Chap. 16.] SMARAGDUS. 409 



the smaragdus.22 Indeed there is no stone, the colour of which 

 is more delightful to the eye ; for whereas the sight fixes itself 

 with avidity upon the green^^ grass and the foliage of the trees, 

 we have all the more pleasure in looking upon the smaragdus, 

 there being no green in existence of a more intense colour^^ 

 than this. And then, besides, of all the precious stones, this is 

 the only one that feeds the sight without satiating it. Even 

 when the vision has been fatigued with intently viewing other 

 objects, it is refreshed by being turned upon this stone ; and 

 lapidaries know of nothing that is more gratefully soothing to 

 the eyes, its soft green tints being wonderfully adapted for 

 assuaging lassitude, when felt in those organs. 



And then, besides, when viewed from a distance, these stones 

 appear all the larger to the sight, reflecting as they do, their 

 green hues upon the circumambient air. Neither sunshine, 

 shade, nor artificial light eff'ects any change in their appearance ; 

 they have always a softened and graduated brilliancy ; and 

 transmitting the light with facility, they allow the vision to 

 penetrate their interior; a property which is so pleasing, also, 

 with reference to water. In form they are mostly concave, so 

 as to re-unite the rays of light and the powers of vision : 

 and hence it is, that it is so universally agreed upon among 

 mankind to respect these stones, and to forbid their surface^^ 

 to be engraved. In the case, however, of the stones of Scythia 

 and Egypt, their hardness is such, that it would be quite im- 

 possible to penetrate them. When the surface of the smaragdus 

 is flat, it reflects the image of objects in the same manner as 

 a mirror. The Emperor Nero used to view^^ the combats of 

 the gladiators upon a smaragdus. 



22 The Emerald, and various other green precious stones, were included 

 under this name. 



23 "Virentes" seems a very preferable reading to "silentes," as given 

 by the Bamberg MS. 



2* ,The emerald is supposed to derive this colour from a minute portion 

 of oxide of chrome. 



' 25 Engraved emeralds are but seldom found among collections of ancient 

 gems. In 1593, there was one found in the tomb of Maria, daughter of 

 Stilicho, in the Vatican, with the head of Honorius, her husband, engraved 

 upon it. 



26 " It may here be objected tliat real emeralds are too small to admit 

 of being used as mirrors ; but the ancients speak of some suflSciently large 

 for that purpose, and also of artificial ones; so that we may with certainty 

 conclude, that they classed among the emeralds fiuor spar, green vitrified 



