Ball — On the Colloquies of Garcia De Orta — II. 665 
R. Kow go on with the sardonyx. 
0. This stone is not found in this country, and if there are any here 
they come from abroad. Besides, there is much difference in opinion 
as to what stone it is. In my opinion, when you cannot obtain it, you 
may substitute for it the jacinth and garnet. And the jacinth is also 
found near Lisbon, at a place called Bellas, and therefore might possibly 
be found in many places in Spain if it were sought for. Some say that 
these two stones, jacinth and garnet, are species of ruby. 
R. And what do you know of the ruby and carbuncle. 
0. Under the name of ruby a great many species are placed. The 
principal is that in Greek called anthrax and in Latin carbunculus, 
which means a small lighted coal. 
R. This I wished to have by me and not use it in pharmacy, be- 
cause I have heard that it gives out light at night. 
0. You must not believe this, for it is an old wife's tale. 
R. And have you not seen it or heard it alleged that it had this 
property? 
0. I have certainly never seen it. It is true that a lapidary told 
me that he was once counting on a table a few very tine small stones 
which came from Ceylon, and which we call ruhis de corja (that is sold 
by the score), and he says that one remained fixed between the joints 
of the table, and in the darkness of night there appeared as though a 
spark of fire was upon the table, so he took a lamp to the table. He 
found this very small ruby, and after he removed it the spark 
disappeared. "Whether this is true or false I do not know. I know 
it was told to me by that lapidary, and they are people whose business 
causes them sometimes to tell lies, because lies bring them profit ; and 
they get into such a bad habit that they sometimes tell them merely 
for the sake of telling wonderful stories. 
R. Now when the ruby is very fine both in colour and water — or 
in other words if it be twenty-four carats in colour, should we call it 
a carbuncle ? 
is made. This is sometimes spoken of as a Matura diamond, from its occurrence in 
a district of that name in Ceylon. 
The grenade of Garcia is the granat of Tavernier, so called from its resemblance 
in colour to the fruit of the pomegranate. It is the stone we call garnet and some- 
times carbuncle, but the carbuncle of the Romans was the anthrax of the Greeks 
i.e. the ruby, as stated further on by Garcia. 
Garnets of good colour are very abundant in India ("Economic Geology of 
India," p. 521), and some choice specimens rival the spinel and even the ruby in 
lustre. 
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