30 PEARLS AND PEARLING 



Persian rule, it and its treasures were acquired by the 

 great Alexander. 



In 55 B. C. Julius Caesar, .with his mighty Roman 

 army, invaded Britain and in his conquest secured valu- 

 able treasures among which pearls were mentioned. It 

 is also known that Caesar presented a pearl of great value 

 to the mother of Brutus in the year 54 B. C. 



The famous Cleopatra was born in the year 69 B. C., 

 and was the daughter of the Egyptian king Ptolemy 

 Auletes. It is on record that on the occasion of a great 

 feast she dissolved a pearl of fabulous size and value 

 in wine or vinegar, and drank it. The density of pearls 

 and the value of vinegar as a solvent, however, both 

 tend to weaken the account, and the reader is not ex- 

 pected to believe the story. 



Claudia, the glutton, is said to have also consumed a 

 valuable pearl in imitation of the noted Cleopatra. The 

 Bible mentions the pearl in several places. The Saviour 

 enthroned the pearl in a celestial sheen, when (Matt. 13: 

 45-46) He likened the kingdom of Heaven unto it. In 

 His similitude, the pearl was crowned with the highest 

 compliment of all ages. He was the greatest of all 

 teachers and from His use of the pearl as an object in 

 the lesson we observe that not only He recognized the 

 great worth of the gem, but that- his audience also es- 

 teemed it highly as He always used objects that were 

 known by all. 



In the revelation of St. John the Divine, in the twenty- 

 first verse of the twenty-first chapter occurs a descrip- 

 tion of the gates of Heaven : 



