436 plint's natural history. [Book XXXVIl. 



CHAP. 45. MELICHETSOS. XUTHON. 



To this class also belongs melichrysos/'' a stone which has 

 all the appearance of pure honey, seen through transparent 

 gold. India produces these stones, and, although hard, they 

 are very brittle, but not unpleasing to the sight. The same 

 country, too, produces xuthon,®'' a stone much used by the lower 

 classes there. 



CHAP. 46. P^DEEOS, SANGENOjr, OR TENITES. 



At the very head of the white stones is psederos f^ though 

 it may still be questionable to which of the colours it in 

 reality belongs. As to the name, it has been so much bandied 

 about among other precious stones of conspicuous beauty, that 

 it has quite assumed the privilege of being a synonymous 

 term^ for all that is charming to the eye. Still, however, there 

 is one- stone in particular which fully merits all the commenda- 

 tion that might be expected for a stone with so prepossessing 

 a name : for in itself it reunites the transparency of crystal, 

 the peculiar green of the sky, the deep tints of purple, 

 and a sort of bright reflex, like that of a golden-coloured 

 wine ; a reflex, indeed, that is always the last to meet 

 the eye, but is always crowned with the lustrous hues of 

 purple. The stone, in fact, has all the appearance of having 

 been bathed in each of these tints, individually, and yet in the 

 whole of them at once. There is no precious stone either that 

 has a clearer water than this, or that presents a more pleasing 

 sweetness to the eye. 



Psederos of the finest quality comes from India, where it is 

 known as " sangeuon ;" the next best being that of Egypt, 

 called " tenites." That of third-rate quality is found in Arabia, 

 but it is rough upon the surface. Next, we have the stone of 

 Pontus, the radiance of which is softer than in that of Thasos, 

 which, in its turn, is of a more mellowed colour than the 

 stones of Galatia, Thrace, and Cyprus. The defects com- 



°^ " Honey gold stone." Some are of opinion that this was the Honey- 

 coloured Hyacinth. Others, again, identify it with the yellow, honey- 

 coloured Topaz ; an opinion with which Ajasson coincides. 



®^ "Xanthon" is another reading. See Chapter 60 of this Book. 



^^ " Lovely youth." See Chapter 22, where it has been already men- 

 tioned. He here reverts to the Opals. 



^ See Chapter 40, for example, where it is given to a variety of the 

 Amethyst. 2 xhe Opal, which he is about to describe. 



