A lapidary, or, The history of pretious [sic] stones with cautions for the undeceiving of all those that deal with pretious [sic] stones / by Thomas Nicols ...

CHAP. XXXV. Of the Astroites or Starre-stone.

[Description of the stone.] THe Astroites or Starre-stone, is saith Boetius, a dark gemm of a whitish colour full of starres, in the stead of which, sometimes it hath the appea∣rance of Roses, and sometimes of waves of water; and sometimes all these representations are to be had in one and the same gemm. He taketh it for a kind of Achate, and saith that these stones are to be found sometimes in the bignesse of a mans head. Marsilius Ficinus calleth it the Dracontium, and think∣eth that it is taken out of the head of the Indian Dragon. But this is thought to be nothing else but a falshood, and a story of it, raised by impostours to advance the price of it.

Andreas Baccius saith of the Astroites or Asteria that it cometh near to the form of Crystall, and sheweth by repercussion a certain light in a pale co∣lour, in which internally some certain rayes after the manner of starres do appear. And in his An∣notations

he saith it is a hard stone, which being circumverted, sheweth the sunne shining within it. Cardanus saith that the Stellaris lapis doth differ from the Astrites as not being pretious at all nor perspicuous, but onely a stone distinguished with many spots of the colour of ashes.

Martinus Rulandus calleth this the Astroites mas, and saith it is of the figure of a half globe, full of ashy coloured starres.

Its names.

It is called Astroites, Asteria, and Astrites. In Dutch it is called ein Siegstein voller sternen; and ein pater noster, von folchen siegsteinen, and that because in old times they made use of this stone to number up Pater nosters by. In English it is called the Starre-stone.

Its kinds.

Of this stone Boetius maketh three kinds, which he representeth to the eye in their severall forms and figures. The one of which is round and hath no starres at all in it: The other is full of starres and round as the former. And the last is composed of divers starres united together in longitude which may easily be separated either with the hand or by the help of some instrument, and in their separation they shiver into the form of starres. And this last Anselmus Boetius calleth Asteria vera, or the true Starre-stone. as lib. 2. de Gemm. p. 151. C. de Astroite.

Martinus Rulandus doth also make three kinds of this stone.

The first a male one full of starres.

The second a female one, in which is many re∣semblances of the worms which do destroy the herb Rocket and Colewort, which are commonly called Canker-worms and Palmer-worms: in this he saith there is no appearance at all of any of the starres of the masculine one.

The third kind he calleth globuli ex Astroite.

Of its nature and properties.

It is reported that four grains of this stone in some appropriate water, is excellent good against the plague, and to expell worms out of the body.

[History.] Cardanus reporteth wonders of the Stellaris lapis; which Andreas Baccius in his Annotations attri∣buteth to the male Astroite. Cardanus saith that it being put into a vessel of vineger doth move it self and imitate the goings of creatures: this stone and the power and faculties thereof, was in times past saith Cardane very well known to Rabbi Aben Ez∣ra. The progression or motion of this stone in a ves∣sel of vineger or wine he attributeth to the vapour of the wine or vineger, which penetrating the stone, and finding not speedy issue out of it again, doth by impulsion move the stone too and again as being a light substance. Which wonder of motion as be∣fore I said Andreas Baccius in his Annotations at∣tributeth to the male Astroite, and the cause of this motion he rendereth from Agricola thus; the starres being rare and of a thin substance and the inter∣medium grosse and thick; the meatus, passages, or porosities of the starres do imbibe or drink in the

vineger or wine, and afterwards expell the vapour or air of the wine or vineger which in its expulsion doth move the stone, and thus dissolve the wonder and take away the cause of admiration.

Some attribute unto it a power of obtaining vi∣ctory for him that weareth it against his enemies; hence the Dutch call it Siegstein. It swelleth and en∣largeth it self in its growth, in the form and figure of an eye. It is said to be good against Apoplexies, and by the very touch of the body to hinder the ge∣neration of worms.

Its dignitie and value.

These stones are sometimes found of very great bignesse, and sometimes no bigger then the breadth of a mans nail, but of excellent beauty, and esteemed worth two crowns a piece, these for their beauty are oft set in gold and worn on the finger.