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. LXVII. Of the Marble in generall.

THe stones that come next in glory to the gemms are the Marbles, whose pleasing colour, hard∣nesse,

or perspicuitie makes them more or lesse e∣steemed.

The Marbles are usually stones of great magni∣tude, very hard and beautifull, and fit for polishing and engraving. Their excellent concretion, saith Anselm. Boetius, begets their hardnesse; and the e∣quabilitie and purity of the matter or substance of them, begets their excellency of form and beauty. For if the matter be ignoble and various, and of an impure earth, the Marbles will be unequall, full of scales and hard roughnesse, and unfit to polish.

The Marbles, as all other stones, are not so hard at their first taking out of the quarries, as they after∣wards are. These stones of all other stones com∣monly so called, are for equability and purity of mat∣ter most excellent.

It is by the wise inquirers into the secrets of nature supposed, that various exhalations are the causes of the varietie of tinctures and colours, which are com∣monly found in the species of these stones.

Of its adulteration.

It is no impossible thing, nay, a very easie thing to adulterate this stone, and every species thereof with a fit matter, brought together after the manner of that wherewith those China cups and pots are made, which out of the Eastern parts are brought hither to us.

Its Names.

The most noble kinds of Marble Cardanus l. de lapid. doth reckon to be these: Phengiticum, Pari∣um,

Zeblicum, Porphyrites, Ophites. In Hebrew the Marble is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Shaish; as 1. Chron. 29.2. By contraction the Hebrews call it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as Esther 1.6. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 hoc est, ad orbes vel an∣nulos argenteos, & columnas Marmoreas. The Mar∣bles by a generall name are called in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, from their excellent beautie and splendour. In Latine, from the Greek, for the same cause, it is called Marmor. In Dutch Marmel∣stein. Almost in all languages it doth retain the same name. In English with a little variation it is called Marble.

Its kinds.

Of this stone there are divers kinds. Some white, some black, some green, some yellow, some brown, and of an ashie colour, and some of divers colours, and some very beautifully red. Of all the other kinds, the Lapis Parius which is the white Marble, and the lapis Porphyrites which is the red Marble, are the most excellent, beautifull, and lovely.

Every one of these kinds of Marble does admit of diverse species, severally denominated, some from their colour, and some from the place of their ori∣ginall; as afterwards when I do come to speak of Marbles in particular, in the order of their severall originall species, I shall have occasion to shew.

There are multiplicitie of species of these stones, and all of them for the most part of very exquisite hardnesse, and fit for polishing. And the greatest part of the kinds are also endued with much beauty, and being fit for pollishing they are made of very great ornament.

There is a kind also of this stone which is called Marmor sectile,* 1.1 which saith Cardane is indeed a stone like in nature to the Marble, quippe quòd sectilis sit; but it is of an ashy colour, and of an incredible softnesse, so that for any use, it may like wood be easily parted in sunder with a saw: Some by reason of its obscure colour, referre this to the kinds of flints, but not ve∣ry advisedly, because it is proper to the flints to be full of scales, like those kinds of Marbles which are called marmora granulata: neither are the flints at any time found perfectly smooth, no more then are those marmora called granulata or squamosa, nor have they any glory or beauty of the marble, nor are they so fit to be cut as that, by reason of their rough∣nesse, ruggednesse, scalinesse, and unevennesse.

* 1.2These stones which Cardan calleth marmora secti∣lia, are improperly called Marmora or Marbles; nor can they well and truly be called Silices or flints: for if we compare them to the Marble, we shall find that they do want all the glory and beautie which is in any of the species or kinds of the Marble, which their glory and beauty doth crown them with the name of marmor: for à splendendo & rutilando the Greeks call the Marbles by the name of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and the Latines by the name of Marmor, none of which resplenden∣cy or refulgencie is found at any time (witnesse Car∣dane) in this marmor sectile: therefore upon these grounds it is that we say and affirm, that this Marmor called sectile, is not a Marble.

Again, if we do compare this stone called Mar∣mor sectile, with the flint, it wanteth those squamae which are found in the flints; for the flints are sel∣dome

found without scales, but the Marmor sectile hath no scales. And for this cause, saith Cardane, loco citato & allegato, the Marmor sectile is no flint. Abundance of this kind of marble is to be found in Italy about Venice.

Of the places in generall.

The marbles of the best sort are found in the Eastern countreys, and in many parts of Asia, as will appear in our speach or discourse of these stones in particu∣lar: And not lesse excellent for glory, and beauty, hardnesse, and ornament, are those which are found in the countreys of Europe, as will afterwards like∣wise appeare in the sequel. And these parts of the world are not alone possest of these treasuries, but we shall likewise find them by diligent search in ma∣ny parts of Africa and America.

Of the use of Marbles in generall.

The generall use of the marbles is very well known to most Stone-cutters, or Statuaries; who are wont to fit them for ornament in building, and for the beautifying of great and magnifick structures. To these purposes, and for these uses we may see them employed in the palaces of Kings, in the houses of Princes, and in those Temples which the Heathen have reared and beautified with these ornaments, and then consecrated to the service of their gods. And in many of our Temples amongst Christians at this day, we see these stones are used in the structures to adorn and beautifie those places withall, which they

have consecrated to the worship of God. The ge∣nerall use of these stones may also be observed in ce∣meteries and mortuaries, where the urns of great men have usually their dust and ashes covered with a marble, as a monument and ornament in some kind, gloriously to perpetuate and eternize their memori∣als, and the remembrance of them upon earth.

Rabbi Salomon writeth, that the use of marble in the Temple, was much in pillars of the Temple, and for the measures of the Temple, and for the pave∣ments of the Temple.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cardan. lib. lap.
• * 1.2

  Cardan. de lap. l. 7. pag. 378.