big as a mans Arm, without ſpot, ſhining like a Fire, and he ſubjoyns, that the Great Cham, under whom Paulus was a conſiderable Officer, ſent and offer'd the value of a City for it; But the King anſwer'd, he would not give it for the treaſure of the World, nor part with it, having been his Anceſtours. And I could add, that in the Relation made by two Ruſſian Coſſacks of their Journey into Catay[a]29], written to their Emperour, they mention'd their having been told by the people of thoſe parts, that their King had a Stone, which Lights as the Sun both Day and Night, call'd in their Language Sarra, which thoſe Coſſacks interpret a Ruby. But theſe Relations are too uncertain for me to build any thing upon, and therefore I ſhall proceed to tell you, that there came hither about two years ſince out of America, the Governour of one of the Principal Colonies there, an Ancient Virtuoſo, and one that has the Honour to be a member of the Royal Society; this Gentleman finding ſome of the chief Affairs of his Country committed to another and me, made me divers Viſits, and in one of them when I enquir'd what Rare Stones they had in thoſe parts of the Indies he belong'd to, he told me, that the Indians had a Tradition
that in a certain hardly acceſſible Hill, a pretty way up in the Country, there was a Stone which in the Night time ſhin'd very vividly, and to a great diſtance, and he aſſur'd me, that though he thought it not fit to venture himſelf ſo far among thoſe Savages, yet he purpoſely ſent thither a bold Engliſhman, with ſome Natives to be his guides, and that this Meſſenger brought him back word, that at a diſtance from the Hillock he had plainly perceiv'd ſuch a ſhining Subſtance as the Indians Tradition mention'd, and being ſtimulated by Curioſity, had ſlighted thoſe Superſtitious Fears of the Inhabitants, and with much ado by reaſon of the Difficulty of the way, had made a ſhift to clamber up to that part of the Hill, where, by a very heedful Obſervation, he ſuppos'd himſelf to have ſeen the Light: but whether 'twere that he had miſtaken the place, or for ſome other Reaſon, he could not find it there, though when he was return'd to his former Station, he did agen ſee the Light ſhining in the ſame place where it ſhone before. A further Account of this Light I expect from the Gentleman that gave me this, who lately ſent me the news of his being landed in that Country. And though I reſerve to my ſelf a full Liberty of Believing no more
than I ſee cauſe; yet I do the leſs ſcruple to relate this, becauſe a good part of it agrees well enough with another Story that I ſhall in the next place have occaſion to ſubjoyn, in order whereunto I ſhall tell you, that though the Learned Authors I formerly mention'd, tell us, that no Writer has affirm'd his having himſelf ſeen a real Carbuncle, yet, conſidering the Light of Mr. Claytons Diamond, it recall'd into my mind, that ſome years before, when I was Inquiſitive about Stones, I had met with an old Italian Book highly extoll'd to me by very competent Judges, and that though the Book were very ſcarce, I had purchas'd it at a dear Rate, for the ſake of a few conſiderable paſſages I met with in it, and particularly one, which being very remarkable in it ſelf, and pertinent to our preſent Argument, I ſhall put it for you, though not word for word, which I fear I have forgot to do, yet as to the Senſe, into Engliſh.
Having promis'd (Says our Author)[a]30] to ſay ſomething of that moſt precious ſort of Jewels, Carbuncles, becauſe they are very rarely to be met with, we ſhall briefly deliver what we know of them. In Clement the ſeventh's time, I happen'd to ſee one of
them at a certain Raguſian Merchants, nam'd Beigoio di Bona, This was a Carbuncle white, of that kind of whiteneſs which we ſaid was to be found in thoſe Rubies of which we made mention a little above, (where he had ſaid that thoſe Rubies had a kind of Livid Whiteneſs or Paleneſs like that of a Calcidonian) but it had in it a Luſtre ſo pleaſing and ſo marveilous, that it ſhin'd in the Dark, but not as much as colour'd Carbuncles, though it be true, that in an exceeding Dark place I ſaw it ſhine in the manner of fire almoſt gone out. But as for colour'd Carbuncles, it has not been my Fortune to have ſeen any, wherefore I will onely ſet down what I Learn'd about them Diſcourſing in my Youth with a Roman Gentleman of antient Experience in matters of Jewels, who told me, That one Jacopo Cola being by Night in a Vineyard of his, and eſpying ſomething in the midſt of it, that ſhin'd like a little glowing Coal, at the foot of a Vine, went near towards the place where he thought himſelf to have ſeen that fire, but not finding it, he ſaid, that being return'd to the ſame place, whence he had firſt deſcry'd it, and perceiving there the ſame ſplendor as before, he mark'd it ſo heedfully, that he came at length to it, where he took up a very little Stone, which he carry'd away with Tranſports and Joy. And the next
day carrying it about to ſhow it divers of his Friends, whilſt he was relating after what manner he found it, there caſually interven'd a Venetian Embaſſadour, exceedingly expert in Jewels, who preſently knowing it to be a Carbuncle, did craftily before he and the ſaid Jacopo parted (ſo that there was no Body preſent that underſtood the Worth of ſo Precious a Gemm) purchaſe it for the Value of 10. Crowns, and the next day left Rome to ſhun the being neceſſitated to reſtore it, and (as he affirm'd) it was known within ſome while after that the ſaid Venetian Gentleman did in Conſtantinople ſell that Carbuncle to the then Grand Seignior, newly come to the Empire, for a hundred thouſand Crowns. And this is what I can ſay concerning Carbuncles, and this is not a little at leaſt as to the firſt part of this account, where our Cellini affirms himſelf to have ſeen a Real Carbuncle with his own Eyes, eſpecially ſince this Author appears wary in what he delivers, and is inclin'd rather to leſſen, than increaſe the wonder of it. And his Teſtimony is the more conſiderable, becauſe though he were born a Subject neither to the Pope nor the then King of France (that Royal Virtuoſo Francis the firſt) yet both the one and the other of thoſe Princes imploy'd him much
about making of their Nobleſt Jewels. What is now reported concerning a Shining Subſtance to be ſeen in one of the Iſlands about Scotland, were very improper for me to mention to Sr. Robert Morray, to whom the firſt Information was Originally brought, and from whom I expect a farther (for I ſcarce dare expect a convincing) account of it. But I muſt not omit that ſome Virtuoſo queſtioning me the other day at White-Hall about Mr. Claytons Diamond, and meeting amongſt them an Ingenious Dutch Gentleman, whoſe Father was long Embaſſador for the Netherlands in England, I Learn'd of him, that, he is acquainted with a perſon, whoſe Name he told (but I do not well remember it) who was Admiral of the Dutch in the Eaſt-Indies, and who aſſur'd this Gentleman Monſieur Boreel, that at his return from thence he brought back with him into Holland a Stone, which though it look'd but like a Pale Dull Diamond, ſuch as he ſaw Mr. Claytons to be, yet was it a Real Carbuncle, and did without rubbing ſhine ſo much, that when the Admiral had occaſion to open a Cheſt which he kept under Deck in a Dark place, where 'twas forbidden to bring Candles for fear of Miſchances, as ſoon as he open'd the Trunck, the Stone
would by its Native Light, ſhine ſo as to Illuſtrate a great part of it, and this Gentleman having very civilly and readily granted me the requeſt I made him, to Write to the Admiral, who is yet alive in Holland, (and probably may ſtill have the Jewel by him,) for a particular account of this Stone, I hope ere long to receive it, which will be the more welcome to me, not onely becauſe ſo unlikely a thing needs a cleer evidence, but becauſe I have had ſome ſuſpition of that (ſuppoſing the truth of the thing) what may be a ſhining Stone in a very hot Countrey as the Eaſt-Indies, may perhaps ceaſe to be ſo (at leaſt in certain ſeaſons,) in one as cold as Holland. For I obſerv'd in the Diamond I ſend you an account of, that not onely rubbing but a very moderate degree of warmth, though excited by other wayes, would make it ſhine a little. And 'tis not impoſſible that there may be Stones as much more ſuſceptible than that, of the Alterations requiſite to make a Diamond ſhine, as that appeares to be more ſuſceptible of them, than ordinary Diamonds. And I confeſs to you, that this is not the only odd ſuſpition (for they are not ſo much as conjectures) that what I try'd upon this Diamond ſuggeſted to me. For not here to entertain you with the
changes I think may be effected ev'n in harder ſorts of Stones, by wayes not vulgar, nor very promiſing, becauſe I may elſewhere have occaſion to ſpeak of them, and this Letter is but too Prolix already, that which I ſhall now acknowledge to you is, That I began to doubt whether there may not in ſome Caſes be ſome Truth in what is ſaid of the right Turquois, that it often changes Colour as the wearer is Sick or Well, and manifeſtly loſes its ſplendor at his Death. For when I found that ev'n the warmth of an Affriction that laſted not above a quarter of a minute, Nay, that of my Body, (whoſe Conſtitution you know is none of the hotteſt) would make a manifeſt change in the ſolideſt of Stones a Diamond, it ſeem'd not impoſſible, that certain warm and Saline ſteams iſſuing from the Body of a living man, may by their plenty or paucity, or by their peculiar Nature, or by the total abſence of them, diverſifie the Colour, and the ſplendor of ſo ſoft a Stone as the Turquois. And though I admir'd to ſee, that I know not how many Men otherwiſe Learn'd, ſhould confidently aſcribe to Jewels ſuch Virtues as ſeem no way competible to Inanimate Agents, if to any Corporeal ones at all, yet as to what is affirm'd concerning the Turquois's
changing Colour, I know not well how to reject the Affirmation of ſo Learned (and which in this caſe is much more conſiderable) ſo Judicious a Lapidary as Boetius de Boot[a]31], who upon his own particular and repeated Experience delivers ſo memorable