80 
related, even when he shews that he does not himself 
believe the statements. In his accounts of the plants and 
articles of Materia Medica, he chiefly follows Theophras- 
tus and Dioscorides; those not described by them are 
almost entirely European plants. It is interesting, for our 
purpose of investigating the origin and connexions of 
ancient medicine, to find him mentioning many Egyptian 
medicines, and giving the opinions respecting others of 
the Persian Magi. The art of magic, he says, " Natam 
primum e medicina nemo dubitat;'" and " pariter utrasque 
artes effloruisse medicinam dico, magicenque, eadem aetate 
illam Hippocrate hanc Democrito illustrantibus, circa 
Peloponnesiacum Grascia? bellum :" lib. 30. c. 1. and 3. 
In proceeding to the description and uses of precious 
stones, he further says, " Nunc gemmarum confessa genera 
dicemus, a laudatissimis orsi. Nee vero id solum agemus, 
sed ad majorem utilitatem vitas obiter coarguetur Magorum 
infanda vanitas, quando illi vel plurima prodidere de 
gemmis, medicinag ex his blanda specie prodigia trans- 
gressi." 37. c. xiv. Gems and precious stones we have 
seen (p. 4. and 54) were also employed by the Hindoos as 
medicines ; many of those dilated on even by Persians, 
must then, as now, have been procured from India. This 
must also have been the case with those described by Pliny; 
as indeed he has mentioned in numerous places, besides 
saying, " Gemmiferas amnes sunt Acesines et Ganges; 
tefrarum autem omnium maxime India." lib. 37. c. 76. 
Galen and Pliny having both borrowed much from 
Dioscorides, the most celebrated, as well as the most 
copious author on the Materia Medica of the Ancients, 
it is necessary for our purpose to consider more fully 
the parts of his work having reference to India, since, 
from his eastern connexions, he was able to procure more 
full and more correct information, especially after the 
