480 pltnt's natural history. [Book XXXVII. 



CHAP. 37. — ^lASPIS ; FOURTEEN VARIETIES OF IT. DEFECTS FOUND 

 IN lASPlS. 



laspis/^ too, is green, and often transparent ; a stone which, if 

 surpassed by many others, still retains the renown which it 

 acquired in former times. Many countries produce this stone : 

 that of India is like smaragdus in colour ; that of Cyprus is 

 hard, and of a full sea-green ; and that of Persia is sky-blue, 

 whence its name, " aerizusa."^'' Similar to this last is the 

 Caspian iaspis. On the banks of the river Thermodon the 

 iaspis is of an azure colour ; in Phrygia, it is purple ; and in 

 Cappadocia of an azure purple, sombre, and not refulgent. 

 Amisos^^ sends us an iaspis like that of India in colour, and 

 Chalcedon,*^ a stone of a turbid hue. 



But it is of less consequence to distinguish the several loca- 

 lities that furnish it, than it is to remark upon the degrees of 

 excellence which they present. The best kind is that which 

 has a shade of purple, the next best being the rose-coloured, 

 and the next the stone with the green colour of the smaragdus; 

 to each of which the Greeks have given names*'^ according to 

 their respective tints. A fourth kind, which is called by them 

 ^' boria,"^^ resembles in colour the sky of a morning in autumn ; 

 this, too, will be the same that is known as '' aerizusa."" There 

 is an iaspis also which resembles sarda^ in appearance, and 

 another with a violet tint. Not less numerous, too, are the 

 other kinds that are left undescribed ; but they are all blue to 

 a fault, ^^ or else resemble crystal in appearance, or the tints of 

 the myxa°^ plum. There is the terebenthine-^-coloured iaspis 

 also ; improperly so called, in mj opinion, as it has all the ap- 

 pearance of being a composition of numerous gems of this de- 

 scription. 



The best of these stones are set in an open bezel, the gold of 



*^ Meadow- green jasper 



*'' Salmasius erroueously takes this to be the Turquoise. It is our sky- 

 hlue jasper, no doubt. See Beckmann, Hist. Inv. Vol. I. p. 471, Bohn's 

 Edition, -is See B. vi. c. 2. 



*5 The Bamberg MS. gives " Calchedon" here. 



*^ Namely, ■rroi,.(pvpt'Covaa, podi'Covffa, and ajxapay^i^ovaa. 



^^ "Northern," apparently. ^' " Sky-blue," mentioned above. 



^^ See Chapter 31. Eed jasper, or perhaps Red porphyry. 



-'^ " Aiit" appears to be a preferable reading to the *' ut" of the Bam- 

 berg MS. 55 See B. XV. cc. 12, 13. 



^^ " Terebinthizusa." Yellow jasper, Ajasson says. 



