Tile ninth Booke of 



but dlCotm or tiiirecdf them together pendant at their eares. And names they haveforfoosh G 

 newly devifeci for them, when they ferve their turne in this their wanton exccfic and fuperfluitie 

 of roipt : for when they knocke one againft another as they hang at their eares or fingers, they 

 caIlthcmCrotaliaj?.CymbaIs:asif thcytooke dehght to heare the found of their pearles rat- 

 ling together. Nowadaiesalfoitis growne to this palTe, that meane women and pooremens 

 wives afted CD weare themjbecaulc they would be thought rich :and a by. word it is among them. 

 That a fair pearle at a womans eare is as good in the ftreet where fhe goeth as an huiflier to make 

 way, for that every one will give fuch the place. N3y,our gentlewomen are come now to weare 

 them upon their feet, and not at their fhoe latchets onely, but alfo upon their (lartops and fine 

 buskinsjwhich they garnifh all over with peatle.For it will not fuffice nor ferve their turne to carie 

 pearles abouttheiTijbut they mufl tread upon pearles^goe among pearies, and walke as it were H 

 on a pavement of pearles. 



Pearlcswerewonttobe found inourfeasof Italiejbutthey were fmall and ruddie,incertaine 

 little fhcll firhes which they call My^e : but more plentie of fiich were taken up in tlic freights of 

 Bofphorus necrc Confl:antinople.Howbcit,in Acarnania there is a little Coc hie called Pmna, 

 [/.aNacrcJwhich engendreth iuch.Wherby it may appearc,that there bemore than one fort of 

 Mother-pearles.For king luU likewife hath left in writingjthat in Arabia there is a kind of fliel- 

 fil"h like unto a Scallop/ave that it is not chamfred^but thick and rough like unto a fea Vrchcon, 

 which beareth Pearls within the very flefh of the fiili,like unto hailcitones.But now adaies there 

 be nofuch mother-pearlescome to ourcoails. Neitherbe there found in Acarnania any of va- 

 lue and reputation.For why they are all in manner without proportion5neither round nor wci^^h- [ 

 tie,r nd of a marble colour.T hey rather about the cape of A£tium are better.and yet they be but 

 litde ones : like as they alfo which are taken in the coafls of Mauritania . Alexander Foi'^hiflor^ 

 and Sudims^xz of opinion that they will agCjand in the end loofe their colour.That they be fo- 

 lide and not hollow within,is evident by thiS5that with no fall they will breake. But they bee not 

 alwaics found in the middeflof the flcfli within themother-pearks,but here 8.' there, fometime 

 in one place,and fometime in another.Verily I have fcene ot them about the brim and edges of 

 thelliell, asiftheywerereadictogoefoorth:and infbmefoure, in others five together/ Vnto 

 this day few of them have bccne knowne to weigh above halfe an ounce ai^d one fcripiule. Itj 

 ^England, *Brittaineitiscertainc that fomedo grow; but theybeeiliiall, dim of colour, and nothing ori- 

 ent. For lullm Cisfcir (late Emperour of famous memorie) doth not diffimulc, that the cuirace K 

 or breaft-plaie which hee dedicated to /^t-/^/^^ Mother within her temple, was made of Engliili 

 pearles. 



I my felfe have ieenc LoIUa Paulifta(htc wife,and after widdow,to Cam Caligula die emperor) 

 when fhee was drefled and fct out, not in llately wife, nor of purpofe for fome great folenjnitie, 

 but only when fhe was to goe unto a wedding fupper, or rather to a feaft when the aflurancc was 

 made,and great perfons they were not that made the faid fcall : I have fcen her,I fay ,f o befct and 

 bedeckt all over with |emera«lds and pearles,difpofed in rowes jrankes,and couries one by ano- 

 ther : round about the attire of her head,!ier cawle,het borders.her perruke of hair,her bongrace 

 and chaplet 5 at her ears pendantjabout her neck in a carcanet,upon her wrefl in bracc]et5,& on, 

 her fingers in ringsjthat fhe glittered Si flioneagaine like the fun as fhe went. The value of thcfe £ 

 * 40 Millions, ornaments, fhe eiteemed and rated at "^400 hundred thoufandSeficrtij:and offered openly to 

 prove it out of hand by her books of accounts and reckonings.Yet were not thefe jewels the gifts 

 and prefents of the prodigal! prince her husband, but the goods and ornaments from lier owne 

 houfej fallen unto her by way ofinheritance from her grandfather, which hee had gotten toge- 

 ther even by the robbing and fpoiling of whole provinces^See what the iflue and end was of chofe 

 extortions and outrageous exactions of his : this was it, That cJW.Zi?/////^ flandered and defa- 

 med for receiving bribes and prefents of the kings in theEafljand being out of favor with C,Cd^ 

 fir^ (onnco^ Aiigujlii^^md having lofl hisamitie|,drankcaeupof poyfon, and prevented his 

 judicial! trial! : that forfooth his ncecc Lollia^ all to be hanged with jewels of 400 hundred ih ou- 

 iand Seflertij, fhould beefeeneglittering,andlookcdatof every man bycandleliglitallafup- M 

 pertimc. 



If a man would now of the one fide reckon what great, treafure either Cm-im or Fahkius car- 

 ried in the ponipe of their triumphs; let him caff a proffer and imagine what their fliewes were, 

 ^vhat their fervice at the table was : and on the other fide^raake an efiimatc of Lellu^QmrniXy wo- 



' ' man 



156 



