I] THE HISTORY OF PEARLS 5 



victory, the ocean also produces pearls, but dull coloured and dirty 

 brown. C. C. Taciti de vita Agricolae c. 5. 



From Aelian. 



The best [pearl] is the Indian, and that of the Eed Sea. It is 

 produced also in the western ocean where lies the Brettanic island ; 

 but appears in a measure rather golden coloured having rays somewhat 

 dull and dusky. Juba says it is found also in the Gulf near the 

 Bosphorus, but that it is inferior to the Brettanic. 



Aeliani de Natura AnimaUum lib. xv. c. 8. 



From rig en. 



But they hold the second rank, as among pearls, do those which 

 are taken from the ocean near Britain. They say that the pearl 

 obtained near Britain is golden coloured on its surface but cloudy 

 and rather dull in its rays ; but that which is gotten from the Bay 

 near the Bosphorus is more cloudy than the Brettanic. 



Orig. Comment, in Mattheum, Delarue t. ii. 448 — 50. 



Most of the above writers seem to have regarded 

 the British pearl as inferior to the pearls of the Orient. 

 The Venerable Bede speaks more highly of the English 

 pearls, and writes : 



" — among which are mussels in which they often 

 find enclosed pearls of all the best colours — that is, 

 both red and purple, jacynth and green, but principally 

 white." 



So did Britain in these times play its part in the 

 production of gems, which the makers of history 

 regarded as of first importance. 



The Romans used the name margaritae (of the 

 Greeks), for pearls, but the term Unio was also 

 common in Rome. Pliny explains the term Unio 



