272 ANCIENT REPUTE OF THE PEARL. 



Such is the actual origin of the product which Pliny 

 and Dioscorides supposed to be " a drop of congealed 

 dew," or a rain-drop which, falling into the shells when 

 opened by the animal, was, by some strange effort on* the 

 animal's part, converted into a pearl. This opinion, 

 which prevailed in all Eastern countries, has been em- 

 ployed by Moore as an elegant simile : 



" And precious the tear as that rain from the sky, 

 Which turns into pearls as it falls in the sea." 



From time immemorial pearls have been highly valued 

 for the purpose of personal adornment, or as a sign of 

 rank and dignity. A tapestry of pearls was one of the 

 principal decorations of the magnificent hall in which 

 Ahasuerus received his ambassadors and held his coun- 

 cils. In very early days the princes of the East enriched 

 with pearls their garments, their weapons, and their 

 household ornaments ; and the same custom still prevails. 

 We read that Tavernier sold to the Shah of Persia, for 

 the sum of 2,700,000 francs, a pearl which he had bought 

 at Catifa. They are frequently mentioned in the New 

 Testament. Our Lord, in Matthew xiii. 45, 46, likens 

 the kingdom of heaven to "a merchant man, seeking 

 goodly pearls." Another allusion occurs in Matthew 

 vii. 6. That they were commonly worn by women, we 

 learn from 1 Timothy ii. 9 and Revelation xvii. 4 ; and 

 the value placed upon them may be inferred from the cir- 

 cumstance that the seer of Patmos, in his Apocalyptic 

 vision, conceived of the twelve gates of the heavenly Jeru- 

 salem as twelve pearls. 



Both by the Greeks and Romans they were regarded 

 with singular appreciation. Julius Caesar offered to Ser- 



