of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 609 
A madeafonnetin praife of the haire of theEmpreffe Poppeahiswifewhichhecompatedto Am- © 
- __ ber,and as I remember, in one ftatfe of his dittie hee tearmed thei Succina,7. Ambre: and from 
_ thattime our daintie dames and fine ladies have begun to fet their mind upon thiscolour, and 
have placed itin the third ranke of rich tinCture : whereby we may fee there is no fuperfluitie and 
: diforder in the world, bur it hath a pretence and cloake of {ome precious name or other. And yet 
I will not difgrace Amber too much : for why ?there is fome good ufe thereof in Phyficke. But 
I muft tell you againe,our women regard not that one whit; that is not it wherefore they take fo 
greata liking unto Ambre, True itis,that a collar of Ambre beads worne about the neck of yong 
infants,is a fingular prefervative unto them againft fecret poyfon,& a countercharme for witch- 
craft and forcerie.Callilratus faith Thatfuch collars are very good forall ages, andnamely, to 
B  preferve as many asweare them againft fantafticall illufions and frights that drive folke out of 
theirwits: yea and Amber,whether it be taken in drinke or hung about one, cureth the difficultie 
of voiding urine, This Cal/iftratas broughtin a new name to diftinguith yellow Ambre from the 
reft,calling it ChryfeleGrum, which isas much tofayas gold Amber. And inverytruch, this 
Amber is ofa moft lovely and beautifull colour in a morning. This propertie it hath befides by it 
felfe,that it will catch fire exceeding quickly, for if icbe neare it,you fhall fee it will foone be of 2 
light fire.He faith of this yellow Amber, that if it be worne ahout the necke in acollar,it cureth 
feavers and healeth the difeafes of the mouth, throat, and jawes : reduced into pouder and tem- 
pered with honey and oile of rofes,it is foveraigne for the infirmities of the eares, Stamped toge- 
ther with the beft Atticke honey, it maketh afingular eyefalve for to helpe a dim fight:pulverized, 
C andthe pouder thereof taken fimply alone,or elfe drunke in water with Mafticke, is foveraign for 
the maladies of the ftomacke. Furthermore, Amber is very proper to fallifie many precious 
{tones which are commended for their perfpicuitie and tran{parent cleareneffe;but efpecially to 
counterfeit Amethyfts, byreafon that as have alreadie faid, itis capable of any tindturethata 
man would give it. [he froward peevifhnefle offome Authours who have wricten of Lyncurium, 
enforceth me tofpeake of it immediatly after Amber: for fay thatic be not Blectrum or Amber, 
. asfome would have it,yet theyltand ftitfely inthis, thatit isa precious {tone mary they hold, 
thatit commeth from the urine of an Once; by reafon that this wild beaft fo foone as it hath pif- 
=  fed,covereth it with earth upon a fpight and envie to man, that he fhould have no good therby, 
_ They affirme moreover, That the Once ftoneor Lyncurium is of the fame colour that Ambre 
_ D ardent which refembleth the fire, and that it ferveth well tobe engraven : neither by their faying 
doth itcatch at leaves onely and {trawes, but thin plates alfo of braffe and yron : and of this opi- 
nion was Diocles and-Theopbraftus. For mine owne part] hold all to bee meere untruths : neither 
do Ithinke,that in our age there hath been a man who ever faw anyprecious {tone of thatname. 
WVharfoever alfo is written as touching the vertues medicinable of Lyncurium,[ take them to be 
no better than fables,namely,that ifit be given in drinke, it will fend out the ftone of the bladder: 
if it be drunke in wine, it will cure the jaundife prefently,or if ie be but caried about one, it will do 
» the deed: but ynough of fuch fanitatticall dreames and lying vanities, and time itis now to treat 
of thofe precious ftones, whereofthere isno doubt made at all, and to begin with thofe that by 
all mens confeffion are moft rich and of higheft price.In which difcourfe 1 will not profecute this 
E theame onely,but alfo(for to advance the knowledge of pofteritie in thofe things that may pro- 
fix thislife)1 meane eftfoones to have a fling at Magicians for their abhominable lies and mon- 
firous vanities for in nothing fo much have they overpafled themfelves as im the reports of gems 
and precious {tones exceeding the tearmes andlimits of Phyficke,whiles under a colout ot faire 
and pleafing medicines,they hold ds with atale of their prodigious effects andincredible. © 
Cram iin: 
& Of Diamants and thetr fundrie kinds, Their vertues and properties media 
cinable. Of Pearles. ; 
F “He Diamant carieth the greateft price,not onely among precious ftones,butalfo above all 
q thingselfe inthe world: neither wasitknowne fora long time what a Diamant was, unleffe 
it were by fome kings and princes,and thofe but very few. The onely ftone itis that wee find 
in mines of meteall. Very fildome itis, and thought a miracle romeet witha diamantina veine 
of gold,and yer it eemeth as though it fhould grow no where butin gold. The writers of ancient 
int time 
