Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

Of Gemma. chap. 48.

A Precious stone is called Gemma, and hath that name, for it shineth as Gum, as Isidore saith. Precious stones adorne well gold, & make it well fayre in diuers coulours. Therefore Isidore saith, that they bée precious, for they be deare & scarce. For all that is scarce and seldome had, is called great and precious, as it is written. The word of God is precious, that is to saye, scarce. Isidore saith, that no man shall wene, that it is doubtfull or false, that God hath set vertue in precious stones. For it is sayd in Lapidario. In∣gens est herbis virtus sed maxima gem∣mis. That is to saye, Greate vertue is in hearbs, but most in precious stones. Of which precious stones some be found in veines of y^e earth, & be digged with met∣talls. Some be cast out of the bottome of the sea, and the place of their generation is unknowen. And alway such precious stones be found in cliffes of the sea, & in sand and in grauell of riuers. And some bréed in bodies of soules and of créeping beasts. But frō whence so euer precious stones come, they be found endued by y^e grace of God with passing great vertue, when they be noble & very. For Isidore ca. de Gemmis ••urens saith, in some kinde of precious stones if is harde and greate difficultie to know betwéene y^e very pre∣cious stones and false. For oft those that be false & guilful, séeme most like to them that be true & very, so that vnneth men may know betwéene the true and guil∣full. For as he sayth, sometime men by craft aray the stone that is called Vitrū, and put it forth in stéede of Smaragdos, and beguile some mens eyen with false likenesse of true & very Smaragdus. For no life of men is without guile, as Isido. saith. And we vse to cal al manner of pre∣cious stones that bée not precious & shi∣ning, blinde. For they be dimmed with their owne thicknesse and boistousnesse. Isidore saith, that they that déeme so, bée oft beguiled: for oft more vertue is hid in a little Adamant with coulour of yron and darke, then in Sardio that is most bright, or in Berall.