The historie of the vvorld: commonly called, The naturall historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Translated into English by Philemon Holland Doctor of Physicke. The first [-second] tome

CHAP. V.

¶ Of the Emeraud, and the sundry sorts thereof. Of greene gems or precious stones, and such as be lightsome and cleare all thorow. [unspec B]

EMerauds for many causes deserue the * 1.1 third place: for there is not a colour more pleasing to the eie. True it is, that we take great delight to behold greene herbes and leaues of trees, but this is nothing to the pleasure wee haue in looking vpon the Emeraud, for compare it with other things, be they neuer so green, it surpasses them all in pleasant verdure. Besides, there is not a gem or precious stone that so fully possesseth the eie, and yet neuer contenteth it with sacietie. Nay, if the sight hath bin wearied and dimmed by intentiue poring vpon any thing els, the beholding of this stone doth refresh and restore it againe, which lappidaries well know, that cut and ingraue fine stones; for they haue not a better means to refresh their eies than the Eme∣raud, the mild green that it hath doth so comfort and reuiue their wearines and lassitude. More∣ouer, [unspec C] the longer and farther off that a man looketh vpon Emerauds, the fairer and bigger they seem to the eie, by reason that they cause the reuerberation of the aire about them for to seeme green: for neither Sun nor shade, ne yet the light of candle, causeth them to change and lose their lustre: but contrariwise, as they euer send out their own raies by litle & little, so they enter∣tain reciprocally the visual beams of our eies; and for all the spissitude and thicknesse that they seeme to haue, they admit gently our sight to pierce into their bottome: a thing that is not or∣dinary in water. The same are shaped many times hollow, thereby to gather, vnite, and fortifie the spirits that maintain our eie-sight. In regard of these manifold pleasures that they shew to our eies, by generall consent of all men spared they are, and lappidaries be forbidden expressely to cut and ingraue them: and yet the Emerauds of Scythia and Aegypt be so hard, as they can∣not [unspec D] be pierced or wounded by any instrument: moreouer, when you meet with a table-Emerauld hold the flat face therof against any thing, it will represent the said object to the eie, as well as a mirroir or looking glasse. And verily, Nero the Emperor was wont to behold the combats of fen∣cers and sword-plaiers in a faire Emeraud. Now this first & formost is to be noted, that of Eme∣rauds there be 12 kinds. The fairest and richest of all other, be those of Tartarie and called they are Scythick, of the nation Scythia from whence they came: and in truth, there be none fuller and higher in colour or haue fewer blemishes: and looke how far Emerauds goe beyond other precious stones, so far do the Scythian Emerauds surpasse all others. The Bactrian Emerauds, as they are the next neighbors, so they come nearest in goodnesse to the Scythicke: found these be in chinks and joints (as it were) of rocks in the sea, and gathered (by report) about the dog daies, [unspec E] when the Northeast Etesian winds do blow: for then they glitter and shine within the earth that is grown about them, by reason that the said winds (which in those parts are strong) remoue the sand away from them, and cause them to be seen: but these by report be far lesse than those of Scythia. In a third place follow the Emerauds of Aegypt, & they be gotten out of certain crag∣gy hils and cliffes about Coptos, a towne in high Aegypt. As for all others, they be found ordi∣narily in brasse mines: that is the reason that the Emerauds of the Isle Cypros be held for chiefe and principall among those nine: and yet their singular commendation lieth not in any clear or mild colour that they haue, but their onely grace consisteth herein, that they seeme moist with a certaine fattinesse, and on which side soeuer a man do view them, they resemble the liquid wa∣ter of the sea, for transparent they be and shining withall, that is to say, they send out a colour of [unspec F] their own, & withal, through their perspicuity receiue the penetrant beams of our eies. It is re∣ported, That in the same Isle Cypros, about the sepulchre of Hermias a pety king there, and near vnto the sea sides where were pooles and stewes of great fishes kept to be salted, there stood in old time a lion of marble, in the head of which Lion were set certain faire Emerauds in stead of

eyes, looking opposit into the sea: but they glittered and pierced so deep into the water, that the [unspec G] Tunies vpon that coast were affraid therat, & fled from the nets and other instruments that the fishers laid to take them withall: who maruelled a long time at this strange accident: but in the end knowing what the matter was, they changed the eies of the foresaid Lion, and remoued the Emerauds. But requisit it is that I should set down the imperfections & defaults of Emerauds, for that a may may so easily be deceiued and beguiled in the choise of them: First therefore all Emerauds be subject to some blemishes, and yet as we obserue in men, they haue their parti∣cular defects by themselues, according to the nation where they be found; for those of Cypres haue not an vniforme verdure, but you shal see in one and the same stone a mixture (as it were) of diuerse greenes, more or lesse in sundry parts: neither keep they euer that rich greene after one tenour, which we see in the Scythian Emerauds. Ouer and besides, in some you shall meet with [unspec H] a cloud or shadow running between, which doth impeach the cleare color: neither is the same commendable, if it be ouer bright. These faults are the cause that Emerauds are distinguisht by diuers names and kinds: for some be darke, and those be called blind: others be thicke, without any clearnesse or perspicuity at all. And some again are discommended and rejected for diuers little clouds, which also are different for the shade aforesaid: for this little cloud wherof I speak, is a fault in whitenesse, when as in viewing of an Emeraud it looketh not green all through, but either the eiesight meeteth with some white in the way, or else at leastwise in the bottom. And thus much as touching the faults in colour. But in the very body and substance of the Emeraud there be others obserued, to wit, when there appear either hairy streaks, or congealed specks re∣sembling cornes of salt, or els spots of lead. Next to the Cyprian Emerauds, there is reckoning [unspec I] made of the Aethyopian, which as king Iuba mine authour doth report, are found in Aethyopia, from Coptos in Aegypt three daies journy: These be of a chearefull and liuely green, but hardly shal you find any of them clear, pure, and of one colour. Among these, Democritus raungeth the Hermionian Emerauds and the Persian: of which, the former seeme to swell out as if they were embossed and fattie withall: the Persian are not transparent, & yet of a pleasant greene and vni∣forme, contenting the eie-sight well enough, though it cannot pierce and enter into them; and much like they be to the glowing eies of cats & panthers, for we may perceiue them to glitter and shine, and yet they be not translucent. These Emerauds in the Sun lose their lustre and be∣come dim, but in the shade they shine gallantly, yea, and cast from them their beautifull raies farther than any other. And yet the general fault in al these, is this, if they shew the color either [unspec K] of gall or the skie; likewise if in the Sun they glitter and shine cleare, but yet appear not green: These imperfections are perceiued ordinarily and most of all in the Atticke Emerauds, found in siluer mines at a place called Thoricos, yet are not these so grosse and fattie as others, and al∣waies they seeme more beautifull a far off than neer at hand: these are subject ordinarily to the fault called Plumbago, that is to say, in the Sun they looke with a leaden hew: Moreouer, this peculiar quality they haue by themselues, that some of them wear & decay with age, insomuch as by little and little their liuely green decaieth; and besides, in the Sun they lose their lustre. After the Atticke Emerauds, those of Media be accounted the greenest, and otherwhiles they resemble the green Saphire. These seem to be ful of waues, and to containe within them diuers shapes and figures of many things, as for example, poppie heads, birds, wings, and finnes, * 1.2 locks [unspec L] of haire, and such like. Such Emerauds as are not found naturally greene, may be made better and receiue their perfection, by washing them in wine & oile. In one word, there is not a greater Emeraud to be found than those of Media. As touching Carchedonian Emerauds, I wot not wel whether they be now out of al request & knowledge, since their mines of brasse haue failed them; and yet were they alwaies (at their best) the smallest of all others, and bare the lowest price: the same were brittle & easie to be broken, their color also was not settled but vncertain & change∣able, resembling for all the world the greene feathers in Peacockes tailes, or the downe of Pige∣ons neckes; as a man held and turned them one way or other they shined more or lesse, being otherwise of themselues full of veines and skales. A speciall fault there was, wherto these Eme∣rauds were subject, which lapidaries called Sarcicon, that is to say, a certain carnosity or fleshi∣nesse [unspec M] incident vnto gems. Gathered they were in a certaine mountaine neere vnto Carchedon, which thereupon was named Smaragdites. K. Iuba hath left in writing, That the Emeraud cal∣led Cholos, serued the Arabians much in their buildings: for to adorn and beautifie their hou∣ses, they were wont to enclose & set the same in the wals like as the white marble, which the Ae∣gyptian

name Alabastrites. He reporteth moreouer, that there be many other Emerauds neere [unspec A] by, taken forth of the mountain Taygetus in Laconia, and those therefore be named Laconick, and much like they are to those of Media. He speaketh likewise of others in Sicilie. Reckoned there is in the ranke of Emerauds, a certain gem brought from Persia, named Tanos; howbeit of an vnpleasant green it is, and foule within: as also the stone Chalcosmaragdos, that comes out of the Isle Cyprus, which hath in it certain veins of brasse that trouble the green colour. Theo∣phrastus reporteth, that he hath read in the books and records of the Aegyptians, That a king of Babylon sent as a present to one of their kings, one entire Emeraud foure cubits long and three broad. Also, that there had bin within the temple of Iupiter among them, an Obeliske made of foure Emerauds, which obelisk notwithstanding was forty cubits long, & caried in bredth four cubits in some places, and two in others. He addeth moreouer, that while he wrot his historie, [unspec B] there was at Tyros within the temple of Hercules, a pillar standing of one Emeraud, vnlesse hap∣ly it were some bastard Emeraud; for such (quoth he) are found, and namely in Cyprus there was seen naturally growing, a stone, whereof the one halfe was a plaine Emeraud, the other a Iasper, as if the humor had not bin fully transformed and conuerted into an Emeraud. Apion the Gram∣marian, syrnamed * 1.3 Plistonices, wrot not long before, who hath left recorded, That there remai∣ned still within the labyrinth of Aegypt, the gyant-like image of their god Serapis nine cubits tall, and of one entire Emeraud.

Moreouer, many are of opinion, that Berils are of the same nature that the Emeraud, or at leastwise very like: from India they come as from their natiue place, for seldome are they to be found elsewhere: lapidaries by their art and cunning know how to cut them into six angles, and [unspec C] to polish them smooth; for otherwise their lustre, which is but sad, would be dull and dead in∣deed, vnlesse it were quickned and reuiued by the repercussion of these angles: for be they poli∣shed neuer so much any other way, yet haue they not that liuely glosse which those six faces giue them. Of these Beryls those are best esteemed which carry a sea-water greene, and resemble the greennesse of the sea when it is cleare. Next to them are those called Chrysoberylli: these be somewhat paler, and their lustre tendeth to the colour of gold. A third kind there is approaching neere to this, but that it is more pale (howsoeuer some do think it is no kind of Beril, but a gem by it self) and this they call Chrysoprasos. In a fourth degree are placed the Berils named Hya∣cinthizontes, because they incline somwhat to the Iacinth. And in a fift such as are much of a sky colour, wherupon they are named Aëroides. After them be the Beryls Cerini, for that they [unspec D] seem like wax: then the Oleagini, that is to say, of an oile colour. And in the last place bee the Crystalline, which are white, and come very neere to crystals. All the sort of these Beryl stones haue these faults, to wit, white hairy streaks or lines in them, yea and other filthy ordure; being of themselues without these imperfections apt to shed their colour, which soon fadeth. The In∣dians take a wonderfull pleasure in long Beryls, and commend them for the only stones & gems in the world; as if they cared not to be set in gold, but chose rather to be worne without it: and in truth in that regard their maner is to bore holes through them, and then to file them vp into chains and collars with haires of elephants: howbeit when they meet with some excellent Be∣ryls indeed, which are come to their absolute goodnesse and perfection, they think it not good to pierce such, but presently they tip them with gold, that is to say, they set vnto their heads cer∣tain [unspec E] knobs in maner of bosses which comprehend and inclose the same. And in very truth, they delight to cut their Berils into long rolls or pillastres in manner of cylindres, rather than after the maner of other gems, because their principal grace and commendation lies in their length. Some are of opinion, that the Beryl groweth naturally cornered and with many faces; and they hold those Beryls to be richest, which being bored through along, haue their white pith taken forth, for to giue them a better lustre of gold put vnto them; by the reuerberation wherof the ouermuch perspicuitie of the stone may seem more corpulent and in some sort corrected. Ouer and aboue the faults already noted, subiect they are also to those imperfections which be inci∣dent to the Emerauds, yea and besides to certain specks called Pterygiae. It is thought, that Be∣ryls be found likewise in these parts of the world, to wit, about the kingdome of Pontus. As for [unspec F] the Indians, after that crystall was once found out, they deuised to sophisticat and falsifie other gems therewith, but Beryls especially.

Notes

• * 1.1

  To wit. after Dia•…•…a. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and Pearles.
• * 1.2

  Capillor•…•…, 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.3

  i. Contenti∣ous, or Victo∣rious.