Chap, 55 ] BA.BOPTENUS. 443 



square pieces, like gold in appearance. The nature of this 

 stone, it is asserted, is similar to that of the magnet ; in addition 

 to which, it is said to have the property of increasing gold. 



Aphrodisiaca" is a stone of a reddish white colour. Ap- 

 syctos,^" when heated by fire, retains the warmth so long as 

 seven days ; it is black and ponderous, and is streaked with 

 red veins. It is good too, it is thought, as a preservative 

 against cold. According to lacchus, JEgyptilla** is a kind of 

 white and black sarda, intersected with veins ; but the stone 

 commonly known by that name is black at the lower part, and 

 azure on the surface. It takes its name from the country that 

 produces it. 



CHAP. 55. BALANITES. BATRACHITIS. BAPTES. BELI OCULUS. 



BELUS, BAKOPTENTJS OR BARIPPE. BOTEYITIS. BOSTRYCHITIS. 

 BIJCAEDIA. BRONTEA. BOLOS. 



Of balanites®^ there are two kinds, the one of a greenish hue, 

 and the other like Corinthian bronze in appearance ; the former 

 comes from Coptos, and the latter from Troglodytica. They 

 are both of them intersected by a flame-like vein, which runs 

 through the middle. Coptos, too, sends us batrachitis ;^ one 

 kind of which is like a frog in colour, another has the tint of 

 ebony, and a third is blackish inclining to red. Baptes^^ is a 

 soft stone, and of a most excellent smell. Beli oculus^^ is a 

 stone of a whitish hue, surrounding a black pupil in the middle, 

 which shines amid a lustre like that of gold. This stone, in 

 consequence of its singular beauty, has been consecrated to the 

 deity^^ held in the highest veneration by the people of Assyria. 

 According to Democritus, there is also a stone called belus, 

 and found at Arbela ; it is about the size of a walnut, and 

 looks®"^ like glass. Baroptenus or barippe is black, and covered 



52 " Gem of Aphrodite" or "Venus." Thought by Dalecharaps and 

 Hardouin to have been a kind of agate. 



53 n Which never grows cold." ^* A kind of Onyx, Dalechamps thinks. 

 ®5 " Acorn stone." Like an olive in appearance, and now known as 



" Jew stone," probably, a fossil. 



56 " Frog-stone." Varieties of quartz, probably. 



" "Dipped stone." Dalechamps says that it was amber stained with 

 alkanet, but on what authority does not appear. 



*8 " Eye of Belus." Supposed by Ajassonand Desfontaines to be Cat's 

 eye Chalcedony. See Chapter 50, Note 10. 



*9 Belus, tlie father of Ninus, the '* Bel " of Scripture. See Chapter 58. 



«° A kind of Tecolithos, Dalechamps says. See B. ixxvi. c. 35, and 

 Chapter 68 of this Book. 



