- nh 
af Pitas Naturall Hiftorie. 
of divers colours and {potted with white {pecks comming in among: and the Corinthian Rubies 
~ bemore pale and whiter than the reft. Bocchus writeth, that there be brought Rubies from Mar- 
fils and Lisbon in Portugall 5 but withmuch adoe and great difficultie they are found, by reafon 
of theclay wherein they be enlapped, in certaine defarts and forrefts burnt with the Sun. In {um, 
there isnot a harder thing than to difcerne thefe fundtie kinds of Rubies one from another; they 
are fo eafie to be counterfeited and falfified by the art and skill of lapidaries and gold{miths, who 
haveacaftto lay fomeé-foile under, comake them foro fhine and glitter like fire. Menfay,that 
the £thiopians have adevife to fteépe their duskifh and darke Rubies in vinegre; for in fourteen 
daies they will be pure and glifter, yea and continue fo fourteene moneths after. Thereis a way to 
_ counterfeit Rubies with falie glafleftones, which they will make feeme Rubies as like as is pofli- 
§ ble; burthe grinding upon a mill foone difcovereth the fraud, like as itdoth in any other artifie 
ciall and fophifticat gems whatfoever ; for their matter is more foft and brittle. withall than the 
fine and pure ftonesindeed: alfo the falfe Rubies are detected by the hardneflé of the powder 
that isfetched fromthetn,& the weight; forthefe glafle rubies be farre lighter:and otherwhiles 
a man fhall {ee in thefe falfified rubies. certaine little rifingsin manner of blifters or bladders, 
which fhine like filver. Moreover, there is found in Thefprotia a certaine mineral] Rubiecalled 
Anthracitis, refemblingcoles of fire: But whereas fome auchors:have written, that fuchgrowin 
Liguria, [takeitto bea meere untruth, unleffe haply in times paft {uch mightbee found there; 
Iris faidalfo,that there be of thefekind of Rubies which are compafled about with a white veine, 
and their colouris ficrie as well as of the reft before-named : butthis peculiar propertiethey have 
bythemfelves, That being caft into the fire, they feeme dead and doe loofe their luftre: contra- 
riwife, if they bee well {princkled and drenched with water,they feeme to glow, yeaand toflame 
outagaine, te ; evar ob ae at ot | oite 
There is a {tone much like to this,called Sandaftros, which fome name Garamantites,grow- 
ing among the Indians in a place likewife fo named, Itisengendred alfo in that partof. Arabia 
which regardeth the South Sun, Thechiefe grace and commendation of Sandaftros, isto bee 
cleare, and to have certaine dropsas it were of gold like ftars (hiningwithin;thatis to fay alwaies 
in the bodie of the ftone, and neverin the coat or outfide: in regard of which ftarre-like fpecks, 
» thereis attributed fome religious matter to thefe ftones, for that they reprefent in fome fortto 
them that behold them, the feven ftars called Hyades, both in. number and alfo in order & man- 
net of difpofition: which is thereafon, that the wife men of Aflyria named Chaldzi, doe ob- 
ferve them with much devotion, Moreover,thefe Sandaftres are diftinguifhed by the fex, for the 
male feeme to havea more fadand deepecolour, and bythe reverberation of their fire within, 
give atincture to thofe things that they touch or lie neare unto: & the Indian verely of this kind 
are faid for to dim the eyfight. As for the female Sandaftres, they carrie not fuch an ardent fhew 
of fire, but are more pleafancto the eye, as being attractive rather than burning. Some writers 
there be, who preferre the Arabian Sandaftres before the Indian, faying that the Arabian are’ I 
likeuntothe Chryfolithes that be fomewhat fmokie. As for J/menias he affirmeth, that the San- 
daftres are fo tender that they cannot be polifhed:m a great errour therefore bee they who call 
this ftone Sandarefos: Butall authors herein accord, ‘thatthe more {tars doe make apparence 
in them, fomuch better is the price. Furthermore, this isto bee noted, that the neareneffe in 
fame, otherwhiles is the caufe of error sas we may fee by Sandafer,which Nicander called San- 
daferion, others Sandaferon:and in truth, this Sandafer fome taketo bee Sandafter; and the 
Sandafterindeed, Sandarefos;which is found likewife among the Indians, bearing the nameof 
the place whereir groweth :in colour it refembleth an apple, or elfe greene oile:and in truth; ng 
accountis there made of it. IRC if hs 
Astouching Lychnites,focalled for therefemblance that it hath to the blaze ofa candle ligh: 
ted,which givetlva fiagular grace untoit,and makethitverie rich it may be raunged well among 
thefefierie and ardent ftones: found this is about Orthofia & throughoutall Caria and the pla- 
~ ees adjoysing : but the moft excellent come from the Indians, which fome have thought and 
{aid to be the milder kind of Carbuncle or Rubie balais. Ina fecond degree of worth & account 
vato this Lychnites, is lonis, fo called of the March violet whichin colourit doth verie much 
refembie, | nei : : 
Over and befides, | find other forts of Rubies different from thofe abovenamed ; for {ome of 
thei hold of the frethand glorious purple of Lac, others ftand.as much upon the Scarlet ot 
3 Ggg ij Crimfen ; 
