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A52334
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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 ...
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Nicols, Thomas.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing N1145; ESTC R3332
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119,639
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252
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own natures are or can be capable of First read the Generall part of this Historie for in it is a discovery of Satanick subtilties and of the superstitious use of stones whereby at unawares many good men have been and are still ensnared Take therefore this well-wisht caution to thee for thy security STONES are either Small are either Rare are either Hard are either fair are either shadowed wholly as the Turkey Chameus partly as the Sardonyx Astroites Leucosapphirus Opalus transparent with colour as the Saphire Emerauld Gemma Solis Almandine Jacinth Beryll Ruby Prassius Rubicell Chrysoprasse Spinel Granat Almandine Chrysolite Balasse Carbuncle without colour as the Diamond evil coloured are the Pantarbe Brontia Chelidonius Ombria Ovum AnguinuÌ„ Dracontia Aetite Lapis Palumbellus Soft are either fair in colour as the Pearl Bezoar Molochite in figure as the Oculus Cati Glossopetra Umbilicus Marinus Lapis Judaicus Trochite evil coloured as the Morochite Lapis Caymaus Enorchis Lapis Cevar Lapis Manualis L. Porcinus L. Anguium Enhydros Callimus L. Malacensis Manetus Hysterius L. Tuberoâ—um L. Bugola L. Bufonis Common are either Hard as the Diamond of Bristoll Pseudo-Diamond of Hungary Soft as the Lapis Felis Lapis Spongiae L. Limacis L. Carpionum Lapis Percae Great are either Rare are either Hard are either fair are either shadowed as the Porphyrite Heliotrope Smaragdite Lapis Lazuli Agate Corall Ophite Cornu Ammonis transparent as the Amethyst Topaz Smaragde Prassius Crystall Bohemian Diamond evil coloured as Magnes Geodes Steatite Eneost Stalagmite Onyx Ceraunia Basaltes Smiris Dactylus Idaeus Ossifragus L. Nephriticus Stalactite L. Lydius Haematite Hephestite Hystera Petra Soft are either Fair In colour as the Alabaster Specularis Amber L. Armenus In figure as the Amites Stellaris Evil coloured as the Asius Samius Ageratus Meletite Gagate Porus Schystus Thyites Hematite Calamita Alba Fungifer Common are either Hard are either Fair as the Marble Evil coloured as the Whet-stone Pyrite Common-stones Flints Soft as the Scissilis Gypsum Pumise Lythantrax Talcum Of Pretious stones or Gemms in generall A Stone is an hard mixt Definition of a Stone inanimate solid inductile body which cannot be dissolved in water concrete by nature of simple earth without many alterations as of its chief and most conspicuous matter Stones generally are solid ornaments ordained of God for the bedecking of the fabrick of the world The celestiall houses have the Corner-stone of heaven for their support and here on earth also our sumptuous edifices and glorious temples have their corner stones without the which they cannot be upheld Stones are the Almighties blessings they are members of the world which do adde perfection to it and were these solid members wanting the world would be dismembred They do as it were poize or ballance the centre of the world and to the whole they do equally proportion all its parts As the wise disposer of all things had well mixt them with their fellow creatures so they made up the worlds centre But no sooner are they forced from this good order but straight appeareth another Babel they do produce confusion They are no sooner forced to contradict their own natures in the ascents of their graduall irregularities to heaven but straight they do cause their preposterous builders to be smitten in their tongues to be confounded in their languages and to be disperst abroad as strange nations who cannot understand the one the others speech They are the rock on which the earths tabernacles domicils and temples are all founded firmed and steadied and the firmament of it and them of all is the Rock of heaven who hath so laid the foundations of the earth that it shall never be moved Their life according to the opinion of some Authors what it is They as the opinion of some is have vegetative souls or lapidifick spirits infused into them from above by which they live and draw the likenesse of their substance their lapidifick juyce their proper nourishment for their sustentation for the preservation of their being and for their further growth and increase of their own proper substantiall moles masse or lump Herbs draw their fructifying juyce from the circumjacent earth by thready roots thereby to sap their bodies and their branches that so in their due season they may send forth buds blossoms leaves and fruits and as these are diversly differenced according to their magnitude fruits forms colours qualities and place wherein they grow so also stones have their severall divisions according to their magnitude matter forms colours transparency opacity semitransparency and mixt forms Other divisions they do admit of in respect of their native soyls and the things to which they do adhere and in which they grow Neverthelesse there are two generall heads to which all the divisions may be reduced which are as follow The generall division of stones STones are either 1. Common stones or 2. Stones of esteem The Common stones are either very great bigg and formlesse lumps or else they are in very great plenty The most of these kinds are generally well known The stones of esteem are very pretious and stones of great value being commended to us in Holy Writ as the emblems of glory integritie and puritie Of these some are of greater esteem some of lesse those of lesse esteem receive their denominations from the creatures in which they are generated as Chelidonius is so called of chelidon a swallow Lapis Palumbellarum and Alectorius of the birds in which they are found Lapis Percae from the fish called a perch in which it is generated The Margarite from the fish in which it is generated and Unions are so called because they are found separatim or single The Bezar from the creature in which it is found There are some stones of lesse esteem like unto plants as Corall and Coralline Others of a combustible substance and easily set on fire as Succinum and the Gagate Others have a Mathematick form and are round like an egge as ovum Anguinum Geodes Aetites Others have a Mathematick angular form as Crystallus Basaltes Iris. And others have a Mathematick hemispherick form as Ombria Crepaudina Those of great esteem are very pretious and of great value of which sort are these The Ruby the Carbuncle so called from their fiery red colour The Jacinct a transparent stone like a flame of fire The Chrysolite a transparent stone of a gold colour The Crysoprassius a transparent stone of the splendour of gold with the greennesse of a leek The Smaragde and the Prassius two transparent green stones The Saphire a transparent stone of a sky colour The Beryll a transparent stone of a sea-green The Amethyst a transparent stone of a peach-bloom colour The Diamond a diaphanous gemm The Sardius Sardonix Chalcedonie and Leucosapphirus which are all precious stones partly transparent The Turkey stone a gemm void of all transparencie of a beautifull skie-colour The Chamehuia the Agate the Heliotrope very fair
candidus or the white Saphire These are many times substituted for Diamonds and they are called the female Saphires the other the male That stone which Pliny doth in some place call the Saphire is the Cyanus or Lapis Lazuli The places They are found in Calecut Cananor and in the kingdome of Bisnager in Zeilan in the kingdome of Pegu and in the Eastern Countreys there are also of these stones found in the Western Countreys as in Bohemia and very good ones in Silesia in these parts there are of these stones found very transparent but soft of a milkish colour mixt with a blew and they are called Leucosaphirus these are subject to many harms The best are so hard that they cannot be filed the colour of these Saphires may so be taken away as that they may be converted into a very excellent Diamond Of its faculties and properties The Saphire is of a cold and drie faculty even as are most pretious stones it is reported of it that it is good against feverish distempers hence this old distick Corporis ardorem refrigerat interiorem Sapphirus Cypriae languida vota facit The best of these are very comfortable to the eyes if they be often looked one It is reported of it that if it be worn by an adulterer by loosing its splendour it will discover his adultery and that the wearing of it doth hinder the erections that are caused by Venus But surely as either lustfull thoughts or this wicked spirit Asmodeus moving them or stirring up such disorders and irregularities without them in the body are the causes of such undue erections of the flesh so when he withdraweth himself this stone hath power to hinder them and not before Many have written of the faculties of this stone as Galen Dioscorides Cardanus Garcias and Macer the Poet lib. 5. c. 5. It is reported of it that it is of so contrary a nature to poysons that if it be put into a glasse with a Spider or laid upon the mouth of the glasse where the Spider is the Spider will quickly die And that it keepeth men chaste and therefore is worn of Priests Anselmus Boetius saith that S. Jerome affirmeth in his exposition of the 19. chap. of Isaiah that the Saphire being worn of any man procureth him favour with Princes and with all men pacifieth his enemies freeth him from inchantments and from bonds and imprisonments and that it looseth men out of prison and asswageth the wrath of God Anselmus Boetius p. 49. Of its dignity and value For its sacred use it hath been esteemed of great worth as Exod. 28.18 And for its superstitions take this caution use it with much circumspection Amongst the Ancients and with the Heathen this gemm hath been of very great authority because they thought it did not a little prevail with God * Andr. Bacc. cap. 7. de gem nat The Gentiles consecrated this gemm to Apollo because in their enquiries at his oracle Vide Andrae Bacc. c. 7. de Nat. Gem. if they had the presence of this gemm with them they imagined they had their answer the sooner It is desired of many for its excellent beauty for it is fair like unto a serene skie No better a description of its excellent beauty can you find then that which is given of it Exodus 24.9 10. Where it is spoken after the manner of men not as if the children of Israel saw any appearance of God in the form of man That the children of Israel saw the God of Israel and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of Saphire stone and as it were the body of heaven in its clearnesse This stone is valued according to the excellency of its colour beauty purity and greatnesse one of the weight of four grains is worth many crowns The best of these are as much worth as a Diamond of the same bignesse CHAP. XI Of the Opalus Description of the stone THe Opalus is a pretious stone which hath in it the bright fiery flame of a Carbuncle the pure refulgent purple of an Amethyst and a whole sea of the Emeraulds spring glory or virescency and every one of them shining with an incredible mixture and very much pleasure so that this cannot easily be counterfeited or adulterated as other jewels may Boetius saith of it that it is the fairest and most pleasing of all other jewels by reason of its various colours Cardanus saith that he bought one for 15 crowns Cardan de Subt. l. 7. that he took as much pleasure in as he could do in a Diamond of 500 aureos In many of these stones do appear Skie-colour Purple Green Yellow Red and sometimes a Black and White or Milkish colour but we must not think that all these colours are severally in the jewell for break but the Opalus and all the variety of colours do perish by which it doth appear that the variety of colours in the Opalus ariseth from the reflection of one or more colours as sometimes is seen in the Rain-bow and may be experienced in a triangular Crystall where the alone reflection of the light upon the angles or corners of the Crystall do in the Crystall produce various colours which otherwise is diaphanous perfectly transparent clear and without colour Of its foyl or tincture Though the gemm be a transparent gemm yet there can be no foyl for the setting of it off for the variety of colours in the foyl would cause a confusion in the various colours of the Opalus Of its adulteration Though a foyl can hardly be usefull in the setting off of the true jewell yet by other stones it cannot be counterfeited imitated or adulterated but by the help of a foyl Impostours can adulterate it with a double glasse tinctured or coloured or with a convenient tinctured foyl betwixt them or with two Crystals or other diaphanous stones joyned together with a convenient foyl Baptista Porta saith that if the Calx of tinne be cast into molten Crystall glasse it will cloud it and colour it like an Opalus Quercitanus saith that the spirit of Nitrum will colour a glasse alembick with variety of colours like unto an Opalus as appeareth by his book called Priscorum Philosophorum vera medicina Of its names It is known of jewellers that are most expert by the name of Opalus In English it is so called The Italians call it Girasole and Scambaia The kinds of it There are four kinds of it The first kind of it doth imitate red green skie-colour and purple and sometimes purple with a yellow colour and these are the best of all other These are known by their Carbuncle flame by their Amethyst splendour and by their Emerauld viridity all shining together with an incredible mixture and by their admirable and wonderfull ponderosity for this is a gemm that though it be seldome found bigger for magnitude then a bean and for the most part of lesse bignesse yet its weight will