Chaps. 63-77.

Chap. 63.—Memnonia. Media. Meconitis. Mithrax. Morochthos. Mormorion or Promnion. Murrhitis. Myrmecias. Myrsinitis. Mesoleucos. Mesomelas.

What kind of stone memnonia [“Stone of Memnon.”] is, we do not find mentioned. Medea [This reading seems preferable to “Media,” given by the Bamberg and some other MSS.] is a black stone, said to have been discovered by the Medea [The enchantress of Colchis. The stone, no doubt was as fabulous as the enchantress.] of fable: it has veins of a golden lustre, and yields a liquid like saffron in colour and with a vinous flavour. Meconitis [“Poppy stone.”] strongly resembles poppies. Mithrax [For the origin of this name, see “Eumithres,” in Chapter 58, Note.] comes from Persia and the mountains of the Red Sea: it is of numerous colours, and reflects various tints when exposed to the sun. [It was probably a kind of Opal.] Morochthos [The reading here is very doubtful.] is a stone of a leek-green colour, from which a milk exudes. Mormorion [This reading also is doubtful: it is probably an Eastern word. According to some authorities, this stone was a dark-brown rock crystal. Ajasson identities it with Schorl or black Tourmaline, with a base of Magnesia.] is a transparent stone from India, of a deep black colour, and known also as “promnion.” When it has a mixture of the colour [Red Tourmaline, possibly, or Rubellite.] of carbunculus, it is from Alexandria; and when it shares that of sarda, [Carnelian. See Chapter of this Book.] 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. [“Ectypæ sculpturæ.” See B. xxxv. c..] Murrhitis [“Myrrh stone.” It was an Eastern compound, probably. See Chapter 54, Note.] 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 [“Wart stone.”] is black, and has excrescences upon it like warts. Myrsinitis [“Myrtle stone.”] has a colour like that of honey, and the smell of myrtle. “Mesoleucos” [“White in the middle.” This and the next seem to have been general names for stones of a particular appearance.] 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.” [“Black in the middle.”]

Chap. 64.—Nasamonitis. Nebritis. Nipparene.

Nasamonitis is a blood-red stone, marked with black veins. Nebritis, a stone sacred to Father Liber, [Bacchus.] has received its name from its resemblance to a nebris. [A Greek word, signifying the skin of a fawn or deer, as worn by the Bacchanals in the celebration of their orgies. Ajasson is of opinion that this was a mottled quartz or agate, similar to those mentioned as resembling the spots of the lion, in Chapter, the Leontios and Pardalios of Chapter.] There is also another stone of this kind, that is black. Nipparene [This reading is doubtful.] 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, [“Shower stone,” apparently.] by some called “notia,” [From “Notus,” the south wind, which usually brought rain.] falls with showers and lightning, much in the same manner as ceraunia [See Chapters and.] and brontea, [See Chapter of this Book.] 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 [“Ass’s heart.”] is like kermesberry in appearance, but nothing further is said about it. Oritis, [“Mountain stone.”] by some called “sideritis,” [See Chapter.] is a stone of globular form, and proof against the action of fire. Ostracias, [“Shell-stone.” Not the same, probably, as the Cadmitis or Ostracitis mentioned in Chapter of this Book. See B. xxxvi. c., where a stone of this name is also mentioned. Horn-stone, probably, a Chalcedony, more brittle than flint, is meant in the present passage.] or ostracitis, is a testaceous stone, harder than ceramitis, [See Chapter of this Book.] and similar in all respects to achates, [See the beginning of Chapter.] except that the latter has an unctuous appearance when polished: indeed, so remarkably hard is ostracitis, that with fragments of it other gems are engraved. Ostritis [“Oyster-stone.”] 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 [See B. xxxvi. chap.; our “Obsidian.”] 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. Pænitis or Gæanis.

Panchrus [“Of all colours.” Either Opal, Ajasson thinks, or Iridized hyalin quartz.] is a stone which displays nearly every colour. Pangonus [“All corners.” Ajasson seems to think that this may have been Hyalin quartz.] 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 [“Worthy of all love.”] 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. [Of the same meaning as “paneros.”] Of the stone called “pontica” [“Gem of Pontus.” According to Desfontaines, these stones are identified, by some with agates, by others with sapphires.] 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, [“Flame-coloured.”] also called “chrysitis,” [“Golden-coloured stone.”] strongly resembles Attic ochre, [See B. xxxiii. c., and B. xxxv. cc.,.] and is found in Egypt. Phœnicitis [“Palm-date stone. Desfontaines says that this is Jew stone, the fossil spine of an egg-shaped echinus. See Chapter 55, Note.] is a stone so called from its resemblance to a date. Phycitis receives its name from its resemblance to sea-weed. [Φῦκος; whence the Latin “fucus.”] Perileucos [“White around.”] is the name given to a gem, in which a white colour runs down from the margin of the stone to the base. Pæanitis, [An Aëtites or Geodes, probably. See Chapter 56, Note; also B. xxx. c. 44, and B. xxxvi. cc.,.] by some called “gæanis,” [“Earth stone,” apparently.] conceives, it is said, and is good for females at the time of parturition: this stone is found in Macedonia, near the monument [The tomb of Tiresias was ordinarily pointed out in the vicinity of the Tilphusan Well, near Thebes; at least Pausanias states to that effect.] 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 [“Gem of the Sun.” According to some, this is the Girasol opal; but Ajasson has no doubt, from the description given of it by Photius, from Damascius, that it is identical with the “Asteria” of Chapter. See also the “Astrion” of Chapter.] 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 [Supposed to be jet.] which it produces, black and imponderous, and similar to wood in appearance. Sauritis [“Lizard stone.”] is found, they say, in the belly of the green lizard, cut asunder with a reed. Sarcitis [“Flesh stone.”] is a stone, like beef in appearance. Selenitis [“Moon stone.” Our Selenite probably, crystallized sulphate of lime: the thin laminæ of which reflect the disk of the sun or moon.] 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 [“Stone like iron.” See “Oritis” in Chapter 65; also B. xxxvi. c., and Chapter of this Book, for minerals of this name.] is a stone like iron, the presence of which in lawsuits creates discord. Sideropœcilos, [“Variegated iron.”] 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.” [So called from its teeth meeting evenly, like the jaw-teeth, and not shaped like those of a saw, so formed that the teeth of one jaw lock with those of the other. See B. xi. c. 5. The Linnæan genus Sparus is of this kind.] Syrtitis is a stone that used formerly to be found on the shores of the Syrtes, [See B. v. cc. 4, 5, and B. vi. c. 37.] 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 [“Fistulous stone.”] 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 [“Three-coloured stone.”] 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 [Meaning “Female root,” apparently. The reading, however, is uncertain.] is of an ashy or russet colour, but white at the lower part. Thelycardios [“Female heart,” apparently. The reading is doubtful.] 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 “mulc.” Of thracia [“Thracian stone.” The reading, however, is doubtful.] there are three varieties; a green stone, one of a more pallid colour, and a third with spots like drops of blood. Tephritis [“Ash-coloured stone.” It has been identified with Uranian agate by some.] is crescent-shaped, with horns like those of the new moon, but it is of an ashy colour. Tecolithos [“Dissolving stone.” Probably our Jew stone, and identical with the Phœnicitis of Chapter 66. See Note.] 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 [“Venus’ hair.” As Ajasson remarks, the description renders it next to impossible to say what the stone was.] 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 sea-green 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 [“Liver stone.” Heavy spar, a sulphate of barytes, is sometimes called Hepatite.] is so called from the liver; and steatitis [“Fat stone.” Saponite or soapstone, a silicate of magnesia, is also known as Steatite.] 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 [An ancient king of Syria, worshipped by the people of that country and the inhabitants of Phrygia. According to Macrobius, the Assyrians worshipped Jupiter and the Sun under this name.] of the Syrians so called. Triophthalmos [“Three-eye stone.” Some kind of Cat’s eye chalcedony, probably.] 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 [“Crab stone.”] is so called from the colour of the sea-crab; echitis, [“Viper-stone.”] from the colour of the viper; scorpitis, [“Scorpion stone.”] from either the colour or the shape of the scorpion; scaritis, from the fish called scarus; [See B. ix. c. 29, B. xl. c. 61, and B. xxxii. c.. This was perhaps the same stone as the “Synodontitis” of Chapter.] triglitis, from the sur-mullet; [Which was called τριγλὰ, in Greek.] 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 white-tailed eagle. Myrmecitis [“Ant stone.” Possibly a kind of amber.] presents the appearance of an ant crawling within, and cantharias, [“Beetle stone.”] of a scarabæus. Lycophthalmos [“Wolf’s eye.”] 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 [“Peacock stone.”] 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 Prom Other Objects. Hammochrysos. Cenchritis. Dryitis. Cissitis. Narcissitis. Cyamias. Pyren. Phœnicitis. Chalazias. Pyritis. Polyzonos. Astrapæa. Phlogitis. Anthracitis. Enhygros. Polythrix. Leontios. Pardalios. Drosolithos. Melichrus. Melichloros. Crocias. Polias. Spartopolias. Rhoditis. Chalcitis. Sycitis. Bostrychitis. Chernitis. Anancitis. Synochitis. Dendritis.

Hammochrysos [“Golden sand.” This may possibly have been Aventurine quartz.] resembles sand in appearance, but sand mixed with gold. Cenchritis [“Millet stone.”] has all the appearance of grains of millet scattered here and there. Dryitis [“Oak stone.” Fossil coal, perhaps.] resembles the trunk of a tree, and burns like wood. Cissitis, [“Ivy stone.”] upon a white, transparent surface, has leaves of ivy running all over it. Narcissitis [“Daffodil stone.” An Eastern compound, probably.] is distinguished by veins on the surface, and has a smell like that of the narcissus. Cyamias [“Bean stone.”] is a black stone, but when broken, produces a bean to all appearance. Pyren [Our “Jew stone,” probably; identical with the Phœnicitis of Chapter and the Tecolithos of Chapter.] is so called from its resemblance to an olive-stone: in some cases it would appear to contain the back-bone [See Note to Chapter 66.] of a fish. Phœnicitis [See Chapter.] resembles a palm-date in form. Chalazias [See B. xxxvi. c.. Pebbles of white flint were probably meant under this name; from which is derived, according to Ajasson, the French word caillou, meaning a flint pebble.] 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, [“Fire stone.” Not a Pyrites of modern Mineralogy, probably.] though a black stone, burns the fingers when rubbed by them. Polyzonos [“With many zones.” Probably an agate or jasper.] is a black stone traversed by numerous zones of white.

Astrapæa [“Lightning stone.”] has rays like flashes of lightning, running across the middle on a ground of white or blue. In phlogitis, [“Flame stone.”] there is, to all appearance, a flame burning within, but not reaching the surface of the stone. In anthracitis, [“Burning coal stone.” See B. xxxvi. c., and Chapter of this Book.] there are sometimes sparks, to all appearance, flying to and fro. Enhygros [“Containing liquid.” Identified by Desfontaines with the Geodes enhydros of modern Geology, which sometimes contains a liquid substance.] 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 [“Many-haired stone.”] presents the appearance of hair upon a green surface; but it causes the hair to fall off, it is said. Leontios and pardalios [As to these stones, agates or jaspers probably, see “Nebritis,” in Chapter, and the Note.] are names given to stones, from their resemblance to the skin of the lion and panther. Drosolithos [“Dew stone.” The reading here is very doubtful. See Chapter.] has received its name from its colour. Melichrus is a honey-coloured stone, of which there are several varieties. Melichloros [“Honey-coloured and yellow.”] is a stone of two colours, partly honey-coloured, partly yellow. Crocias [“Saffron stone.”] 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 [All three being derived from the corresponding name in Greek.] is in colour like a fig. Bostrychitis [See Chapter of this Book.] is covered with branches of a white or blood-red colour, upon a ground of black; and chernitis [“Hand stone.”] has, on a stony surface, a figure like that of two hands grasping each other. Anancitis [“Stone of necessity.”] is used in hydromancy, they say, for summoning the gods to make their appearance; and synochitis, [“Retaining stone.”] for detaining the shades from below when they have appeared. If white dendritis [“Tree stone.”] 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. [De Lapidibus.] Cochlides, [He alludes to petrified shells, most probably.] 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. [“Phaleræ.” See B. vii. c. 2, and B. xxxiii. c..]

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;” [“Nature;” i.e. “works of Nature.”] 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 [“Lenticula.” Like a lentil in shape.] 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. [Substituting garnets for rubies, as an illustration.] 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 [“Minium.” See Chapter of this Book.] 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, [Lest the deception should be commonly practised. Seneca, Epist. 19, mentions one Democritus, who had discovered the art of making artificial Emeralds. See further on this subject, Beckmann, Hist. Inv. Vol. 1. p. 124. Bohn’s Edition.] 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 [Ten in the morning.] hour, but never after that hour. The modes of testing [See Chapters and.] 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 [We can only guess at the meaning of this passage, as it is acknowledgedly corrupt.] 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 [Our Obsidian. See B. xxxvi. c., and Chapter of this Book.] 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 [See Chapter of this Book. Ajasson thinks that he has here confounded two different substances, powdered emery and diamond dust.] an operation which may be considerably expedited by heating the graver. The rivers which produce precious stones, are the Acesinus [See B. iv. c. 26.] 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; [“Trigariis.” “Three-horse chariot races,” literally. See B. xxviii. c. 72, and B. xxix. c. 5.] while, for mines of gold, silver, copper, and iron, so long as it was deemed lawful to work them, [It having been in recent times declared unlawful to work them, as he has already informed us.] 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. [“Quacunque ambitur mari.” With these words the Natural History of Pliny terminates in all the former editions. M. Ian was the first among the learned to express a suspicion that the proper termination of the work was wanting; an opinion in which Sillig coincided, and which was happily confirmed, in the course of time, by the discovery of the Bamberg MS., the only copy of the Natural History (or rather the last Six Books) in which the concluding part of this Chapter has been found.] 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 [See B. xix. c. 7.] and her specular stone, [See B. xxxvi. c..] 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, [See Chapter of this Book.] smaragdus, [See Chapter of this Book.] precious stones, and murrhine, [See Chapters,, and of this Book.] are the things upon which the highest value is placed. The most costly things that are matured by the earth, are the kermes-berry [“Coccum.” See B. xvi. c. 12, and B. xxiv. c. 4.] and laser; [See B. xix. c. 15, and B. xxii. c. 49.] that are gathered from trees, nard [See B. xii. c. 26.] and Seric tissues; [See B. vi. c. 20, and B. xii. c. 1.] that are derived from the trunks of trees, logs of citrus [See B. xiii. c. 29, and B. xv. c. 7.] -wood; that are produced by shrubs, cinnamon, [See B. xii. c. 42.] cassia, [See B. xii. c. 43.] and amomum; [See B. xii. c. 28.] that are yielded by the juices of trees or of shrubs, amber, [See Chapter of this Book.] opobalsamum, [See B. xii, c. 54.] myrrh, [See B. xii. c. 33.] and frankincense; [See B. xii. c. 30.] that are found in the roots of trees, the perfumes derived from costus. [See B. xii. c. 25.] 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 [See B. xxxiv. c..] dye, and the substance gathered from the hair of the she-goats of Arabia, which we have spoken of under the name of “ladanum;” [In B. xii. c. 37, and B. xxvi. c. 30.] by creatures that are common to both land and sea, the purple [See B. ix. cc. 60, 61.] of the murex. With reference to the birds, beyond plumes for warriors’ helmets, and the grease that is derived from the geese of Commagene, [See B. x. c. 28, and B. xxix. c. 13.] 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, [“Numeris omnibus.”] thus made known thy praise. [Bernhardy, Grundriss d. Röm. Lit. p. 644, has expressed an opinion that there is still some deficiency after the concluding words, “tuis fave;” notwithstanding the comparative completeness of the restored text as given by the Bamberg MS.]

Summary. —Facts, narratives, and observations, one thousand three hundred.

Roman Authors quoted. —M. Varro, [See end of B. ii.] the Register of the Triumphs, [See end of B. v.] Mæcenas, [See end of B. ix.] Iacchus, [See end of B..] Cornelius Bocchus. [See end of B. xvi.]

Foreign Authors quoted. —King Juba, [See end of B. v.] Xenocrates [See end of B..] the son of Zeno, Sudines, [See end of B..] Æschylus, [See end of B. x.] Philoxenus, [A Dithyrambic poet, a native of Cythera, or, according to some, of Heraclea in Pontus. During the latter part of his life he resided at the court of the younger Dionysius, tyrant of Sicily, and died B.C. 380, at the age of 55. Of his poems, only a few fragments are left.] Euripides, [One of the great Tragic Poets of Greece, born at Salamis B.C. 480. Of his Tragedies, eighteen are still extant, out of seventy-five, or, according to some accounts, ninety-two, which he originally wrote.] Nicander, [See end of B. viii.] Satyrus, [Nothing positive seems to be known of this author, who is mentioned in Chapters,, and of the present Book as having written on Precious Stones. It is possible that he may have been the architect mentioned in B. xxxvi. c.. Hardouin would identify him with a Comic writer of Olynthus, of this name.] Theophrastus, [See end of B. iii.] Chares, [See end of B. xii.] Philemon, [See end of B. x.] Demostratus, [A Roman senator, who wrote a work on Fishing, in 26 Books, one on Hydromancy or aquatic divination, and other works connected with history. It is probably from a work of his, “On Rivers,” that Plutarch quotes. See Chapters and of the present Book.] Zenothemis, [Author of a “Periplus,” and of a poem “on the Fabulous forms of Men,” both mentioned by Tzetzes. See Chapters,,, and of this Book.] Metrodorus, [See end of Books iii. and.] Sotacus, [See end of B..] Pytheas, [See end of B. ii.] Timæus [See end of B. iv.] the Sicilian, Nicias, [A writer on Stones, of this name, is also mentioned by Plutarch and Stobæus, but no further particulars are known of him. He is mentioned in Chapter of this Book.] Theochrestus, [Mentioned also in Chapter of this Book. A person of this name is quoted by the Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius as the author of a work on Libya; from which he is supposed to have been a native of Africa.] Asarubas, [Beyond the mention made of him in Chapter of this Book, as a contemporary of Pliny, no further particulars are known.] Mnaseas, [A native of Patara in Lycia, who wrote a Description of the Earth, and a collection of the Oracles given at Delphi. See Chapter of this Book.] Theomenes, [Beyond the mention made of him in Chapter of this Book, nothing relative to this writer seems to be known.] Ctesias, [See end of B. ii.] Mithridates, [Mithridates VI., Eupator, or Dionysus, King of Pontus, and the great adversary of the Romans, commonly known as Mithridates the Great. His notes and Memoirs were brought to Rome by Pompey, who had them translated into Latin by his freedman Pompeius Lenæus. See end of B. xiv.: also B. vii. c. 24, B. xxiii. c. 77, B. xxv. cc. 3, 27, 79, B. xxxiii. c., and Chapters and of the present Book.] Sophocles, [See end of B. xxi.] King Archelaüs, [See end of B. viii.] Callistratus, [From the mention made of him in Chapters and of this Book, we may conclude that he was a writer on Precious Stones.] Democritus, [See end of B. ii.] Ismenias, [From the mention of him in Chapters and of this Book, he appears to have been a writer on Precious Stones.] Olympicus, [Probably the physician of Miletus, sometimes called Olympiacus, who, according to Galen, belonged to the sect of the Methodici, and lived in the first century after Christ. Galen speaks of him as “a frivolous person.”] Alexander [See Cornelius Alexander, end of B. iii.] Polyhistor, Apion, [See end of B. xxx.] Horus, [See end of B. xxix.] Zoroaster, [See end of B. xviii.] Zachalias. [A native of Babylon, mentioned in Chapter of this Book, as having dedicated a work, on Precious Stones, to King Mithridates.]