Chnp. 54] AEGTRODAMAS. 441 



in the vicinity of Mount (Eta, upon Mount Parnassus, in tlie 

 Isle of Lesbos, in Messene, where they resemble the flowers 

 that grow in the hedges, and at Rhodes. 



The magicians make other distinctions in reference to these 

 stones : those, they tell us, which have spots upon them like 

 the spots on the lion's skin, are efficacious as a protection against 

 scorpions ; and in Persia, they say, these stones are used, by 

 way of fumigation, for arresting tempests and hurricanes, and 

 for stopping the course of rivers, the proof of their efficacy 

 being their turning the water cold, if thrown into a boiling 

 cauldron. To be duly efficacious, they must be attached to the 

 body with hairs from a lion's mane. The hair, however, of 

 the hyaena is held in abomination for this purpose, as being a 

 promoter of discord in families. The stone that is of an uni- 

 form colour renders athletes invincible, they say ; the way of 

 testing it is to throw it, along with colouring matter, into a 

 pot full of oil ; after being kept for a couple of hours gently on 

 the boil, if genuine, it will impart an uniform colour of vermilion 

 to the mixture. 



Acopos^^ is a stone like nitre^^ in appearance, porous, and 

 starred with drops of gold : gently boiled with oil and applied 

 as an unguent, it relieves lassitude, if we choose to believe it. 

 Alabastritis'^^ is a stone which comes from. Alabastron in 

 Egypt and Damascus in Syria : it is of a white colour, spotted 

 with various other tints. Calcined with fossil salt and pulver- 

 ized, it is a cure for affections of the mouth and teeth, it is 

 said. Alectoria^^ is the name given to a stone that is found in 

 the crop of poultry, like crystal in appearance, and about as 

 large as a bean in size ; Milo^^ of Crotona, some will have it, 

 was thought to be in the habit of carrying this stone about 

 him, a thing that rendered him invincible in his athletic con- 

 tests. Androdamas^^ has the shining colour of silver, like 

 adamas ;^'' it is always quadrangular, like small cubes in shape. 

 The magicians are of opinion that it was thus named from the 

 fact that it subdues anger and violence in man. Whether 

 argyrodamas^^ is the same stone or not, authors do not inform 



3^ "Refreshing" stone. Hardly any of-fchese stones appear to be identi- 

 fied. 32 As to the " nitrum" of Pliny, see B. xxxi. c. 46. 



33 Probably the same as the Alabastrites of B, xxxv. c. 12. 



3* From tlie Greek, aXUnop, a " cock." ^s ggg ^ vji_ (,_ ig 



3*^ " Man-subduing." Identified by some with Marcasite, or White iron 

 pyrites. 37 gg^ Chapter 15 of this Book. 3» •' gQver.subduing." 



