ad oS 
pe Plicié Neturall ito a 
A vaine feares that trouble and pofleffe the mind: which is the reafon that fome have called it A- 
nachites, Uetrodorus Scepfins affirmeth, That the Diatnant is found in Germanie and the Ifland 
Baltia,wherein Amber is engendered : bucas farre as ever | could read,he isthe onely man that 
faith {o. This Diamant alfo of Almaine hee preferreth before thofe of Arabia,howbeit, no man | 
doubteth that he lieth ftoutly. After the precious diamants of Indiaand Arabia,we in thefe parts 
of the world efteeme mof of pearls: but as touching them, have written fufficiently in my ninth 
booke,where I difcourfed of fuch matters as the feas doe yeeld. 
Chap. v; 
@& of the Emerand and the fundrie [orts thereof.0f greene gems or prectous fiones; 
| and {uch aa be lightfome and cleareallthorow, 
Td : Diamants aad 
tothe eye. Trueit is,that we take great delight to behold greene hearbes and leaves of trees, pesries, 
butthis is nothing to thepleafure wee have in looking uponthe Emeraud, for compare it 
with other things,be they never fo greene, it furpaffeth them all in pleafant verdure.Befides,there 
»  isnot’agem or precious ftonethat fo fully poffeffeth the eye,and yet never contenteth it with fa- 
cietie.Nay,if the fight hath beene wearied and dimmed by intentive poring upon any thing elfe, 
the beholding of this ftone doth refrefh and reftore it againe, which lappidaries well know,that 
cut andengrave fine {tones ;forthey have nota better means torefrefh their eyes than the Eme- 
C raud,the mild greenethar it hath doth fo comfort and revive their wearines and laffitude. More- . 
over, the longer and farther off thataman looketh upon Emerauds, the fairer and biggerthey 
 feeme tg the eye, by reafon thatthey caufe the reverberation of the aire about them for to feeme 
gteene: for neither Sunne nor fhade,ne yet the light of candle, caufeth them to change & loofé 
their luftre: but contrariwife,as they ever fend out their owne raies by little and lictle,fo they en- 
tertaine reciprocally the vifuall beames of our eyes; and for all the {piffitude and thicknefle that 
they feeme to have, they admit gently our fight to pierce into their bottome; a thing thatis nor 
ordinarie in water. The fame are many times fhaped hollow, thereby to gather, unite,and fortifie 
the {piritsthat maintaine our eyefight.In regard of chefe manifold pleafures that they fhew to our 
eyes,by general! confent of all men {pared they are, and lappidaries bee forbidden expreflely to 
D cutand engrave them: and yet the Emerauds of Scythia and Agyptbee fo hard,asthey cannot 
be perced or wounded byany inftrument.Moreover,when you meet with atable-Emerauld,hold 
the flat face therof againft any thing ,it will reprefent the faid object to the eye,as well asa miroir 
ot looking glaffe. Andverely, Nero the Emperour was wontto behold the combates of fencers 
and fword-plaiers in a faire Emeraud.Now this firft and formoft is to be nored,that of Emerauds 
there be twelve kinds. The faireft and richeft of all other,be thofe of Tartarie and called they are 
Scythicke,of thenation Scythia from whence theycame: And in truth,there be none fuller and 
higher in colour or have fewer blemithes : andlooke how farre Emerauds goe beyond other pre- 
cious ftones,fo farre doe the Scythian Emeraudsfurpafle all others. The BaGtrian Emerauds,as - 
they are the next neighbours, fo they come neareft in goodnefle to the Scythicke :found thefe 
E bee in chinkes and joints (as it were) of rockes in the fea,and gathered(by report)about the dog- 
daies when the Northeaft Etefian winds do blow; for then they gliteer and thine within the earth 
that is growne about them, by reafon that the faid winds(which in thofe parts are {trong) remove 
the fand away from them,and caufe them to be feen: but thefe by report be farre lef{e than thofe 
of Scythia.In a third place followthe Emerauds of Aigypt,& they be gotten our of certainerag- 
gie hils and cliffes about Copros,a town in high Aigypt.As for all others,they be found ordinas 
rily in brafie mines: which is the reafon that the Emerauds of the Ifle Cypros be held tor cheefe. 
. and principal] among thofe nine: and yet their fingular commendation lieth notin any clear or 
mild colour that they have, buttheir onely grace confifteth herein, that they feeme moift with a 
certaine fatrinefle,and on which fide foever a man doe viewthem, they refemble the liquid water 
F ofthefea, for tranfparent they be and (hining withall that is to fay they fend out a colour of their 
owne, and withall, through their perfpicuitie receive the penetrant beames of our eyes. Itisre- 
ported, That in the fame Ifle Cypros,abourthefepulchre of Hermias a petieking there,and near 
unto the fea fides where were pooles and ftewes of great fifhes kept to bee falted, there ftood in 
old time a lion of marole,in the head of which Lion were fet certaine faire Emerauds in ftead of 
eyes, 
FE Merauds for many caufes defervethe * third place: for there is not acolour more pleafing "To witafter 
