224 EMERALDS. 



LIB. iv. o f j^g workes, which is the proper worke of the Spirita of 

 ici-cm. vi. God, being he that weighs the Soules of men. We will 

 Prover. xvi. rest content with what we have spoken touching silver, 

 mettalls, and mines, and will passe to the two other mix 

 tures, the which are plants and beasts 



CHAP. xiv. Of Emer aides. 



It shall not be from the purpose to speake somthing 

 of enieraldes, both for that it is a pretious thing, as 

 golde and silver, as also for that they take their begin- 

 ning from mines and mettalls, as Plinie reportes. The 

 emerald hath bin in old time in great esteeme, as the same 

 Author writes, giving it the third place amongst all iewelles 

 and pretious stones, that is, next to the diamond and pearle. 

 At this day they do not so much esteeme the emerald, nor 

 the pearle, for the great aboundance is brought of these two 

 sorts from the Indies, onely the diamond holds the princi 

 pality, the which can not be taken from it. Next, the 

 rubies come in price and other stones, which they hold 

 more pretious than the emerald. Men are so desirous of 

 singularities and rare things, that what they see to be 

 common, they do not esteeme. They report of a Spaniard, 

 who being in Italie when the Indies were first discovered, 

 shewed an emerald to a Lapidary, who, asking him the 

 value thereof, after he had well viewed it, being of an 

 excellent lustre and forme, he prized it at a hundred ducats; 

 he then shewed him an other greater than it, which he 

 valued at three hundred ducats. The Spaniard, drunke 

 with this discourse, carried him to his lodging, shewing him 

 a casket full. The Italian, seeing so great a number of 

 emeralds, sayde vnto him, Sir, these are well worth a 

 crowne apeece. The like hath happened both at the Indies 



