616 ~The feven and thirtieth Booke a 
pate it refembleth aRubie otherwife called a Carbuncle, in another a Chryfolich and an, Ame- G 
thift, yet he maketh no account of fuch: but the true Onyx indeed (quoth hee) hath veriemany. 
veins,and thofe of {undrie colours 3 garnithed alfoit is with circlesas whiteas milke :and albeit 
thecolours of the veins be inexplicable as a mancafteth hiseye upon them feverally, yet mec- 
ting asic wereall in one, they makea good confortand yeeld.aJuftremott pleafing to thefight, 
_ Nowchat Ihave treated of the Onyx, muft not defer to fay fomwhatalfo of the nature of Sarda, ; 
which maketh the other halfe of the {tone Sardonyx, and{o by that means (asit were bytheway) 
to difcourfe ofthofe gems that are of anardent and fierie colour, _ a 'siisy Sy vg Sa ‘ 
Ge Cusp, vit. ian 7 te a, 
| 2 of Carbuncles or Rabies,and their fandrie kinds -.of their defaults andimper- “FA 
| : fections : of the means totrie them, Of other pretious tones a TAT NG, 
| refembling the fire. ui | 
Mong thefe red gems, the Rubies otherwife called Carbuncles, challenge the principall 
* For the ="\. place and are efteemed richeft : they have their name in Greeke of the* likeneffe unto fire, 
Gieeks call 
Gan aan. and yet firehath nopower of them, which is the reafon that fomecallthem Apyroti..As 
couching theirkinds :therebe Rubies of India; ahd Rubies of the Garamants, which carrie tl.e 
name alfo of Carchedonij, i, Carthaginian, in regard of excellencie, by reafon of the wealth 
and puiffance of the citie Carthage the Great. In this ranke, fome doe placethe Aithiopian Ru- 
bies and the Alexandrian,which are found indeed among the cliffs of the hill Orthofia,but trim- I 
“Thefeare  medand broughttotheir perfection by the* Alabandians. Moreoyer,inall fortsof Rubies,thofe 
€alledyetby are taken for the male which fhew a quicke red more fire-like than the reft; and contrariwife fe- 
Kipidaries, male, fuch as fhine not fo bright but after afaint manner. In theinaleit isobferved, that fome 
abandines, m ‘ 
or Almadines, feeme to flame more cleare and pure, others are darker and blacker: there be againe that fhine 
brighterthan the reft,yea and in the Sun give a more ardent and burning luftre:but the beft fim- 
ply be thofe which arecalled Amethyftizontes, that isto fay, that in the end of theit fire refem- 
ble the blew violet colour of the Amethyft. The next in goodneffe to them, are thofe which they 
call Syrtitae 5 and {uch doe glitter and thine of their owne nature: by reafon whereof, they are dif- 
covered foone wherefoever they lie,by the reverberation of the Sun-beams.As touching theIn- 
dian Rubies, Satyras faith, they are notfoundcleare, but for the moft part foule; howbeit, after Ki 
they be fcoured,their brightnefle is moft fierie, He affirmeth moreover,that the A&thiopian Ru- 
bies are greafieand fhine not out, but feeme to have a fire burning within as if it were enfolded in 
fome thing about it. Cal/s/tratss holdeth opinion, thatifa Carbuncle or Rubie belaid upon a. 
thing, it ought to yeeld certaine white clouds, inthe edges and extremities of the glittering that 
itmaketh;but ifit be held up or hung in theaire, it flameth and burneth outfirered: & hereypon 
it i,that moft men have called itthe white Carbuncle ;likeas they have named thofe Indian Ru- 
*Asone — hies*Lithizontes, which {hine more faintly & with a brownith or duskith flame.As forthe Car- 
would '@* chedonian Rubies, Cai/fr ats faith they be far leffe than others; wheras of the Indians fome are 
fomeordinary fo big that being made hollow they will containe the meafure ofone fextar. 4rchelaws writeth, 
ftonethaoa chat the Carchedonian rubies be blacker than othersto {ee too ;butif they be quicknedasitwere EL 
Premous 8&™" with fire or Sun, orbe held bowing forward, they are more ardent and fierie than any other:the 
fame in a thadie houfe, feeme purple; in the open aire,flaming;againft the raies ofthe Sun, fpar- 
kling:heavoucheth moreover, that the fieric heat thereof is fo actuall, chatif amanfeale with 
them, though it bee in afhadowie and cooleplace, they will mele the verie wax that is ftamped 
therewith, Many authours have written, thatthe Indian Rubies bee whiter thanthe Carchedo- 
nian; and contrarie to the nature of the Carchedonian, if they bee bended forward, they loofe 
mutch of their vivacitie and be dimmer and more dull by that meanes: alfo, that in the Carche- 
donian Rubies which be male,thereare feenecertaineraies as it were of ftarrestwinkling within; 
whereas the female contrariwife, fparckle all their fire without-foorth: that the Alabandines be 
more darke and blackifh than others, and withall rough in hand. It isfaid moreover, that there yg 
be certain {tones growing in Thracia, of the fame colour that Rubies, and which will not be cha- | 
fed and madehote in the fire, Theophrajtws writeth, that there bee Rubiesfound about Orcho- 
menus in the countrey of Arcadie, asalfo in the Ifle Chios: andas for the Orchomenian, they 
bee of ablackerkind, and ferve to make mitroirsof. The Troezenian Rubies (by hisfaying) are 
9 
