Ctiap 59.] GLOSSOPETUA. 449 



black colour beneath a coat of mould. Eusebes" is tlie stone, 

 it is said, of which the seat was made in the Temple of 

 Hercules at Tyrus, from which the pious [onlv] could raise 

 themselves without difficulty. Epimelas^^ is a white gem 

 with a black hue reflected from its surface. ' 



CHAP. 59. GALAXIAS. GALACTITIS, LEUCOG^A, LEUCOGEAPHITIS, 



OR SYNNEPHITIS. GALLAICA. GASSINADE. GLOSSOPETUA. GOK- 

 GONIA. GONI^A. 



Galaxias,2« by some called ''galactitis,"^" is a stone that closely 

 resembles tliose next mentioned, but is interspersed with 

 Terns of blood-red or white. Galactitis^Ms of the uniform 

 colour of milk; other names given to it are, leucog«a,=^Meu- 

 cogruphitis,^ and synnephitis,^* and, when pounded in water, 

 both in taste and colour it marvellously resembles milk. This 

 stone promotes the secretion of the milk in nursing women, it 

 IS said ; in addition to which, attached to the neck of infants, it 

 produces saliva, and it dissolves when put into the mouth. 

 They say, too, that it deprives persons of their memory : it is 

 in the rivers Nilus and Acheloiis that it is produced. Some 

 persons give the name of " galactitis" to a smaragdus surrounded 

 with veins of white. Gallaica is a stone like argyrodamas,^^^ 

 but of a somewhat more soiled appearance ; these stones are 

 found in twos and threes clustered together. The people of 

 Media send us gassinade,^^ a stone like orobus in colour, and 

 sprinkled with flowers, as it were: it is found at Arbela. 

 This stone, too, conceives,^' it is said; a fact which it admits 

 when shaken; the conception lasting for a period of three 

 months. Glossopetra,^^ which resembles the human tongue, is 

 not engendered, it is said, in the earth, but falls from the 

 heavens during the moon's eclipse ; it is considered highly ne- 

 cessary for the purposes of selenomancy.^^ To render all this 



" " Stone of the religious." 



28 '" Black on the surface." This is the case, Ajasson remarks, with 

 many stones of the class known as " Cat's eye." 



-9 " Galaxy stone." Ajasson thinks that this may possibly have been an 

 Opal, or a dead white Topaz, traversed by lines of other colours 



30 " Milk stone." 3i Probably milk-white Quartz, Aja,9son thinks. 



32 " White earth." 33 "White-streaked stone." 3i u Clouded " 



ll See Chapter 54 of this Book. 36 An Eastern name, probably 



3. A Geodes or Aetites, probably. See B. xxxvi. c. 39, and Chapter 56 

 of this liouk, Note 92. 38 u Tongue of stone." 



3^ Divination from the appearance of the moon. 



YOL. YI. g ^ 



