af Pliftids Nacirall Hiftotie. 
but the fouleft and of moft bafe account,be thofe of Thafos & Cyprus. The reafon of the name 
Amethyft,is generally. chought to be this,chat notwithftanding it approch very neareto the co- 
lour of wine: yet before it throughly taft thereof, it curneth intoaMarch Violet colour: and that 
purple luftre which it hath, isnotaltogether fig, but declineth inthe end to the colour of wine. 
There isnot one of thefe Amethyfts,but it is tranfparent with a Violet colour.Eafie they are all 
tobecutandengraven, Andas forthe Indian Amerhyfts, they have the full and rich colour of 
the Phoenicean purple die: and in truth,the diets with that they. may but give a tincture an{wera- 
blero it.Verely this purple colouris pleafing to the eie neither doth it ftrikeand pierce the fight 
fo forcibly asthe Rubies doe.In a fecond ranke are to be raunged the Amethyfts enclining tothe 
Tacinés;the colour of which ftonethe Indians call Sacon,like as the gem it felfe Sacodion:Now 
if the colour be more weake and feeble, they call it Sapinos: and this Amethyft in a third degree 
is named Paranites in the marches of Arabia, whichname it taketh of the people. The fourth 
kind refembleth thecolour of wine. The fift declineth neare unto Cryftall,fave onely that toward 
the bortome thereof, itftandeth of acertaine whitith purple: bur thisis nothing efteemed, for 
the excellent Amethyft indeed beeing held up in the aire,oughtto fhine in manner of aRubic, 
~ and tocarie a certaine purple luftre,mildly participating ofthe incarnat rofe colour:Such Ame- 
thyftsasthefe fomechuferather rocall Paderotes, like asakind of Opate, ex Anterotes: many 
sivcidachc name of Venws gems, for the great gracethat they have & decent lovelineflewhich 
they feeme to fhew bothin fafhion and colour,efpecially without-forth. The Magicians,as vaine 
herein as in all other things,feem to beare us in hand that they have a {peciall vertue to withftand 
drunkenueffe whereupon they fhould be called Amethyfts:Neither ftay they fo,but tell us, that 
if tne name of the Moone and the Sunne,be engtaven in them and fo worne abourthe neckhan- 
ging, either with the haires of a Cynocephalus head,or elfe Swallowes feathers, they are a fove- 
raigne remedie again{t charmes and forceries that be practifed with poyfoning, Nay they would 
make us beleeve that there isa way to ufe them,which will caufe men to be gracious with princes 
who have any negotiation with them, and that by che means thereof they fhall find eafie accefle 
to their prefence, and favour in theireyes. Alfo,by their faying, they are of forceto avert haile 
and fuchlike diftemperature of the weather,yea,and to turne ey Locufts,fothere bea charmé 
in manner of a praier faid withall,the forme whereof they alfo do prefcribe and {hew: & no mar: 
vaile:forthey have promifed the like of Emerauds,if there were enchafed in them the forme ei- 
ther of Zgles,or the flies named Beetils, In fetting downe whichtoies and vanities, they fhew 
well ynough in whatcontemptthey have mankind, and how they are difpofed for to mocke the 
world. 
_ Itfolloweth now by good order to {peake of the Iacinths,which, albeit they differ much from 
Amethyfts in fomerefpect, yet in luftre they approch very neare :and this is onely the difference 
between them, That the brave Violet colour, which in the Amethyft is full andrich,in che Iacint 
is delaied and weaker. The lacintalfo at the firft fight is pleafant and acceptacle, but thelovely 
’ beautie therof vanifheth away beforeit hath given a man ynough.And fo farre is it off ftom con- 
tenting the eye fully and fatisfying the pleafure therof,that it fadeth fooner than the dainty floure 
ofthat name,?.Hyacinthus :fo quickly doth the luftre pafle away,in manner before it come to the 
eye: Zithyopia furnifheth us with Iacinths and Chryfolithes both,which are tranfparent and ca¢ 
rie thecolour of gold: howbeit thofe of India be preferred before them; they of Bactriana like- 
wife,if they be not {potted and flecked with divers colours, The wortft of all others,be the Arabi- 
an :for they beenot onely skewed in colour, but alfo foule and troubled: and looke what radiant 
luftre they have, interrupted it is with a cloud of {pots : and if any chaunce to be clear otherwife, 
yeta man that looketh on them, would fay they were full of their owne duft. The beftare thofe, 
which being laid stp gold,caufe it to looke whitifh.in manner of filver,incomparifon to them. 
Suchas bee cleare and tranfparent,; Goldfmiths ufe to fet within a houpe of gold, foas they may 
be feene both beneath and above. The reft had need of a ground of Latton foile to give them a 
~ Juftre : howbeir, now adaies ae that are not skilfull lapidaries have taken up acuftome to call 
fome lacints Chryfele@tri,which encline to the colour of a bafe gold called EleG&trum;the which 
in a morning aremore beautifull and glorious tothe eye, than all the day after. Thofe lacints 
thatcome from Pontus, are knowne by their lightneffe : (ome of them be hard and of an Orange 
red others be foft and foule, Bocchws mine author reporteth, Thatthey be foundin Spainealio, 
inthatplacewhere hee faith they finke pits for co levell water, and out of which the peafants a 
take 
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