The sixt Chapter.
The vertues and qualities of sundrie pretious stones, of cousening Lapidaries, &c.
HE excellent vertues and qualities of stones, found, conceived and tried by this art, is woonderfull. Howbeit many things most false and fabulous are added unto their true effects, wherewith I thought good in part to trie the readers patience and cunning withall. An Aggat (they saie) hath vertue against the biting of scorpions or serpents. It is written (but I will not stand to it) that it maketh a man eloquent, and procureth the favour of princes; yea that the fume thereof dooth turne awaie tempests. Alectorius is a stone about the bignesse of a beane, as cleere as/207. the christall, taken out of a cocks bellie which hath beene gelt or made a capon foure yeares.Ludovicus Cœlius. Rhodo. lib. antiq. lect. 11. ca. 70.
Barthol. Anglicus, lib. 16. If it be held in ones mouth, it asswageth thirst, it maketh the husband to love the wife, and the bearer invincible: for heereby Milo was said to overcome his enimies. A crawpocke delivereth from prison. Chelidonius is a stone taken out of a swallowe, which cureth melancholie: howbeit, some authors saie, it is the hearbe wherby the swallowes recover the sight of their yoong, even if their eies be picked out with an instrument. Geranites is taken out of a crane, and Draconites out of a dragon. But it is to be noted, that such stones must be taken out of the bellies of the serpents, beasts, or birds,/294. (wherein they are) whiles they live: otherwise, they vanish awaie with the life, and so they reteine the vertues of those starres under which they are. Amethysus maketh a droonken man sober, and refresheth the wit. The* * Avicenna cano. 2. tract. 2. cap. 124.
Serapio agg. cap. 100.
Dioscor. lib. 5. cap. 93. corrall preserveth such as beare it from fascination or bewitching, and in this respect they are hanged about childrens necks. But from whence that superstition is derived, and who invented the lie, I knowe not: but I see how readie the people are to give credit thereunto, by the multitude of corrals that waie emploied. I find in good authors, that while it remaineth in the sea, it is an hearbe; and when it is brought thence, into the aire, it hardeneth, and becommeth a stone.
Heliotropius stancheth bloud, driveth awaie poisons, preserveth health: yea, and some write that it provoketh raine, and darkeneth the sunne, suffering not him that beareth it to be abused. Hyacinthus dooth all that the other dooth, and also preserveth from lightening. Dinothera hanged about the necke, collar, or yoke of any creature, tameth it presentlie. A Topase healeth the lunatike person of his passion of lunacie. Aitites, if it be shaken, soundeth as if there were a little stone in the bellie thereof: it is good for the falling sicknesse, and to prevent untimelie birth. Amethysus aforesaid resisteth droonkenesse, so as the bearers shall be able to drinke freelie, and recover themselves soone being droonke as apes: the same maketh a man wise. Chalcedonius maketh the bearer luckie in lawe, quickeneth the power of the bodie, and is of force also against the illusions of the divell, and phantasticall cogitations arising of melancholie. Corneolus mitigateth the heate of the mind, and qualifieth malice, it stancheth bloudie fluxes, speciallie of women that are troubled with their flowers.Plin. lib. 37. cap. 10.
Albert. lib. 2. cap. 7.
Solin. cap. 32. Heliotropius aforesaid darkeneth the sunne, raiseth shewers, stancheth bloud, procureth good fame, keepeth the bearer in health, and suffereth him not to be deceived. If this were true, one of them would be deerer than a thousand diamonds.
Hyacinthus delivereth one from the danger of lightening, driveth awaie poison and pestilent infection, and hath manie other vertues. Iris helpeth a woman to speedie deliverance, and maketh rainebowes to appeere. A Saphire preserveth the members, and maketh them livelie, and helpeth agues and gowts, and suffereth not the bearer to be afraid: it hath vertue against/295. venome, and staieth bleeding at the nose being often put thereto. *A* Rabbi Moses aphorism. partic. 22.
Isidor. lib. 14. cap. 3.
Savanorola. Smarag is good for the eiesight, and suffereth not carnall copulation, it maketh one rich and eloquent. A Topase increaseth riches, healeth the lunatike passion, and stancheth bloud. Mephis (as Aaron and Hermes/208. report out of Albertus Magnus) being broken into powder, and droonke with water, maketh insensibilitie of torture. Heereby you may understand, that as God hath bestowed upon these stones, and such other like bodies, most excellent and woonderfull virtues; so according to the abundance of humane superstitions and follies, manie ascribe unto them either more vertues, or others than they have: other boast that they are able to adde new qualities unto them. And heerin consisteth a part of witchcraft and common cousenage used sometimes of the Lapidaries for gaines; sometimes of others for cousening purposes. Some part of the vanitie heereof I will heere describe, bicause the place serveth well therefore. And it is not to be forgotten or omitted, that Pharos magicians were like enough to be cunning therein.
Neverthelesse, I will first give you the opinion of one, who professed himselfe a verie skilfull and well experimented Lapidarie, as appeereth by a booke of his owne penning, published under this title of Dactylotheca, and (as I thinke) to be had among the bookesellers. And thus followeth his assertion:
Marbodeus Gallus in sua dactylotheca, pag. 5, 6.Evax rex Arabum fertur scripsisse Neroni,
(Qui post Augustum regnavit in orbe secundus)
Quot species lapidis, quæ nomina, quíve colores,
Quæq́; sit his regio, vel quanta potentia cuiq́;,
Ocult as*[* Ocultas] etenim lapidum cognoscere vires,
Quorum causa latens effectus dat manifestos,
Egregium quiddam volumus rarúmque videri.
Scilicet hinc solers medicorum cura juvatur.†[* ,]
Auxilio lapidum morbos expellere docta.
Nec minùs inde dari cunctarum commoda rerum
Autores perhibent, quibus hæc perspecta feruntur.
Nec dubium cuiquam debet falsúmque videri,
Quin sua sit gemmis divinitùs insita virtus:/
296. Englished by Abraham Fleming. Evax an old Arabian king
is named to have writ
A treatise, and on Neros Grace
to have bestowed it,
(Who in the world did second reigne
after Augustus time)
Of pretious stones the sundrie sorts,
their names, and in what clime
And countrie they were to be found,
their colours and their hue,
Their privie power and secret force,
the which with knowledge true
To understand, their hidden cause
most plaine effects declare:
And this will we a noble thing
have counted be and rare./
209.The skilfull care of leeches learnd
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is aided in this case,Vis gemmarum & lapillorum pretiosorum negatur, quia occulta est, rarissiméque sub sensum cadit.
And hereby holpen, and are taught
with aid of stones to chase
Awaie from men such sicknesses
as have in them a place.
No less precise commodities
of althings else therebie
Are ministred and given to men,
if authors doo not lie,
To whome these things are said to bee
most manifestlie knowne.
It shall no false or doubtfull case
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appeare to anie one,
But that by heavenlie influence
each pretious pearle and stone,
Hath in his substance fixed force
and vertue largelie sowne.
297.Whereby it is to be concluded, that stones have in them cer/teine proper vertues, which are given them of a speciall influence of the planets, and a due proportion of the elements, their substance being a verie fine and pure compound, consisting of well tempered matter wherein is no grosse mixture: as appeareth by plaine proofe of India and Aethopia, where the sunne being orient and meridionall, dooth more effectuallie shew his operation, procuring more pretious stones there to be ingendred, than in the countries that are occident and septentrionall.Manie more authors may be named of no lesse antiquitie and learning. Unto this opinion doo diverse ancients accord; namelie, Alexander Peripateticus, Hermes, Evax, Bocchus Zoroastes, Isaac Judæus, Zacharias Babylonicus, and manie more beside.