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
1 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,
2 cerachates,
3
smaragdachates,
4 hæmachates,
5 leucachates,
6 dendrachates,
7
marked with small shrubs, as it were; autachates,
8 which when
burnt has a smell like that of myrrh; and coralloachates,
9
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,
10
woods,
11 beasts of burden, and forms even, like ivy
12 and the
trappings of horses. Medical men, too, make grinding-hones
13
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
14 is a stone like nitre
15 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
16 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
17 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
18 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
19 has the shining colour of silver, like
adamas;
20 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
21 is the same stone or not, authors do not inform
us. Antipathes
22 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
23 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,
24 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.
25 Asbestos
26
is found in the mountains of Areadia, and is of an iron
colour. Democritus informs us that aspisatis
27 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
28 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
29 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
30 is thought by
many to be identical with callaina.
31 Amphidanes,
32 which is
also known as "chrysocolla,"
33 is a stone found in that part of
India where the ants
34 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
35 is a stone of a reddish white colour. Apsyctos,
36
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
37 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.