CATALOGUE OF OEMS. 575 



Boetius dc Root yivos dii-ections for its troatiiu'iit for use :is ii dvn^ 

 as follows: 



Pound the emeraltl in an iron mortar, sift tlie powder througii tlie inu.slin, then 

 cover it with spiritns urimc; the spirit nuist be (hstilled off, leaving tlie ])Owder of a 

 gray color, but which will coinnmnicate that of the emerald to the spirits of wine. 



This taken internally was considered u powei-ful remedy for many 

 diseases siieh as dysentery, epilepsy, venomous bites, fevers, etc. 

 Aeeording- to Sanskrit niedieine — 



The emerald is cool, good in {)oisoning, sweet, and purgative, helps digestion, cures 

 biliousness, removes disrelish, is nutritious, and wards off spectral influences. 

 (Tagore, Treatise on (Tcms.) 



The Hindu authorities held that the perfect emerald was an infallible 

 remedy for all cases of poisoning; cleansed men from sin, brought 

 about success in war, and rendered successful the rites performed 

 according to the Atharva-Veda. The defective emerald lead to sick- 

 ness, injury-, loss of male children, and rendered one liable to bites. 

 (Mani-Mala.) 



The Persian and Arabian sages taught that, whether worn or taken 

 as a medicine, the emerald — 



bestows contentment of mind, quickens the pulse, gives nourishment to the soul, 

 heart, brains, and stomach, cures epilepsy, removes all bodily pain, stops the vonut 

 ing and purging of blood, is an antidote to poison, allays unnatural thirst, ano is a 

 panacea for jaundice, liver troubles, stricture, gravel, and leprosy. 



If administered in doses weighing 8 wheat corns to a patient suffering from poison, 

 it neutralizes its action, provided it he taken soon enough. To prevent vomiting of 

 blood, the dose of the emerald should be the weight of 4 barleycorns. The powder 

 applied to the eyes, brings out all impurities therein and stops the flow of fluid 

 substances. When set in a gold ring and worn on the forefinger or thumb, it is a 

 prophylactic against cholera. The ashes of l)urnt emerald heals ulcers if applied 

 locally. 



According to the Rosicrucians, if at the time when Sol enters Libra 

 an emerald be set in a gold ring of the same weight and worn on the 

 fing-er, its wearer would attain his cherished object and could detect 

 the presence of poisons by the sweating of the stone. 



The possessor of an emerald would never become poor. 



If a serpent looked at this stone, he was struck with blindness. 



The Egyptians held that the best test for a genuine emerald was that 

 a serpent immediately fell to licking it as soon as it came across it. 



The Aztecs administered its powder as a remedy for venereal diseases. 



Garnet. — Emblematic of constancy. Its virtue was to dispel 

 "poisonous and infectious airs" (Leonardus). During- the Middle 

 Ages it was considered to possess the same marvelous and medicinal 

 properties as the ruby, though to a less degree. It gave and preserved 

 health, drove awa}' vain thoughts, and reconciled differences between 

 friends. 



