592 The fix and chirtieth Booke Wssce 
thirddegree they place a kindof Chalazius named Chryfites; but the Phyficians make moft G — 
account of that kind of whet{tone which they call Bafanites, becaufe this {tone fendeth nothing 
from it, for all che ftamping and punning thatis made in it. As for {uch ftones as yeeld a certaine 
moifture from them, they are fuppofed to bee good for eyefalves, andtherefore inthat regard 
the Zthiopian marble is beft efteemed for that purpofe, As for the marble of Tenara, of Cars 
i thage called Poenicum, and the bloud-{tone Homatites, they are all good (they fay) for thofe 
| coimpofitions which ftand upon faffron : but that Tenarian marble which is blacke, as alfothe 
| white marble of Paros, is not fo good for Phyficians who rather chufe the Alabaftrite of gypr, 
or.the white Serpentine marble: for this kind of Ophites it is wherof they make their-veflels and 
barrels, In the Ifland Siphnusthere groweth in the quarries, a ftone, which they ufeto hew hols 
t low,and by turners craft makeveflels for the kitchin good to boileviandsin;alfoverie¢handfom 4 
| for platters and dithes to ferve up meat to the table; much like unto the greene ftone that com- 
meth from Comusin Italie, which wee fee ordinarily emploiedtothofe ufes:butthispropertic 
hath the Siphnian {tone by it felfe,that if it be once heat with oile,it beginneth tolooke blacke 
and waxeth hard withall,being otherwife naturally exceeding foft:{uch difference ther is among 
ftones. For on the further fide ofthe Alps there be {tones found exceeding foft : and in the pro- 
vince Belgica or Picardic, they havea certaine white ftone, which they flit through with afawas 
they.doe umber, yea and with much more faciliti¢, wherewith they make plates tharferve to co- 
ver their houfesin manner of flates ortyles, both onthe fides and alfo in gutter and ridge ; yea 
and ifthey lift, to make fine worke upon the roufes that may thine like unto peacocks feathers, 
__ which they call Pavonacea: and verely this kind of ftone is apralfoto be cloven. id 
*Spetulalape  Astouching * Talc (whichalfo goeth in the name of a ftone)it isby nature much more eafie 
to be cloven into as thin flakes asa man will, This kind of glaffe {tone, the hither partof Spaine 
onely in oldtime did affourd us, and the fame not all throughout, but within the compafle ofa 
hundred miles, namely about the citie Segobrica :butin thefe'we have it from Cypros, Cappa- 
docia, and Sicilie, and of late alfo it hath been found in Barbarie: howbeit, the belt glafie-ttone 
commeth from Spaine and Cappadocia, for it is the tendreft and carrieth largeft, pannels ,al- 
though they benotaltogither the cleareft, but fomewhat duskifh. There be alfo of them in Lealy ~ 
about Bononia, but the fame bee fhortand {mall,full of {pots alfo andjoyned to peeces offlint; — 
and yec itfeemeth thatin nature they bee much like untothofe that in Spaine be digged out of 
pits which they finketoa great depth. Moreover, there. is found of this Talc betweene,other K 
ftones enclofed in arocke and lying under the ground, which muft be hewed outif aman would 
have them. But forthe moft part, this Talc lieth in manner of aveine inthe mineby itfelfe, as 
if it were perfitly cur alreadie by nature; and yet was therenever any peece knowne to bee above 
five footlong. Someiare of opinion, thatit is aliquid humor of theearth congealedto an yce 
afterche manner of criftall. Cerces, that it groweth hard into the nature of a ftone, may appeare 
evidently by this, That when any wild beafts are chaunced to fall into fuch pits where this glaffe 
{lone is youen,the very marowof their bones(after one winter)will be converted and turned in- 
to.a {tonic fubftance like to the Talc it felfe.. Otherwhiles there is found of this-kind which is 
blacke; but the white is of a'ftraunge and wonderfull nature, for being (as itis well knowne) ten- ! 
der and brittle, nothing more,yer it will endure extreame leat and {rozen cold,and nevercrack; EL 
nay you fhall never {ee it decay for age, keepe it fo long as youwill,fothat it may efcapeoutward = 
injuries: notwithftanding wee doe fee many {tones in building laid with {trong mortar and ce- 
ment, yet fubjedt ro age. Phere hath been devifed another ule alfo of Talc in {maller peeces,. 
namely, to pave therewith the floore of the great {hew-place or cirque in Rome,during the run- 
ning of chariots and other feats of aétivitie there perfourmed, to the end that their whitenefle 
might give amore lovely gloffe to commend the place. In the daies of Nero lace Emperour, 
there was found in Cappadocia a ftone as hard as marble, white and tranfparent and thining 
through, yeaeven on that fide where it hath, certaine reddifh ftreakes or fpots:in which regard, 
(for thatit isfo refplendent) ic hath found a name to be called Phengites : Of this ftone,the faid 
Emperour cauled-the temple of Fortsve ro bee buile called Seia, (which king 5 erpizes had firf mM 
dedicated), comprifed within the compafle-of Nerees.golden houfe:and therefore) when th 
dores.ftood-open in the: daie time,a man might {ee within, the daylight, after the manner of ae, 
glafle-flones;yerfo, asif all the light were within-forth onely, andnotlet infrom the aire tho; 
rowthe windowes. Moreover, king /uba writeth, that.in Arabia ther¢is a certaine ftone fo d | 
ee ie ; ied which 
EYRE. 
a 
p ae f 
