours of
substances placed beneath. It is possible, they say, to heighten
the brilliancy of dull stones, by steeping them for fourteen
days in vinegar, this adventitious lustre being retained by them
as many months. They are counterfeited, too, with great exactness
in glass; but the difference may be detected with the
touchstone; the same being the case also with other artificial
stones, as the material is always of a softer nature and comparatively
brittle. When thus tested by the stone, hard knots,
too, are detected in them; and the weight of the glass counterfeit
is always less. In some cases, too, they present small blisters
within, which shine like silver.
CHAP. 27. —ANTHRACITIS.
There is also a fossil stone found in Thesprotia, known as
"anthracitis,"
205 and resembling a burning coal
206 in appearance.
Those who have stated that it is a native also of Liguria, are
mistaken, in my opinion, unless perhaps it was to be found
there in their time. Some of these stones, they say, are surrounded
with a vein of white. Like those which we have
mentioned above, they have a fiery colour, but there is this
peculiarity in them, that when thrown into the fire they have all
the appearance of becoming quenched and deadened; while, on
the other hand, if they are drenched with water, they become
doubly glowing.
207
CHAP. 28. —SANDASTROS. SANDARESOS.
Of a kindred nature, too, is sandastros,
208 known as "garamantites"
by some: it is found in India, at a place of that
name, and is a product also of the southern parts of Arabia.
The great recommendation of it is, that it has all the appearance
of fire placed behind a transparent substance, it burning with
star-like scintillations within, that resemble drops of gold, and
209
are always to be seen in the body of the stone, and never upon
the surface. There are certain religious associations, too, connected
with this stone, in consequence of the affinity which it
is supposed to bear with the stars; these scintillations being
mostly, in number and arrangement, like the constellations of
the Pleiades and Hyades; a circumstance which had led to the
use of it by the Chaldæi in the ceremonials which they practise.
Here, too, the male stones are distinguished from the female,
by their comparative depth of colour and the vigorousness of
the tints which they impart to objects near them: indeed the
stones of India, it is said, quite dim the sight by their brilliancy.
The flame of the female sandastros is of a more softened nature,
and may be pronounced to be lustrous rather than brilliant.
Some prefer the stone of Arabia to that of India, and say that
this last bears a considerable resemblance to a smoke-coloured
chrysolithos. Ismenias asserts that sandastros, in consequence
of its extreme softness, will not admit of being polished, a
circumstance which makes it sell all
210 the dearer: other writers,
again, call these stones "sandrisitæ." One point upon which
all the authorities are agreed is, that the greater the number
of stars upon the stone, the more costly it is in price.
The similarity of the name has sometimes caused this stone to be
confounded with that known as "sandaresos," and which Nicander
calls "sandaserion," and others "sandaseron." Some, again,
call this last-mentioned stone "sandastros," and the former one
"sandaresos." The stone
211 that is thus mentioned by Nicander,
is a native of India as well as the other, and likewise takes
its name from the locality where it is found. The colour of
it is that of an apple, or of green oil, and no one sets any
value on it.
CHAP. 29.—LYCHNIS: FOUR VARIETIES OF IT.
To the same class of flame-coloured stones belongs that
known as "lychnis;"
212 so called from its lustre being height-
ened by the light of the lamp, under which circumstances its
tints are particularly pleasing. It is found in the vicinity of
Orthosia, throughout the whole of Caria, and in the neighbouring
localities; but the most approved stones are those that
come from India. Some writers have given the name of "deadened"
213
carbunculus to a lychnis of second-rate quality, and
similar in colour to the flower known as the "flower of Jove."
214
I find other varieties also mentioned, one with a purple radiance,
and another of a scarlet
215 tint. It is asserted, too, that these
stones, when heated or rubbed between the fingers, will attract
216
chaff and filaments of paper.
CHAP. 30.—CARCHEDONIA.
Carchedonia,
217 too, is said to have the same property, though
far inferior in value to the stones already mentioned. It is
found in the mountains among the Nasamones,
218 being produced,
the natives think, by showers sent for the purpose from
heaven. These stones are found by the light of the moon,
more particularly when at full: in former days, Carthage was
the entrepô for them. Archelaüs speaks of a brittle variety being
found in the vicinity of Thebes also, in Egypt, full of veins,
and similar to dying embers in appearance. I find it stated,
too, that in former times, drinking-vessels used to be made of
this stone and of lychnis:
219 all these kinds of stone, however,
offer the most obstinate resistance to the graver, and, if used
for seals, are apt to bring away a part of the wax.
CHAP. 31.—SARDA : FIVE VARIETIES OF IT.
Sarda,
220 on the other hand, is remarkably useful for this
purpose; a stone which shares its name, in part, with sardonyx.
It is a common stone, and was first found at Sardes, but the
most esteemed kind is that of the vicinity of Babylon. When
certain quarries are being worked, these stones are found,
adhering, like a kind of heart, to the interior of the rock. This
mineral, however, is said to be now extinct in Persia; though
it is to be found in numerous other localities, Paros and Assos,
for example.
In India
221 there are three varieties of this stone; the red
sarda, the one known as "pionia," from its thickness, and a third
kind, beneath which they place a ground of silver tinsel. The
Indian stones are transparent, those of Arabia being more
opaque. There are some found also in the vicinity of Leucas
in Epirus, and in Egypt, which have a ground placed beneath
them of leaf gold. In the case of this stone, too, the male
stone shines with a more attractive brilliancy than the female,
which is of a thicker substance, and more opaque. Among the
ancients there was no precious stone in more common use than
this; at all events, it is this stone that is made so much parade
of in the comedies of Menander and Philemon. No one, too,
among the transparent stones is tarnished more speedily by exposure
to moisture than this; though of all liquids, it is oil
that acts the most readily upon it. Those stones which are
like honey in colour, are generally disapproved of, and still
more so, when they have the complexion of earthenware.
222
CHAP. 32. (8.)—TOPAZOS: TWO VARIETIES OF IT.
Topazos
223 is a stone that is still held in very high estimation
for its green tints: indeed, when it was first discovered, it was
preferred to every other kind of precious stone. It so happened
that some Troglodytic pirates, suffering from tempest and
hunger, having landed upon an island off the coast of Arabia
known as Cytis,
224 when digging there for roots and grass,
discovered this precious stone: such, at least, is the opinion
expressed by Archelaüs. Juba says that there is an island in the
Red Sea called "Topazos,"
225 at a distance of three hundred
stadia from the main land; that it is surrounded by fogs, and
is often sought by navigators in consequence; and that, owing
to this, it received its present name,
226 the word "topazin"
meaning "to seek," in the language of the Troglodytæ. He
states also, that Philon, the king's præfect, was the first to bring
these stones from this island; that, on his presenting them to
Queen Berenice, the mother of the second Ptolemæus, she was
wonderfully pleased with them; and that, at a later period, a
statue, four cubits in height, was made of this stone,
227 in honour
of Arsinoë, the wife of Ptolemæus Philadelphus, it being consecrated
in the temple known as the "Golden Temple."
The most recent writers say that this stone is found also in
the vicinity of Alabastrum, a city of Thebais, and they distinguish
two varieties of it, the prasoïdes
228 and the chrysopteron;
229
which last is similar to chrysoprasus,
230 all the shades of it
tending, more or less, to resemble the colouring principle of
the leek. Topazos is the largest of all the precious stones,
and is the only one among those of high value that yields to
the action of the file, the rest being polished by the aid of
stone of Naxos.
231 It admits, too, of being worn by use.
CHAP. 33.—CALLAINA.
With this stone we must also couple another, which resembles
it more closely in appearance than in value, the stone known
as "callaina,"
232 and of a pale green colour. It is found in the
countries
233 that lie at the back of India, among the Phycari,
namely, who inhabit Mount Caucasus, the Sacæ, and the
Dahæ. It is remarkable for its size, but is covered with holes
and full of extraneous matter; that, however, which is found
in Carmania is of a finer quality, and far superior. In both
cases, however, it is only amid frozen and inaccessible rocks that
it is found, protruding from the surface, like an eye in appearance,
and slightly adhering to the rock; not as though it formed
an integral part of it, but with all the appearance of having
been attached to it. People so habituated as they are to riding
on horseback, cannot find the energy and dexterity requisite
for climbing the rocks to obtain the stones, while, at the same
time, they are quite terrified at the danger of doing so. Hence
it is, that they attack the stones with slings from a distance,
and so bring them down, moss and all. It is with this stone
that the people pay their tribute, and this the rich look upon
as their most graceful ornament for the neck.
234 This constitutes
the whole of their wealth, with some, and it is their chief
glory to recount how many of these stones they have brought
down from the mountain heights since the days of their childhood.
Their success, however, is extremely variable;
235 for while
some, at the very first throw, have brought down remarkably
fine specimens, many have arrived at old age without obtaining
any.
Such is the method of procuring these stones; their form
being given them by cutting, a thing that is easily effected.
The best of them have just the colour of smaragdus, a thing
that proves that the most pleasing property in them is one that
belongs of right to another stone. Their beauty is heightened
by setting them in gold, and there is no stone to which the
contrast of the gold is more becoming. The finest of them lose
their colour by coming in contact with oil, unguents, or undiluted
wine even; whereas those of a poorer quality preserve
their colour better. There is no stone, too, that is more easily
counterfeited in glass. Some writers say, that this stone is to
be found in Arabia also, in the nest of the bird known as the
"melancoryphus."
236
CHAP. 34.—PRASIUS; THREE VARIETIES OF IT.
There are numerous other kinds also of green stones. To
the more common class belongs prasius;
237 one variety of which
is disfigured with spots
238 like blood, while another kind is
marked with three streaks of white. To all these stones
chrysoprasus
239 is preferred, which is also similar to the colouring
matter of the leek, but varies in tint between topazos and gold.
This stone is found of so large a size as to admit of drinking-
boats
240
even being made of it, and is cut into cylinders very
frequently.
CHAP. 35.—NILION.
India, which produces these stones, produces nilion
241 also, a
stone that differs from the last in its dull, diminished lustre,
which, when steadily looked upon, soon fades from the sight.
Sudines says that it is to be found also in the Siberus, a river of
Attica. In appearance it resembles a smoke-coloured topazos, or,
in some cases, a topazos with a tint like honey. According to
Juba, Æthiopia produces it, upon the shores of the river known
to us as the Nilus; to which circumstance, he says, it owes its
name.
CHAP. 36.—MOLOCHITIS.
Molochitis
242 is not transparent, being of a deeper green, and
more opaque than smaragdus; its name is derived from the
mallow,
243 which it resembles in colour. It is highly esteemed
for making seals, and it is endowed by Nature with medicinal
properties which render it a preservative for infants against
certain dangers which menace them. This stone is a native of
Arabia.
244
CHAP. 37.—IASPIS; FOURTEEN VARIETIES OF IT. DEFECTS FOUND
IN IASPIS.
Iaspis,
245 too, is green, and often transparent; a stone which, if
surpassed by many others, still retains the renown which it
acquired in former times. Many countries produce this stone:
that of India is like smaragdus in colour; that of Cyprus is
hard, and of a full sea-green; and that of Persia is sky-blue,
whence its name, "aërizusa."
246 Similar to this last is the
Caspian iaspis. On the banks of the river Thermodon the
iaspis is of an azure colour; in Phrygia, it is purple; and in
Cappadocia of an azure purple, sombre, and not refulgent.
Amisos
247 sends us an iaspis like that of India in colour, and
Chalcedon,
248 a stone of a turbid hue.
But it is of less consequence to distinguish the several localities
that furnish it, than it is to remark upon the degrees of
excellence which they present. The best kind is that which
has a shade of purple, the next best being the rose-coloured,
and the next the stone with the green colour of the smaragdus;
to each of which the Greeks have given names
249 according to
their respective tints. A fourth kind, which is called by them
"boria,"
250 resembles in colour the sky of a morning in autumn;
this, too, will be the same that is known as "aërizusa."
251 There
is an iaspis also which resembles sarda
252 in appearance, and
another with a violet tint. Not less numerous, too, are the
other kinds that are left undescribed; but they are all blue to
a fault,
253 or else resemble crystal in appearance, or the tints of
the myxa
254 plum. There is the terebenthine
255-coloured iaspis
also; improperly so called, in my opinion, as it has all the appearance
of being a composition of numerous gems of this description.
The best of these stones are set in an open bezel, the gold of
which only embraces the margins of the stone, leaving the
upper and lower surfaces uncovered. One great defect in
them is a subdued lustre, and a want of refulgence when
viewed from a distance. Grains also like salt appear within the
stone, and all the other defects which are common
256 to precious
stones in general. Sometimes they are imitated in glass; a fraud,
however, which may be easily detected, from the material
throwing out its refulgence, instead of concentrating it within
itself. To this class also belongs the stone called "sphragis,"
257
which is only reckoned as belonging to the domain of precious
stones, from the circumstance that it is the best of all for
making signets.
258
(9.) Throughout all the East, it is the custom, it is said, to
wear iaspis by way of amulet. The variety of this stone
which resembles smaragdus in colour is often found with a
white line running transversely through the middle; in which
case it is known as "monogrammos:"
259 when it is streaked
with several lines, it is called "polygrammos."
260 Here, too, I
may take the opportunity of exposing the falsehoods
261 of the
magicians, who pretend that this stone is beneficial for persons
when speaking in public. There is a stone also that is formed of
iaspis and onyx combined, and is known as "iasponyx."
262 Sometimes
this stone has a clouded appearance; sometimes it has
spots upon the surface like snow;
263 and sometimes it is stellated
with red spots.
264 One kind resembles salt of Megara
265 in
appearance, and another is known as capnias,
266 and looks as if
it had been smoked. We have seen in our day an iaspis
267
fifteen inches in length, of which a figure of Nero was made,
armed with a cuirass.
CHAP. 38.—CYANOS; THE SEVERAL VARIETIES OF IT.
We must also give a separate account of cyanos,
268 a name
which, until very recently, was given to a species of iaspis,
on account of its cærulean colour. The best kind is that of
Scythia,
269 the next best being the produce of Cyprus, and, last
of all, that of Egypt. An artificial
270 kind is much in use,
that is prepared by dyeing other substances; and this invention
is looked upon as one of the great glories of the kings
of Egypt, the name of the king who first discovered it being
still preserved in their annals. This stone, too, is divided into
male and female, and sometimes it has the appearance of being
powdered with a golden dust, in much the same way as sapphiros.
CHAP. 39.—SAPPHIROS.
For sapphiros,
271 too, is refulgent with spots
272 like gold. It is
also of an azure colour, though sometimes, but rarely, it is purple;
the best kind being that which comes from Media. In no
case, however, is this stone diaphanous; in addition to which,
it is not suited for engraving when intersected with hard particles
of a crystalline
273 nature. Those among them that have
the colour of cyanos are generally thought to be the male stones.
CHAP. 40.—AMETHYSTOS; FOUR VARIETIES OF IT. SOCONDION.
SAPENOS. PHARANITIS. APHRODITES BLEPHARON, ANTEROS, OR
PÆDEROS.
We will now commence with another class of precious stones,
those of a purple colour, or whose tints are derived from purple.
To the first rank belongs the amethystos
274 of India; a stone
which is also found in the part of Arabia that adjoins Syria
and is known as Petra, as also in Lesser Armenia, Egypt, and
Galatia; the very worst of all, and the least valued, being those
of Thasos and Cyprus. The name which these stones bear,
originates, it is said, in the peculiar tint of their brilliancy,
which, after closely approaching the colour of wine, passes off
into a violet without being fully pronounced; or else, according
to some authorities, in the fact that in their purple there
is something that falls short of a fiery colour, the tints fading
off and inclining to the colour of wine.
All these stones are transparent and of an agreeable violet
colour, and are easy
275 to engrave. Those of India have in
perfection the very richest shades of purple, and it is to attain
this colour that the dyers
276 in purple direct all their endeavours;
it presenting a fine mellowed appearance to the eye, and not
dazzling the sight, as in the case with the colours of the carbunculus.
Another variety approaches more nearly the hyacinth
in colour: the people of India call this tint "socon," and the
stone itself "socondion." A third stone of this class is of a
more diluted colour, and is known as "sapenos," being identical
with "pharanitis," so called from a country
277 on the
frontiers of Arabia that produces it. Of a fourth kind, the
colour is like that of wine; and in a fifth it borders very closely
upon that of crystal, the purple gradually passing off into
white. This last kind is but little valued; for a fine amethyst
should always have, when viewed sideways
278 and held up to the
light, a certain purple refulgence, like that of carbunculus,
slightly inclining to a tint of rose.
Some prefer giving these stones the name of "pæderos"
279 or
of "anteros,"
280 while to many they are known as "Venus'
281
eyelid," a name which would seem to be particularly appropriate
to the colour and general appearance of the gem. The
falsehoods of the magicians would persuade us that these stones
are preventive of inebriety, and that it is from this that they
have derived
282 their name. They tell us also, that if we inscribe
the names of the sun and moon upon this stone, and then
wear it suspended from the neck, with some hair of the cynocephalus
283
and feathers of the swallow, it will act as a preservative
against all noxious spells. It is said too, that worn in any
manner, this stone will ensure access to the presence of kings;
and that it will avert hail and the attacks of locusts, if a certain
prayer is also repeated which they mention. They make similar
promises, too, in reference to the smaragdus, if graven with the
figure of an eagle or of a scarabæus: statements which, in my
opinion, they cannot have committed to writing without a feeling
of contempt and derision for the rest of mankind.
CHAP. 41.—HYACINTHOS.
Very different from this stone is hyacinthos,
284 though partaking
of a colour that closely borders upon it. The great
difference between them is, that the brilliant violet which is
so refulgent in the amethystos, is diluted in the other stone.
Though pleasing at first sight, its beauty fades before the eye
is satiated; indeed, so far is it from satisfying the sight, that
it almost wholly fails to attract the eye, its lustre disappearing
more rapidly than the tints of the flower
285 known by the same
name.
CHAP. 42.—CHRYSOLITHOS: SEVEN VARIETIES OF IT.
Æthiopia, which produces hyacinthos, produces chrysolithos
286
also, a transparent stone with a refulgence like that of gold.
The stones of India are the most highly esteemed, as also those
found among the Tibareni,
287 provided these last are not of a
mottled hue. The worst in quality are those of Arabia, the
colour of them being turbid and mottled, and their brilliancy
interrupted by cloudy spots: even too, when they happen to
be limpid, they have all the appearance of being full, as it
were, of a peculiar dust. The best stones are those which,
when placed by the side of gold, impart to it a sort of whitish
hue, and so give it the appearance of silver. When this is the
case, they are set in a bezel that is open on either side; but
when the stone is of inferior quality, a ground of aurichalcum
288
is placed beneath.
CHAP. 43.—CHRYSELECTRUM.
Though it has now altogether gone out of use for jewellery,
there is a precious stone known as "chryselectrum,"
289 the colour
of which inclines to that of amber;
290 but only when viewed by
a morning
291 light. The stones of Pontus are known by their
lightness. Some of them are hard and reddish, while others,
again, are soft and of a soiled appearance. According to Bocchus,
these stones are found in Spain as well; in a spot where,
according to him, fossil crystal has been discovered, in sinking
to the water-level for wells.
292 He tells us also that he once
saw a chrysolithos twelve
293 pounds in weight.
CHAP. 44.—LEUCOCHRYSOS: FOUR VARIETIES OF IT.
There is also a stone known as "leucochrysos,"
294 with a
white vein running across it. To this class, too, belongs capnias;
295
a stone also which resembles glass in appearance; and
another which reflects a tint like that of saffron. These stones
are imitated in glass, to such a degree of perfection, that it is
impossible to distinguish them by the eye. The touch, however,
detects the difference, the imitation being not so cold as
the real stone.
CHAP. 45.—MELICHRYSOS. XUTHON.
To this class also belongs melichrysos,
296 a stone which has
all the appearance of pure honey, seen through transparent
gold. India produces these stones, and, although hard, they
are very brittle, but not unpleasing to the sight. The same
country, too, produces xuthon,
297 a stone much used by the lower
classes there.
CHAP. 46.—PÆDEROS, SANGENON, OR TENITES.
At the very head of the white stones is pæderos;
298 though
it may still be questionable to which of the colours it in
reality belongs. As to the name, it has been so much bandied
about among other precious stones of conspicuous beauty, that
it has quite assumed the privilege of being a synonymous
term
299 for all that is charming to the eye. Still, however, there
is one
300 stone in particular which fully merits all the commendation
that might be expected for a stone with so prepossessing
a name: for in itself it reunites the transparency of crystal,
the peculiar green of the sky, the deep tints of purple,
and a sort of bright reflex, like that of a golden-coloured
wine; a reflex, indeed, that is always the last to meet
the eye, but is always crowned with the lustrous hues of
purple. The stone, in fact, has all the appearance of having
been bathed in each of these tints, individually, and yet in the
whole of them at once. There is no precious stone either that
has a clearer water than this, or that presents a more pleasing
sweetness to the eye.
Pæderos of the finest quality comes from India, where it is
known as "sangenon;" the next best being that of Egypt,
called "tenites." That of third-rate quality is found in Arabia,
but it is rough upon the surface. Next, we have the stone of
Pontus, the radiance of which is softer than in that of Thasos,
which, in its turn, is of a more mellowed colour than the
stones of Galatia, Thrace, and Cyprus. The defects com-
monly found in these stones are, a want of brilliancy, a confusion
with colours which do not properly belong to them, and the
other imperfections which are found in stones in general.
301
CHAP. 47.—ASTERIA.
Next among the white stones is "asteria,"
302 a gem which
holds its high rank on account of a certain peculiarity in its
nature, it having a light enclosed within, in the pupil of an
eye as it were. This light, which has all the appearance of
moving within the stone, it transmits according to the angle of
inclination at which it is held; now in one direction, and
now in another. When held facing the sun, it emits white
rays like those of a star, and to this, in fact, it owes its name.
303
The stones of India are very difficult to engrave, those of Carmania being preferred.
CHAP. 48.—ASTRION.
Of a similar white radiance is the stone that is known as
"astrion,"
304 closely resembling crystal in its nature, and found
in India and upon the coasts of Pallene.
305 In the centre of it
there shines internally a brilliant star, with a refulgence like
that of the moon when full. Some will have it that this stone
receives its name from the fact that, when held opposite to the
stars, it absorbs the light they emit and then returns it. The
finest stones, they say, are those of Carmania, there being
none more entirely free from all defects. They add, also, that
a stone of inferior quality is known as "ceraunia,"
306 and that,
in the worst of all, the light is very similar to that given by a
lamp.
CHAP. 49.—ASTRIOTES.
Astriotes,
307 too, is a stone that is highly esteemed, and Zoroaster,
they say, has sung its wondrous praises as an adjunct of
the magic art.
CHAP. 50.—ASTROBOLOS.
Sudines says, that astrobolos
308 resembles the eye of a fish in
appearance, and that it has a radiant white refulgence when
viewed in the sun.
CHAP. 51.—CERAUNIA; FOUR VARIETIES OF IT.
Among the white stones also, there is one known as
"ceraunia,"
309 which absorbs the brilliancy of the stars. It is
of a crystalline formation, of a lustrous azure colour, and is a
native of Carmania. Zenothemis admits that it is white, but
asserts that it has the figure of a blazing star within. Some of
them, he says, are dull, in which case it is the custom to steep
them for some days in a mixture of nitre and vinegar; at the
end of which period the star makes its appearance, but gradually
dies away by the end of as many months.
Sotacus mentions also two other varieties of ceraunia, one
black and the other red; and he says that they resemble axes
in shape. Those which are black and round,
310 he says, are
looked upon as sacred, and by their assistance cities and fleets
are attacked and taken: the name given to them is "bætyli,"
those of an elongated form being known as "cerauniæ."
311 They
make out also that there is another kind, rarely to be met with,
and much in request for the practices of magic, it never being
found in any place but one that has been struck by lightning.
312
CHAP. 52.—IRIS; TWO VARIETIES OF IT.
The next name mentioned by these authors is that of the
stone called "iris;"
313 which is found, in a fossil state, in a
certain island of the Red Sea, forty miles distant from the city
of Berenice. It is partly composed of crystal, and hence it is
that some have called it "root of crystal." It takes its name
"iris" from the properties which it possesses; for, when
struck by the rays of the sun in a covered spot, it projects upon
the nearest walls the form and diversified colours of the rainbow;
continually changing its tints, and exciting admiration
by the great variety of colours which it presents. That it is
hexahedral in form, like crystal, is generally agreed; but some
say that it is rough on the sides and of unequal angles;
and that, when exposed to a full sun, it disperses the rays
that are thrown upon it, while at the same time, by throwing
out a certain brightness
314 before it, it illumines all objects
that may happen to be adjacent. The stone, however,
as already stated, only presents these colours when under
cover; not as though they were in the body of the stone
itself, but, to all appearance, as if they were the result of the
reflected light upon the surface of the wall. The best kind is
the one that produces the largest arcs, with the closest resemblance
to the rainbow.
"Iritis" is the name of another stone, similar to the last in
all other respects, but remarkable for its extreme hardness.
Horus says, in his writings, that this stone, calcined and triturated,
is a remedy for the bite of the ichneumon, and that it is
a native of Persia.
CHAP. 53.—LEROS.
The stone called "leros"
315 is similar in appearance, but does
not produce the same effects. It is a crystal, with streaks of
white and black running across it.
CHAP. 54.—ACHATES; THE SEVERAL VARIETIES OF IT. ACOPOS;
THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM IT. ALABASTRITIS; THE REMEDIES
DERIVED FROM IT. ALECTORIA. ANDRODAMAS. ARGYRODAMAS.
ANTIPATHES. ARABICA. AROMATITIS. ASBESTOS.
ASPISATIS. ATIZÖE. AUGETIS. AMPHIDANES OR CHRYSOCOLLA.
APHRODISIACA. APSYCTOS. ÆGYPTILLA.
Having now described the principal precious stones, classified
according to their respective colours, I shall proceed to mention
the rest of them in their alphabetical order.
(10.) Achates
316 was a stone formerly in high esteem, but
now held in none. It was first found in Sicily, near a river
of that name; but has since been discovered in numerous other
localities. In size it exceeds any other stones of this class,
and the varieties of it are numerous, the name varying accordingly.
Thus, for example, we have iaspachates,
317 cerachates,
318
smaragdachates,
319 hæmachates,
320 leucachates,
321 dendrachates,
322
marked with small shrubs, as it were; autachates,
323 which when
burnt has a smell like that of myrrh; and coralloachates,
324
spotted all over, like sapphiros, with drops of gold, and commonly
found in Crete, where it is also known as "sacred"
achates. This last, it is thought, is good for wounds inflicted
by spiders and scorpions; a property which I could really
believe to belong to the stones of Sicily, for, the moment they
breathe the air of that province, scorpions lose their venom.
The stones, too, that are found in India are possessed of
similar properties, and of other great and marvellous properties
as well; for they present the appearance in them of rivers,
325
woods,
326 beasts of burden, and forms even, like ivy
327 and the
trappings of horses. Medical men, too, make grinding-hones
328
of these stones, and indeed the very sight of them is beneficial
for the eyes: held in the mouth, they allay thirst. Those
found in Phrygia have no green in them, and those of Thebes
in Egypt are destitute of red and white veins. These last are
good as a counterpoison to the venom of the scorpion, and the
stones of Cyprus are held in similar repute. Some persons set
the highest value upon those stones which present a transparency
like that of glass. They are found also in Trachinia,
in the vicinity of Mount Œta, upon Mount Parnassus, in the
Isle of Lesbos, in Messene, where they resemble the flowers
that grow in the hedges, and at Rhodes.
The magicians make other distinctions in reference to these
stones: those, they tell us, which have spots upon them like
the spots on the lion's skin, are efficacious as a protection against
scorpions; and in Persia, they say, these stones are used, by
way of fumigation, for arresting tempests and hurricanes, and
for stopping the course of rivers, the proof of their efficacy
being their turning the water cold, if thrown into a boiling
cauldron. To be duly efficacious, they must be attached to the
body with hairs from a lion's mane. The hair, however, of
the hyæna is held in abomination for this purpose, as being a
promoter of discord in families. The stone that is of an uniform
colour renders athletes invincible, they say; the way of
testing it is to throw it, along with colouring matter, into a
pot full of oil; after being kept for a couple of hours gently on
the boil, if genuine, it will impart an uniform colour of vermilion
to the mixture.
Acopos
329 is a stone like nitre
330 in appearance, porous, and
starred with drops of gold: gently boiled with oil and applied
as an unguent, it relieves lassitude, if we choose to believe it.
Alabastritis
331 is a stone which comes from Alabastron in
Egypt and Damascus in Syria: it is of a white colour, spotted
with various other tints. Calcined with fossil salt and pulverized,
it is a cure for affections of the mouth and teeth, it is
said. Alectoria
332 is the name given to a stone that is found in
the crop of poultry, like crystal in appearance, and about as
large as a bean in size; Milo
333 of Crotona, some will have it,
was thought to be in the habit of carrying this stone about
him, a thing that rendered him invincible in his athletic contests.
Andradamas
334 has the shining colour of silver, like
adamas;
335 it is always quadrangular, like small cubes in shape.
The magicians are of opinion that it was thus named from the
fact that it subdues anger and violence in man. Whether
argyrodamas
336 is the same stone or not, authors do not inform
us. Antipathes
337 is a black stone, and not transparent: the mode
of testing it, is by boiling it in milk, to which, if genuine, it
imparts a colour like that of myrrh. A person might probably
expect to find some extraordinary virtues in this stone, seeing
that, among so many other substances possessed of antipathetic
properties, it is the only one that bears this name. The magicians
will have it that it possesses the power of counteracting
fascinations.
Arabica
338 is a stone which closely resembles ivory in appearance,
and, indeed, might easily be taken for it, were it not
for its superior hardness: persons who have this stone about
them, it is thought, will experience a cure of diseases of the
sinews. Aromatitis,
339 too, is a stone that is found in Arabia, as
also in the vicinity of Phiræ in Egypt: it is always full of
small stones, and like myrrh in colour and smell, a thing that
makes it much in request with ladies of rank.
340 Asbestos
341
is found in the mountains of Areadia, and is of an iron
colour. Democritus informs us that aspisatis
342 is a native
of Arabia, that it is of a fiery colour, and that patients
should wear it attached to the body with camels' dung; he
says, too, that it is found in the nests of certain birds
343 in
Arabia. The same writer also mentions another stone of this
name, that is found at Leucopetra in the same country, of a
silver colour, radiant, and an excellent preservative against
delirium. In India, he says, and on Mount Acidane in
Persia, there is a stone found that is known as "atizoë
344 of a
silver lustre, three fingers in length, like a lentil in shape,
possessed of a pleasant smell, and considered necessary by the
Magi at the consecration of a king. Augetis
345 is thought by
many to be identical with callaina.
346 Amphidanes,
347 which is
also known as "chrysocolla,"
348 is a stone found in that part of
India where the ants
349 throw up gold, and in it there are certain
square pieces, like gold in appearance. The nature of this
stone, it is asserted, is similar to that of the magnet; in addition
to which, it is said to have the property of increasing gold.
Aphrodisiaca
350 is a stone of a reddish white colour. Apsyctos,
351
when heated by fire, retains the warmth so long as
seven days; it is black and ponderous, and is streaked with
red veins. It is good too, it is thought, as a preservative
against cold. According to Iacchus, Ægyptilla
352 is a kind of
white and black sarda, intersected with veins; but the stone
commonly known by that name is black at the lower part, and
azure on the surface. It takes its name from the country that
produces it.
CHAP. 55.—BALANITES. BATRACHITIS. BAPTES. BELI OCULUS.
BELUS. BAROPTENUS OR BARIPPE. BOTRYITIS. BOSTRYCHITIS.
BUCARDIA. BRONTEA. BOLOS.
Of balamites
353 there are two kinds, the one of a greenish hue,
and the other like Corinthian bronze in appearance; the former
comes from Coptos, and the latter from Troglodytica. They
are both of them intersected by a flame-like vein, which runs
through the middle. Coptos, too, sends us batrachitis;
354 one
kind of which is like a frog in colour, another has the tint of
ebony, and a third is blackish inclining to red. Baptes
355 is a
soft stone, and of a most excellent smell. Beli oculus
356 is a
stone of a whitish hue, surrounding a black pupil in the middle,
which shines amid a lustre like that of gold. This stone, in
consequence of its singular beauty, has been consecrated to the
deity
357 held in the highest veneration by the people of Assyria.
According to Democritus, there is also a stone called belus,
and found at Arbela; it is about the size of a walnut, and
looks
358 like glass. Baroptenus or barippe is black, and covered
with knots of a white and blood-red colour: the use of it as
an amulet is avoided, as being apt to produce monstrosities.
Botryitis
359 is sometimes black and sometimes purple-red,
360
and resembles a bunch of grapes
361 in form, when making its
first appearance. Zoroaster says, that bostrychitis
362 is a stone
which is more like the hair of females than anything else.
Bucardia
363 resembles an ox-heart in appearance, and is only
found at Babylon. Brontea
364 is a stone like the head of a
tortoise, which falls with thunder, it is supposed: if too, we
are to believe what is said, it has the property of quenching
the fire in objects that have been struck by lightning. Bolos
365
is the name of a stone found in Iberia,
366 similar to a clod of
earth in appearance.
CHAP. 56.—CADMITIS. CALLAIS. CAPNITIS. CAPPADOCIA. CALLAICA.
CATOCHITIS. CATOPTRITIS. CEPITIS OR CEPOLATITIS.
CERAMITIS. CINÆDIA. CERITIS. CIRCOS. CORSOÏDES. CORALLOACHATES.
CORALLIS. CRATERITIS. CROCALLIS. CYITIS.
CHALCOPHONOS. CHELIDONIA. CHELONIA. CHELONITIS. CHLORITIS.
CHOASPITIS. CHRYSOLAMPIS. CHRYSOPIS. CEPONIDES.
Cadmitis differs only from the stone that is known as
ostracitis
367 in being sometimes surrounded with blisters of an
azure colour. Callais
368 is like sapphires
369 in colour, only
that it is paler and more closely resembles the tint of the
water near the sea-shore in appearance. Capnitis,
370 in the
opinion of some, is a peculiar species of stone: it is covered
with numerous spiral streaks, of a smoky colour, as already
371
stated in the appropriate place. Cappadocia
372 is a native of
Phrygia, and resembles ivory in appearance. Callaica
373 is
the name given to a stone like a clouded callaina;
374 a number
of them are always found united, it is said. Catochitis
375 is a
stone found in Corsica, of larger size than the other precious
stones; and of a more wonderful nature, if the story is true,
that it retains the hand like gum, when placed upon it. Catoptritis
376
is found in Cappadocia, and, from its whiteness, reflects
figures like a mirror. Cepitis
377 or cepolatitis is a white stone,
with veins upon it uniting together. Ceramitis
378 has a colour
like that of earthenware.
Cinædia
379 is a stone found in the brain of a fish
380 of a corresponding
name. It is white and oblong, and possessed of marvellous
virtues, if we are to put faith in what is said, that it
announces before-hand whether the sea will be tranquil or
stormy.
381 Ceritis
382 is a stone like wax: circos
383 resembles the
plumage of the hawk: corsoides
384 is like white hair in appearance.
Coralloachates
385 is very similar to coral, marked with
drops of gold; and corallis, a native of India and Syene, resembles
minium
386 in appearance. Crateritis
387 is in colour a
medium between chrysolithos
388 and amber, and is remarkable
for its hardness. Crocallis
389 is a gem like the cherry in its
tints. Cyitis
390 is a stone found in the vicinity of Coptos; it is
white, and to all appearance has an embryo stone within,
the rattling of which may be heard on shaking it. Chalcophonos
391
is a black stone, but when struck it clinks like brass:
tragic actors are recommended to carry it about them. Of
chelidonia
392 there are two varieties, both resembling the swallow
in colour: one of them is purple on one side, and the
other is purple besprinkled with black spots. Chelonia
393 is the
eye of the Indian tortoise, and is the most marvellous of all the
stones, if we believe the lying stories told by the magicians.
For, according to them, this stone, placed upon the tongue after
rinsing the mouth with honey, will ensure power of divination,
if this is done at full moon or new moon, for one whole
day. If, however, this plan is adopted while the moon is on
the increase, the power of divination will be acquired before
sun-rise only, and if upon other days, from the first
394 hour to
the sixth.
Chelonitis,
395 too, is a stone that resembles the tortoise
396 in
appearance, and the many virtues of which are talked of for
calming storms and tempests. As to the one that has all the
appearance of being sprinkled with spots of gold, if thrown
with a scarabæus into boiling water, it will raise a tempest,
they say. Chloritis
397 is a stone of a grass-green colour: according
to the magicians, it is found in the crop of the motacilla,
398
being engendered with the bird. They recommend
also that it should be set in iron, for the purpose of working
certain portentous marvels which they promise, as usual.
Choaspitis is a stone so called from the river Choaspes,
399 of a
brilliant, golden colour mixed with green. Chrysolampis
400 is a
native of Æthiopia, and is pale by day, but of a fiery lustre by
night. Chrysopis
401 has all the appearance of gold.
402 Ceponides
403
is found at Atarna, a borough, and once a city, of Æolis. It
is transparent, presents numerous tints, and has sometimes the
appearance of glass, sometimes of crystal, and sometimes of
iaspis. Indeed, the stones of this kind that are tarnished even,
are possessed of such singular brilliancy as to reflect objects
like a mirror.
CHAP. 57.—DAPHNEA. DIADOCHOS. DIPHYES. DIONYSIAS.
DRACONITIS.
Daphnea
404 is mentioned by Zoroaster as curative of epilepsy.
Diadochos
405 is a stone that resembles the beryl. Of diphyes
406
there are two kinds, the white and the black, male and female,
with a line dividing the characteristics of either sex. Dionysias
407
is hard and black, and covered with red spots. Triturated in
water, this stone imparts to it the flavour of wine, and it is
generally thought to be a preservative against intoxication.
Draconitis
408 or dracontia is a stone produced from the brain of
the dragon;
409 but unless the head of the animal is cut off
while it is alive, the stone will not assume the form of a gem,
through spite on the part of the serpent, when finding itself at
the point of death: hence it is that, for this purpose, the head
is cut off when it is asleep.
410
Sotacus, who tells us that he once saw a stone of this kind in
the possession of a king, says that persons go in search of it in
a chariot drawn by two horses; and that, the moment they see
the serpent, they strew narcotic drugs in its way, and then cut
off its head when asleep. According to him, this stone is
white and pellucid, and admits of no polishing or engraving.
CHAP. 58.—ENCARDIA OR ARISTE. ENORCHIS. EXEBENUS. ERYTHALLS.
EROTYLOS. AMPHICOMOS, OR HIEROMNEMON. EUMECES.
EUMITHRES. EUPETALOS. EUREOS. EUROTIAS. EUSEBES. EPIMELAS.
The stone encardia
411 is also called "ariste."
412 There are three
varieties of it; one of a black colour, with a figure in relief
upon it like a heart: a second of a green colour, and like a heart
in shape; and a third, with a black heart upon it, the rest of
the stone being white. Enorchis
413 is a white stone, the fragments
of which, when it is split asunder, resemble the testes
in shape. Exebenus, Zoroaster tells us, is a white, handsome
stone, employed by goldsmiths for polishing gold. Erythallis,
414
though a white stone, assumes a red hue when viewed at an
inclined angle. Erotyles,
415 also known as "amphicomos"
416
and "hieromnemon,"
417 is highly praised by Democritus for its
use in the art of divination.
Eumeces
418 is a stone of Bactriana, like silex in appearance;
placed beneath the head, it produces visions in the night of an
oracular description. Eumithres
419 is called by the Assyrians
"gem of Belus,"
420 the most sacred of all their gods; it is of a
leek-green colour, and greatly in request for superstitious purposes.
Eupetalos
421 is a stone that has four different tints,
azure, fiery, vermilion, and apple-colour. Eureos
422 is similar
to an olive-stone in form, streaked like a shell, and moderately
white. Eurotias
423 has all the appearance of concealing its
black colour beneath a coat of mould. Eusebes
424 is the stone,
it is said, of which the seat was made in the Temple of
Hercules at Tyrus, from which the pious [only] could raise
themselves without difficulty. Epimelas
425 is a white gem,
with a black hue reflected from its surface.
CHAP. 59.—GALAXIAS. GALACTITIS, LEUCOGÆA, LEUCOGRAPRITIS,
OR SYNNEPHITIS. GALLAICA. GASSINADE. GLOSSOPETRA. GORGONIA.
GONIAÆA.
Galaxias,
426 by some called "galactitis,"
427 is a stone that closely
resembles those next mentioned, but is interspersed with
veins of blood-red or white. Galactitis
428 is of the uniform
colour of milk; other names given to it are, leucogæa,
429 leucographitis,
430
and synnephitis,
431 and, when pounded in water,
both in taste and colour it marvellously resembles milk. This
stone promotes the secretion of the milk in nursing women, it
is said; in addition to which, attached to the neck of infants, it
produces saliva, and it dissolves when put into the mouth.
They say, too, that it deprives persons of their memory: it is
in the rivers Nilus and Acheloüs that it is produced. Some
persons give the name of "galactitis" to a smaragdus surrounded
with veins of white. Gallaica is a stone like argyrodamas,
432
but of a somewhat more soiled appearance; these stones are
found in twos and threes clustered together. The people of
Media send us gassinade,
433 a stone like orobus in colour, and
sprinkled with flowers, as it were: it is found at Arbela.
This stone, too, conceives,
434 it is said; a fact which it admits
when shaken; the conception lasting for a period of three
months. Glossopetra,
435 which resembles the human tongue, is
not engendered, it is said, in the earth, but falls from the
heavens during the moon's eclipse; it is considered highly necessary
for the purposes of selenomancy.
436 To render all this
however, still more incredible, we have the evident untruthfulness
of one assertion made about it, that it has the property of
silencing the winds. Gorgonia
437 is nothing but a coral, which
has been thus named from the circumstance that, though soft
in the sea, it afterwards assumes the hardness of stone: it has
the property of counteracting fascinations,
438 it is said. Goniæa,
439
it is asserted, and with the same degree of untruthfulness,
ensures vengeance upon our enemies.
CHAP. 60.—HELIOTROPIUM. HEPILESTITIS. HERMUAIDOION. HEXLCONTALITROS.
HIERACITIS. HAMMITIS. HAMMONIS CORNU.
HORMISCION. HYÆNIA. HÆMATITIS.
Heliotropium
440 is found in Æthiopia, Africa, and Cyprus:
it is of a leek-green colour, streaked with blood-red veins. It
has been thus named,
441 from the circumstance that, if placed
in a vessel of water and exposed to the full light of the sun,
it changes to a reflected colour like that of blood; this being
the case with the stone of Æthiopia more particularly. Out
of the water, too, it reflects the figure of the sun like a mirror,
and it discovers eclipses of that luminary by showing the
moon passing over its disk. In the use of this stone, also, we
have a most glaring illustration of the impudent effrontery
of the adepts in magic, for they say that, if it is combined with
the plant
442 heliotropium, and certain incantations are then repeated
over it, it will render the person invisible who carries
it about him.
Hephæsititis
443 also, though a radiant stone, partakes of the
properties of a mirror in reflecting objects. The mode of
testing it is to put it into boiling water, which should immediately
become cold. If exposed to the rays of the sun, it
should instantly cause dry fuel to ignite:
444 Corycus
445 is the
place where it is found. Hermuaidoion
446 is so called from the
resemblance to the male organs which it presents, on a ground
that is sometimes white, sometimes black, and sometimes of
a pallid hue, with a circle surrounding it of a golden colour.
Hexecontalithos
447 receives its name from the numerous variety
of colours which, small as it is, it presents: it is found in
Troglodytica.
448 Hieracitis
449 is entirely covered with mottled
streaks, resembling a kite's feathers alternately with black.
Hammitis
450 is similar in appearance to the spawn of fish: there
is also one variety of it which has all the appearance of being
composed of nitre,
451 except that it is remarkably hard. Hammonis
cornu
452 is reckoned among the most sacred gems of
Æthiopia; it is of a golden colour, like a ram's horn in shape,
and ensures prophetic dreams, it is said.
Hormiscion
453 is one of the most pleasing stones to the sight;
it is of a fiery colour, and emits rays like gold, tipped at the
extremity with a whitish light. Hyænia
454 is derived from the
eyes of the hyæna, it is said, the animal being hunted to obtain
it; placed beneath the tongue, if we believe the story,
it will enable a person to prophesy the future. Hæmatitis,
455
of the very finest quality, comes from Æthiopia, but it is found
in Arabia and Africa as well. It is a stone of a blood-red
colour, and we must not omit to mention the assurance given
[by the magicians], that the possession of it reveals treacherous
designs on the part of the barbarians. Zachalias of Babylon,
in the books which he dedicated to King Mithridates, attributing
the destinies of man to certain properties innate in
precious stones, is not content with vaunting the merits of this
stone as curative of diseases of the eyes and liver, but recommends
it also as ensuring success to petitions addressed to
kings. He also makes it play its part in lawsuits and judg-
ments, and even goes so far as to say that it is highly beneficial
to be rubbed with it on the field of battle. There is another
stone of the same class, called "menui" by the people of
India, and "xanthos"
456 by the Greeks: it is of a whitish, tawny
colour.
CHAP. 61.—IDÆI DACTYLI. ICTERIAS. JOVIS GEMMA. INDICA.
ION.
The stones called Idæi dactyli,
457 and found in Crete, are of
an iron colour, and resemble the human thumb in shape. The
colour of icterias
458 resembles that of livid skin, and hence it
is that it has been thought so excellent a remedy for jaundice.
There is also another stone of this name, of a still more livid
colour; while a third has all the appearance of a leaf. This
last is broader than the others, almost imponderous, and streaked
with livid veins. A fourth kind again is of the same colour,
but blacker, and marked all over with livid veins. Jovis
gemma
459 is a white stone, very light, and soft: another name
given to it is "drosolithos."
460 Indica
461 retains the name of
the country that produces it: it is a stone of a reddish colour,
and yields a purple liquid
462 when rubbed. There is another
stone also of this name, white, and of a dusty appearance.
Ion
463 is an Indian stone, of a violet tint: it is but rarely,
however, that it is found of a deep, full, colour.
CHAP. 62—LEPIDOTIS. LESBIAS. LEUCOPHTHALMOS. LEUCOPŒCILOS.
LIBANOCHRUS. LIMONIATIS. LIPAREA. LYSIMACHOS.
LEUCOCHRYSOS.
Lepidotis
464 is a stone of various colours, and resembles the
scales of fish in appearance. Lesbias, so called from Lesbos
which produces it, is a stone found in India as well. Leucophthalmos,
465
which in other respects is of a reddish hue,
presents all the appearance of an eye, in white and black.
Leucopœcilos
466 is white, variegated with drops of vermilion of
a golden hue. Libanochrus
467 strongly resembles frankincense,
and yields a liquid like honey. Limoniatis
468 would appear to
be the same as smaragdus; and all that we find said about
liparea
469 is, that employed in the form of a fumigation, it allures
all kinds of wild beasts. Lysimachos resembles Rhodian
marble, with veins of gold: in polishing it, it is reduced very
considerably in size, in order to remove all defects. Leucochrysos
470
is a kind of chrysolithos interspersed with white.
CHAP. 63.—MEMNONIA. MEDIA. MECONITIS. MITHRAX, MOROCHTHOS.
MORMORION OR PROMNION. MURRHITIS. MYRMECIAS.
MYRSINITIS. MESOLEUCOS. MESOMELAS.
What kind of stone memnonia
471 is, we do not find mentioned.
Medea
472 is a black stone, said to have been discovered
by the Medea
473 of fable: it has veins of a golden lustre, and
yields a liquid like saffron in colour and with a vinous flavour.
Meconitis
474 strongly resembles poppies. Mithrax
475 comes from
Persia and the mountains of the Red Sea: it is of numerous
colours, and reflects various tints when exposed to the sun.
476
Morochthos
477 is a stone of a leek-green colour, from which a milk
exudes. Mormorion
478 is a transparent stone from India, of a
deep black colour, and known also as "promnion." When it
has a mixture of the colour
479 of carbunculus, it is from Alexandria;
and when it shares that of sarda,
480 it is a native of
Cyprus. It is found also at Tyrus and in Galatia; and, according
to Xenocrates, it has been discovered at the foot of the
Alps. These stones are well adapted for cutting in relief.
481
Murrhitis
482 has just the colour of myrrh, and very little of
the appearance of a gem: it has the odour also of an unguent,
and smells like nard when rubbed. Myrmecias
483 is black, and
has excrescences upon it like warts. Myrsinitis
484 has a colour
like that of honey, and the smell of myrtle. "Mesoleucos"
485
is the name given to a stone when a white line runs through
the middle; and when a black vein intersects any other colour,
it is called "mesomelas."
486
CHAP. 64.—NASAMONITIS. NEBRITIS. NIPPARENE.
Nasamonitis is a blood-red stone, marked with black veins.
Nebritis, a stone sacred to Father Liber,
487 has received its name
from its resemblance to a nebris.
488 There is also another stone
of this kind, that is black. Nipparene
489 bears the name of a
city and people of Persia, and resembles the teeth of the hippopotamus.
CHAP. 65.—OICA. OMBRIA OR NOTIA. ONOCARDIA. ORITIS OR
SIDERITIS. OSTRACIAS. OSTRITIS. OPHICARDELON. OBSIAN
STONE.
Oica is the barbarian name given to a stone which is pleasing
for its colours, black, reddish yellow, green, and white.
Ombria,
490 by some called notia,"
491 falls with showers and
lightning, much in the same manner as ceraunia
492 and brontea,
493
the properties of which it is said to possess. There is a
statement also, that if this stone is placed upon altars it will
prevent the offerings from being consumed. Onocardia
494 is
like kermesberry in appearance, but nothing further is said
about it. Oritis,
495 by some called "sideritis,"
496 is a stone of
globular form, and proof against the action of fire. Ostracias,
497
or ostracitis, is a testaceous stone, harder than ceramitis,
498 and
similar in all respects to achates,
499 except that the latter has
an unctuous appearance when polished: indeed, so remarkably
hard is ostritis, that with fragments of it other gems are
engraved. Ostritis
500 receives its name from its resemblance to
an oyster-shell. Ophicardelon is the barbarian name for a
stone of a black colour, terminated by a white line on either
side. Of Obsian
501 stone we have already spoken in the preceding
Book. There are gems, too, of the same name and
colour, found not only in Æthiopia and India, but in Samnium
as well, and, in the opinion of some, upon the Spanish shores
that lie towards the Ocean.
CHAP. 66.—PANCHRUS. PANGONUS. PANEROS OR PANERASTOS.
PONTICA; FOUR VARIETIES OF IT. PHLOGINOS OR CHRYSITIS.
PHŒNICITIS. PHYCITIS. PERILEUCOS. PÆANITIS OR GÆANIS.
Panchrus
502 is a stone which displays nearly every colour.
Pangonus
503 is no longer than the finger: the only thing that
prevents it from being taken for a crystal, is, its greater number
of angles. What kind of stone paneros
504 is, Metrodorus does
not inform us; but he gives some lines, by no means without
elegance, that were written upon this stone by Queen Timaris,
and dedicated to Venus; from which we have reason to conclude
that certain fecundating virtues were attributed to it. By
some writers it is called panerastos.
505 Of the stone called
"pontica"
506 there are numerous varieties: one is stellated, and
presents either blood-red spots, or drops like gold, being reckoned
in the number of the sacred stones. Another, in place of
stars, has streaks of the same colour, and a fourth presents all
the appearance of mountains and valleys.
Phloginos,
507 also called "chrysitis,"
508 strongly resembles
Attic ochre,
509 and is found in Egypt. Phœnicitis
510 is a stone
so called from its resemblance to a date. Phycitis receives its
name from its resemblance to sea-weed.
511 Perileucos
512 is the
name given to a gem, in which a white colour runs down from
the margin of the stone to the base. Pæanitis,
513 by some called
"gæanis,"
514 conceives, it is said, and is good for females
at the time of parturition: this stone is found in Macedonia,
near the monument
515 of Tiresias there, and has all the appearance
of congealed water.
CHAP. 67.—SOLIS GEMMA. SAGDA. SAMOTHRACIA. SAURITIS.
SARCITIS. SELENITIS. SIDERITIS. SIDEROPŒCILOS. SPONGITIS.
SYNODONTITIS. SYRTITIS. SYRINGITIS.
Solis gemma
516 is white, and, like the luminary from which
it takes its name, emits brilliant rays in a circular form. Sagda
is found by the people of Chaldæa adhering to ships, and is of
a leek-green colour. The Isle of Samothrace gives its name to
a stone
517 which it produces, black and imponderous, and similar
to wood in appearance. Sauritis
518 is found, they say, in the belly
of the green lizard, cut asunder with a reed. Sarcitis
519 is a stone,
like beef in appearance. Selenitis
520 is white and transparent,
with a reflected colour like that of honey. It has a figure
within it like that of the moon, and reflects the face of that
luminary, if what we are told is true, according to its phases,
day by day, whether on the wane or whether on the increase:
this stone is a native of Arabia, it is thought. Sideritis
521 is a
stone like iron, the presence of which in lawsuits creates discord.
Sideropœcilos,
522 which is a variety of the same stone, is
a native of Æthiopia, and is covered with variegated spots.
Spongitis has its name from its resemblance to sponge. Synodontitis
is a stone found in the brain of the fish known as
"synodus."
523 Syrtitis is a stone that used formerly to be
found on the shores of the Syrtes,
524 though now it is found on
the coasts of Lucania as well: it is of a honey colour, with a
reflected tint of saffron, and contains stars of a feeble lustre
within. Syringitis
525 is hollow throughout, like the space between
the two joints in a straw.
CHAP. 68.—TRICHRUS. THELYRRHIZOS. THELYCARDIOS OR
MULC. THRACIA; THREE VARIETIES OF IT. TEPHRITIS. TECOLITHOS.
Trichrus
526 comes from Africa: it is of a black colour, but
yields three different liquids, black at the lower part, blood-
red
in the middle, and of an ochre colour at the top. Thelyrrhizos
527
is of an ashy or russet colour, but white at the lower
part. Thelycardios
528 is like a heart in colour, and is held in
high esteem by the people of Persia, in which country it is
found: the name given to it by them is "mule." Of thracia
529
there are three varieties; a green stone, one of a more pallid
colour, and a third with spots like drops of blood. Tephritis
530
is crescent-shaped, with horns like those of the new moon, but
it is of an ashy colour. Tecolithos
531 has all the appearance of
an olive stone: it is held in no estimation as a gem, but a
solution of it will break and expel urinary calculi.
CHAP. 69.—VENERIS CRINES. VEIENTANA.
Veneris crines
532 is the name given to a stone that is remarkably
black and shining, with an appearance like red hair within.
Veientana is an Italian stone, found at Veii: it is black,
divided by a line of white.
CHAP. 70.—ZATHENE. ZMILAMPIS. ZORANISCÆA.
Zathene, according to Democritus, is a native of Media. It
is like amber in colour, and, if beaten up with palm-wine and
saffron, it will become soft like wax, yielding a very fragrant
smell. Zmilampis is found in the river Euphrates: it resembles
marble of Proconnesus in appearance, and is of a seagreen
colour within. Zoraniscæa is found in the river Indus:
it is a stone used by magicians, it is said, but I find no further
particulars relative to it.
CHAP. 71. (11.)—PRECIOUS STONES WHICH DERIVE THEIR NAMES
FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY. HEPATITIS. STEATITIS.
ADADUNEPHROS. ADADUOPHTHALMOS. ADADUDACTYLOS.
TRIOPHTHALMOS.
There is also another method of classifying stones; according
to the resemblance which they bear to various other objects.
Thus, for example, the different parts of the body give the
following names to stones:—Hepatitis
533 is so called from the
liver; and steatitis
534 from its resemblance to the fat of various
animals. Adadunephros, adaduophthalmos, and adadudactylos,
mean "kidney of Adad," "eye of Adad," and "finger of
Adad," a god
535 of the Syrians so called. Triophthalmos
536 is a
stone found in conjunction with onyx, which resembles three
human eyes at once.
CHAP. 72.—PRECIOUS STONES WHICH DERIVE THEIR NAMES FROM
ANIMALS. CARCINIAS. ECHITIS. SCORPITIS. SCARITIS. TRIGLITIS.
ÆGOPHTHALMOS. HYOPHTHALMOS. GERANITIS. HIERACITIS.
AETITIS. MYRMECITIS. CANTHARIAS. LYCOPHTHALMOS.
TAOS. TIMICTONIA.
Other stones, again, derive their names from various animals.
Carcinias
537 is so called from the colour of the sea-crab; echitis,
538
from the colour of the viper; scorpitis,
539 from either the colour
or the shape of the scorpion; scaritis, from the fish called
scarus;
540 triglitis, from the sur-mullet;
541 ægophthalmos, from
the eye of the goat; hyophthalmos, from the eye of the swine;
geranitis, from the neck of the crane; hieracitis, from the
neck of the hawk; and aëtitis, from the colour of the whitetailed
eagle. Myrmecitis
542 presents the appearance of an ant
crawling within, and cantharias,
543 of a scarabæus. Lycophthalmos
544
is a stone of four different colours; on the exterior
it is ruddy and blood-red, and within it is black, surrounded
with a line of white, closely resembling the eye of the wolf in
every respect. Taos
545 is a stone with colours like those of the
peacock. Timictonia, I find, is the name of a stone, like the
asp in colour.
CHAP. 73.—PRECIOUS STONES WHICH DERIVE THEIR NAMES FROM
OTHER OBJECTS. HAMMOCHRYSOS. CENCHRITIS. DRYITIS. CISSITIS.
NARCISSITIS. CYAMIAS. PYREN. PHŒNICITIS. CHALAZIAS.
PYRITIS. POLYZONOS. ASTRAPÆA. PHLOGITIS. ANTHEACITIS.
ENHYGROS. POLYTHRIX. LEONTIOS. PAEDALIOS.
DROSOLITHOS. MELICHRUS. MELICHLOROS, CROCIAS. POLIAS.
SPARTOPOLIAS. RHODITIS. CHALCITIS. SYCITIS. BOSTRYCHITIS.
CHERNITIS. ANANCITIS. SYNOCHITIS. DENDRITIS.
Hammochrysos
546 resembles sand in appearance, but sand
mixed with gold. Cenchritis
547 has all the appearance of grains
of millet scattered here and there. Dryitis
548 resembles the
trunk of a tree, and burns like wood. Cissitis,
549 upon a white,
transparent surface, has leaves of ivy running all over it. Narcissitis
550
is distinguished by veins on the surface, and has a smell
like that of the narcissus. Cyamias
551 is a black stone, but
when broken, produces a bean to all appearance. Pyren
552 is
so called from its resemblance to an olive-stone: in some cases
it would appear to contain the back-bone
553 of a fish. Phœnicitis
554
resembles a palm-date in form. Chalazias
555 resembles a
hailstone, both in form and colour: it is as hard as adamant,
so much so, indeed, that in the fire even it retains its coolness,
it is said. Pyritis,
556 though a black stone, burns the fingers
when rubbed by them. Polyzonos
557 is a black stone traversed
by numerous zones of white.
Astrapæa
558 has rays like flashes of lightning, running across
the middle on a ground of white or blue. In phlogitis,
559 there
is, to all appearance, a flame burning within, but not reaching
the surface of the stone. In anthracitis,
560 there are sometimes
sparks, to all appearance, flying to and fro. Enhygros
561
is always perfectly round, smooth, and white; but when it is
shaken a liquid is heard to move within, just like the yolk
within an egg. Polythrix
562 presents the appearance of hair
upon a green surface; but it causes the hair to fall off, it is
said. Leontios and pardalios
563 are names given to stones, from
their resemblance to the skin of the lion and panther. Drosolithos
564
has received its name from its colour. Melichrus is a
honey-coloured stone, of which there are several varieties.
Melichloros
565 is a stone of two colours, partly honey-coloured,
partly yellow. Crocias
566 is the name given to a stone which
reflects a colour like that of saffron; polias, to a stone resembling
white hair in colour; and spartopolias, to a stone more thinly
sprinkled with white.
Rhoditis is like the rose in colour, chalcitis resembles copper,
and sycitis
567 is in colour like a fig. Bostrychitis
568 is covered
with branches of a white or blood-red colour, upon a ground of
black; and chernitis
569 has, on a stony surface, a figure like that
of two hands grasping each other. Anancitis
570 is used in
hydromancy, they say, for summoning the gods to make their
appearance; and synochitis,
571 for detaining the shades from
below when they have appeared. If white dendritis
572 is buried
beneath a tree that is being felled, the edge of the axe will
never be blunted, it is asserted. There are many other stones
also, of a still more outrageously marvellous nature, to which,
admitted as it is that they are stones, barbarous names have
been given: we have refuted, however, a quite sufficient number
of these portentous lies already.
CHAP. 74. (12.)—PRECIOUS STONES THAT SUDDENLY MAKE THEIR
APPEARANCE. COCHLIDES.
New species of precious stones are repeatedly brought into
existence, and fresh ones are found all at once, destitute of
names. Thus, for example, there was a stone formerly discovered
in the gold-mines of Lampsacus, which, on account of
its extraordinary beauty, was sent to King Alexander, as we
learn from Theophrastus.
573 Cochlides,
574 too, which are now so
common, are rather artificial productions than natural, and in
Arabia there have been found vast masses of them; which are
boiled, it is said, in honey, for seven days and nights without
intermission. By doing this, all earthy and faulty particles
are removed; after which, the mass, thus cleansed and purified,
is adorned by the ingenuity of artists with variegated veins and
spots, and cut into such shapes as may be most to the taste of
purchasers. Indeed, these articles, in former times, were made
of so large a size, that they were employed in the East as
frontals for the horses of kings, and as pendants for their trappings.
575
All precious stones in general are improved in brilliancy by
being boiled in honey, Corsican honey more particularly; but
acrid substances are in every respect injurious to them. As
to the stones which are variegated, and to which new colours
are imparted by the inventive ingenuity of man, as they have
no name in common use, they are usually known by that of
"physis;"
576 a name which claims for them, as it were, that admiration
which we are more ready to bestow upon the works
of Nature. But really, these artificial stones have names
without end, and I could never think of recounting the infinite
series of them, coined as they have been by the frivolous tendencies
of the Greeks.
Having already described the more noble gems, and indeed
those of inferior quality which are found among the stones that
are held in high esteem, I must content myself with knowing
that I have pointed out those kinds which are the most deserving
of mention. It will be as well, however, for the reader to
bear in mind, that, according to the varying number of the
spots and inequalities on their surface, according to the numerous
intersections of lines and their multiplied tints and shades,
the names of precious stones are subject to repeated changes;
the material itself, for the most part, remaining just the same.
CHAP. 75.—THE VARIOUS FORMS OF PRECIOUS STONES.
We will now make some observations in reference to precious
stones in general, following therein the opinions that
have been expressed by various authors. Stones with a level
surface are preferred to those which are concave or protuberant
on the face. An oblong shape is the one that is most approved
of, and, next to that, the lenticular
577 form, as it is called. After
this, the stone with a plane surface and circular is admired,
those which are angular being held in the least esteem. There
is considerable difficulty in distinguishing genuine stones from
false; the more so, as there has been discovered a method of
transforming genuine stones of one kind into false stones of
another.
578 Sardonyx, for example, is imitated by cementing
together three other precious stones, in such a way that no
skill can detect the fraud; a black stone being used for the
purpose, a white stone, and one of a vermilion
579 colour, each
of them, in its own way, a stone of high repute. Nay, even
more than this, there are books in existence, the authors of
which I forbear to name,
580 which give instructions how to stain
crystal in such a way as to imitate smaragdus and other transparent stones,
how to make sardonyx of sarda, and other
gems in a similar manner. Indeed, there is no kind of fraud
practised, by which larger profits are made.
CHAP. 76. (13.)—THE METHODS OF TESTING PRECIOUS STONES.
On the contrary, we will make it our business to point out
the methods of detecting these false stones, seeing that it is
only proper to put luxury even on its guard against fraud.
In addition to the particulars which we have already given,
when treating of each individual kind of precious stone, it is
generally agreed that transparent stones should be tested by
a morning light, or even, if necessary, so late as the fourth
581
hour, but never after that hour. The modes of testing
582 stones
are numerous: first, by their weight, the genuine stone being
the heavier of the two; next, by their comparative coolness,
the genuine stone being cooler than the other to the mouth;
and, next to that, by their substance; there being blisters perceptible
in the body of the fictitious stone, as well as a certain
roughness on the surface; filaments, too, an unequal brilliancy,
and a brightness that falls short before it reaches the eye.
The best
583 mode of testing is to strike off a fragment with
an iron saw; but this is a thing not allowed by the
dealers, who equally refuse to let their gems be tested by the
file. Dust of Obsian
584 stone will not leave a mark upon the
surface of a genuine stone: but where the gem is artificial,
every mark that is made will leave a white scratch upon it.
In addition to this, there is such a vast diversity in their degrees
of hardness, that some stones do not admit of being
engraved with iron, and others can only be cut with a graver
blunted at the edge. In all cases, however, precious stones
may be cut and polished by the aid of adamas;
585 an operation
which may be considerably expedited by heating the graver.
The rivers which produce precious stones, are the Acesinus
586
and the Ganges; and, of all countries, India is the most prolific
of them.
CHAP. 77.—A COMPARATIVE VIEW OF NATURE AS SHE APPEARS IN
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. THE COMPARATIVE VALUES OF THINGS.
Having now treated of all the works of Nature, it will be
as well to take a sort of comparative view of her several productions,
as well as the countries which supply them. Throughout
the whole earth, then, and wherever the vault of heaven
extends, there is no country so beautiful, or which, for the productions
of Nature, merits so high a rank as Italy, that ruler
and second parent of the world; recommended as she is by
her men, her women, her generals, her soldiers, her slaves,
her superiority in the arts, and the illustrious examples of
genius which she has produced. Her situation, too, is equally
in her favour; the salubrity and mildness of her climate; the
easy access which she offers to all nations; her coasts indented
with so many harbours; the propitious breezes, too, that always
prevail on her shores; advantages, all of them, due to her situation,
lying, as she does, midway between the East and the West,
and extended in the most favourable of all positions. Add to
this, the abundant supply of her waters, the salubrity of her
groves, the repeated intersections of her mountain ranges, the
comparative innocuousness of her wild animals, the fertility of
her soil, and the singular richness of her pastures.
Whatever there is that the life of man ought not to feel in
want of, is nowhere to be found in greater perfection than
here; the cereals, for example, wine, oil, wool, flax, tissues,
and oxen. As to horses, there are none, I find, preferred to
those of Italy for the course;
587 while, for mines of gold, silver,
copper, and iron, so long as it was deemed lawful to work
them,
588 Italy was held inferior to no country whatsoever. At
the present day, teeming as she is with these treasures, she
contents herself with lavishing upon us, as the whole of her
bounties, her various liquids, and the numerous flavours yielded
by her cereals and her fruits. Next to Italy, if we except the
fabulous regions of India, I would rank Spain, for my own
part, those districts, at least, that lie in the vicinity of the sea.
589
She is parched and sterile in one part, it is true; but where
she is at all productive, she yields the cereals in abundance,
oil, wine, horses, and metals of every kind. In all these respects,
Gaul is her equal, no doubt; but Spain, on the other
hand, outdoes the Gallic provinces in her spartum
590 and her
specular stone,
591 the products of her desert tracts, in her pigments
that minister to our luxuries, in the ardour displayed by
her people in laborious employments, in the perfect training
of her slaves, in the robustness of body of her men, and in
their general resoluteness of character.
As to the productions themselves, the greatest value of
all, among the products of the sea, is attached to pearls:
of objects that lie upon the surface of the earth, it is crystals
that are most highly esteemed: and of those derived from
the interior, adamas,
592 smaragdus,
593 precious stones, and murrhine,
594
are the things upon which the highest value is placed.
The most costly things that are matured by the earth, are
the kermes-berry
595 and laser;
596 that are gathered from trees,
nard
597 and Seric tissues;
598 that are derived from the trunks of
trees, logs of citrus
599-wood; that are produced by shrubs, cin-
namon,
600 cassia,
601 and amomum;
602 that are yielded by the juices
of trees or of shrubs, amber,
603 opobalsamum,
604 myrrh,
605 and frankincense;
606
that are found in the roots of trees, the perfumes
derived from costus.
607 The most valuable products furnished
by living animals, on land, are the teeth of elephants; by
animals in the sea, tortoise-shell; by the coverings of animals,
the skins which the Seres
608 dye, and the substance gathered
from the hair of the she-goats of Arabia, which we have
spoken of under the name of "ladanum;"
609 by creatures that
are common to both land and sea, the purple
610 of the murex.
With reference to the birds, beyond plumes for warriors' helmets,
and the grease that is derived from the geese of Commagene,
611
I find no remarkable product mentioned. We must
not omit, too, to observe, that gold, for which there is such a
mania with all mankind, hardly holds the tenth rank as an
object of value, and silver, with which we purchase gold,
hardly the twentieth!
HAIL to thee, Nature, thou parent of all things! and do
thou deign to show thy favour unto me, who, alone of all the
citizens of Rome, have, in thy every department,
612 thus made
known thy praise.
613
SUMMARY.—Facts, narratives, and observations, one thousand
three hundred.
ROMAN AUTHORS QUOTED.—M. Varro,
614 the Register of the
Triumphs,
615 Mæcenas,
616 Iacchus,
617 Cornelius Bocchus.
618
FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED.—King Juba,
619 Xenocrates
620 the
son of Zeno, Sudines,
621 Æschylus,
622 Philoxenus,
623 Euripides,
624
Nicander,
625 Satyrus,
626 Theophrastus,
627 Chares,
628 Philemon,
629
Demostratus,
630 Zenothemis,
631 Metrodorus,
632 Sotacus,
633 Pytheas,
634
Timæus
635 the Sicilian, Nicias,
636 Theochrestus,
637 Asarubas,
638
Mnaseas,
639 Theomenes,
640 Ctesias,
641 Mithridates,
642 Sophocles,
643
King Archelaüs,
644 Callistratus,
645 Democritus,
646 Ismenias,
647 Olympicus,
648
Alexander
649 Polyhistor, Apion,
650 Horus,
651 Zoroaster,
652
Zachalias.
653
