ws 
‘of Plinies Natural Hiftorie. 587 
A namely,on the right hand,as you goe from thence towatd the lake Beebeis ;the third is found in 
Echivm,atowne of Bceotia; the fourth about Alexaridria,in the region of Troas; and the fift in 
Magnefia,a country in Afia Minor, The principall difference obferved in thefe ftones,confifteth 
in the fex (for fome be male,orhers female;)the next lieth in the colo. Asforthofe which are 
browght out of Macedonie and Magnefia,they bee partly red, and partly blacke. The Becotian 
load{tone ftandeth more upon red than blacke: contrariwife, that of Troas is blacke, and of the 
female fex,in which regard it is not ofthat vértue that others be.But the worft cf all comes from 
Magnefia in Natolia,andthefameis white: neither dothitdraw yronasthe reft, butrefembleth 
the pumith (tone. Infumme this isfoundby experience, hat the blewerany of thefe load{tones 
be,theberter they are and more powerfull, And the 4thyopian is fimply the beft,infomuch,as it 
B isworth the weight in filver:Found it is in Zimiri,for fo they call the fandie region of, ZEthyopia: 
which country yeeldeth alfothe fanguine oadftone, called Hematités,which both in colour re- 
fembleth bloud andalfo if itbee bruifed,yeeldeth'a bloudie humour, yea and otherwhiles that 
_ whichis like:unto Saffron.As for the propertie of drawing yron,thisbloud-ftone Hematites is 
nothing like to the loadftohe indéed.Bur'if you would know andtriethe true’ Althyopian mag. 
het, it is of power to drawuhtoic any ofthe other forts of loadftones.* This is 4 generall vertue 
inthemall,more or leffe,according tothat portion of ftrength which Nature hath endued them 
withall, Phar they are very goodto be putinto thofe medicines which are prepared for the eyes: 
But principally they doe repreffe the vehement flux of humours tharfallintotheia; being cal- 
" cined and beaten into pouder,they doe heale any burne or fcald.’ To conclude, there is anothet 
© monntaine inthe fame Aithyopia,and nor farre from the faid Zimitis, which breedeth the ftone 
Theamedes that will abidenoyron,but rejeGeth and driverlythe fame from it.Bur of both thefe 
natures,as well the one as the other, have written oftentimes alreadie.” a: elt 
~ Cuabe xvit & : 
2& Of certainc flones which will quickly confume the bodies that be laid therein, 
Of others againe that preferve them along time.Of the ftene 
_ balled Asus, and the medicinable 
_.,. properties hercof. 
| D VV wae the Ifle Scyros there is a ftone(by report) which fo long as it is whole and found 
will {wim and flote upon the water: breake'the fame into fmall peeces, ir will finke. Near 
unto A ffos,a citie in Troas, there is found in the quarties a certaine {tone called Sar- 
cophagus which runneth in adire&t veine,and is apt to be cloven and focut outof the rocke by 
flakes: The re afon of that name is this,becaule that within the {pace of fortie daies it is known for 
certaine to confumé the bodies of the dead which are beftowed therein, skin,flefh,andbone, all 
fave the teerh.And Mutianws mine Author affirmeth, Thatlooke what mirroirs, *currycombes, *SivigilesHe © 
cloth, or floes foeverbe caft into the faid coffins with the dead,they will rurneall into ftone. Ot ee 
this nature\-here be {tones in Lycia and in the Eaft countries, which if they bee hung or applied bainesto fetch 
to living boc ties alfowill eac and fret them away. Yet the ftone called Chernites,refembling yvo- ofthe feat 
; 2 and filtbin: fle 
E ri¢,is more | nild and gentle: for keepe it will and preferve dead bodies without confuming them o¢ our bodies, 
atall,and in afepulchre or coffin of this ftone,the bodice of king Dazius(they fay) was beftowed. 
Touching t he ftone called Porus, like itis unto the marble of Paros for white colour and hard- 
nefle,howlseitynothing fo weightie.7 heophrastas writeth, That there be found in Aigypt certaine 
cleare arvd tranfparent ftones, and thofe hee faith bee like unto the Serpentine marble Ophites : 
haply fich there wete in his time, for now are there none of them tobee found ;butas they are 
gone,fo tliere be new come in their place. As for the ftone Affius,in taft it is faltsfh,butfingular 
goodtoallay the paine of the gout, if the feet onely be putinto atrough or hollow veffell made 
of that ftene.Morcover all preefes,paines,and infirmities of the legs,will be healed in fuch quar- 
ries: whet as in al] mettall mines,the legs take harme.Furthermore,this ftone yeeldeth in the top 
F of the quarrie acertaine light fubftance,aptto be reduced into a foft pouder,which they call the 
floure of ithe faid ftone, and is as effeGtuall as the ftone it felfe infome cafes. Likeitisforallthe | 
worldto a red pumith ftone. fit be mixed with Cyprian brafle or copper, it cureth the accidents 
of women: breafts: but being incorporat with pitch or rofin,it difeuiteth the kings evill,and any 
biles or be tches. The fame reduced into alohoch to bee licked downe leafurely,ferveth well in a 
phthy- 
