——— “Dinothera.” Cannot find it.
——— “Aitites.” Properly “Aetites”, a stone said to be found in the eagle’s nest. Plin., b. 7, c. 3.
[P. 294]. “Droonke as apes.” An expression readily understood by those who have watched the purposeless doings of apes and their throwing themselves about.
——— “Amethysus.” This occurs twice, but I know it not as a variant of amethystus. “Corneolus.” Various descriptions are given of this by Pliny, Bartholome, Th. Cooper, Minshen, and Holyokes Rider, but I presume (as given by Bailey) it is our cornelian.
[P. 295]. “Smarag.” The emerald. “Mephis.” Unknown to me.
[P. 296]. “Whereby ... concluded.” It is improbable that this is, as elsewhere, concealed irony. Much more probably Scot was not free from a belief in the influences of the stars on the formation of these stones, just as he believed in the influence of the moon in the sowing of seeds, though he did not believe in astrology.
[P. 300]. “Academicall discourses.” He refers to the disputations held by students and candidates at the colleges, as these, of course, naturally set forth the opinions of others.
[P. 301]. “Serpent abandon.” Is this fabulous folk-lore or not?
[P. 302]. “Celondine, Chelidonius”, cf. p. 293. It appears from Dioscorides and Pliny, 25, 8, that the Chel. majus, L., is that spoken of.
[P. 303]. “Reneweth bleeding.” This variant, that it does so either at “the presence of a deare friend or mortall enimie”, and not merely at that of the murderer, is worthy of note.