NOTES TO BOOK III.

Every gem, &c. - P. 104.

From the Mirror of Stones I extract a few specimens of the absurd ideas once prevalent respecting precious

stones.

The Amethyst drives away drunkenness; for, being bound on the navel, it restrains the vapour of the wine, and so dissolves the ebriety.

Alectoria is a stone of a chrystalline colour, a little darkish, somewhat resembling limpid water; and sometimes it has veins of the colour of flesh. Some call it Gallinaceus, from the place of its generation, the intestines of capons, which were castrated at three years old, and had lived seven; before which time the stone ought not to be taken out, for the older it is, so much the betWhen the stone is become perfect in the capon, he don't drink. However, it is never found bigger than a large bean. The virtue of this stone is, to render him who carries it invisible. Being held in the mouth, it allays thirst, and therefore is proper for wrestlers; makes a

ter.

woman agreeable to her husband; bestows honors, and preserves those already acquired; it frees such as are bewitched; it renders a man eloquent, constant, agreeable, and amiable; it helps to regain a lost kingdom, and acquire a foreign one.

Borax, Nosa, Crapondinus, are names of the same stone, which is extracted from a toad. There are two species; that which is the best is rarely found; the other is black or dun with a cerulean glow, having in the middle the similitude of an eye, and must be taken out while the dead toad is yet panting; and these are better than those which are extracted from it after a long continuance in the ground. They have a wonderful efficacy in poisons. For whoever has taken poison, let him swallow this; which being down, rolls about the bowels, and drives out every poisonous quality that is lodged in the intestines, and then passes through the fundament, and is preserved.

Corvia or Corvina, is a stone of a reddish colour, and accounted artificial. On the calends of April, boil the eggs, taken out of a Crow's nest, till they are hard; and, being cold, let them be placed in the nest as they were before. When the crow knows this, she flies a long way to find the stone; and, having found it, returns to the nest; and the eggs being touched with it, they become fresh and prolific. The stone must immediately be snatched out of the nest. Its virtue is to increase riches, to bestow honours, and to foretell many future events. Kinocetus is a stone not wholly useless - since it will cast out devils.

Conscious of poison, &c.— P. 104.

Giafar, the founder of the Barmecides, being obliged to fly from Persia, his native country, took refuge at Da

mascus, and implored the protection of the Caliph Soliman. When he was presented to that Prince, the Caliph suddenly changed colour, and commanded him to retire, suspecting that he had poison about him. Soliman had discovered it by means of ten stones which he wore upon his arm. They were fastened there like a bracelet, and never failed to strike one against the other, and make a slight noise when any poison was near. Upon enquiry it was found, that Giafar carried poison in his ring, for the purpose of self-destruction, in case he had been taken by his enemies. Marigny.

These foolish old superstitions have died away, and gems are now neither pounded as poison, nor worn as antidotes. But the old absurdities respecting poisons have been renewed in our days, by authors who have revived the calumnies alledged against the Knights-Templar, with the hope of exciting a more extensive persecution.

From spells, or blunt the hostile weapon's edge. P. 104. In the country called Panten, or Tathalamasin, "there be canes called Cassan, which overspread the earth like grasse, and out of every knot of them spring foorth certaine branches, which are continued upon the ground almost for the space of a mile. In the sayd canes there are found certaine stones, one of which stones whosoever carryeth about with him, cannot be wounded with any yron; and therefore the men of that country for the most part carry such stones with them, whithersoever they goe. Many also cause one of the armes of their children, while they are young, to be launced, putting one of the said stones into the wound, healing also, and closing up the said wound with the powder of a certain fish, (the name whereof I do not know) which powder doth immediately

consolidate and cure the said wound. And by the vertue of these stones, the people aforesaid doe for the most part triumph both on sea and land. Howbeit there is one kind of stratageme which the enemies of this nation, knowing the vertue of the sayd stones, doe practise against them: namely, they provide themselves armour of yron or steele against their arrowes, and weapons also poisoned with the poyson of trees; and they carry in their hands wooden stakes most sharp and hard-pointed, as if they were yron: likewise they shoot arrowes without yron heades, and so they confound and slay some of their unarmed foes, trusting too securely unto the vertue of their stones. Odoricus in Hakluyt.

We are obliged to jewellers for our best accounts of the East. In Tavernier there is a passage curiously characteristic of his profession. A European at Delhi complained to him that he had polished and set a large diamond for Oreng-zebe, who had never paid him for his work. But he did not understand his trade, says Tavernier; for if he had been a skilful jeweller, he would have known how to take two or three pieces out of the stone, and pay himself better than the Mogul would have done.

With a convulsive effort shakes it out. — P. 106.

And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.

And it came to pass as they were burying a man, that behold they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood up on his feet. 2 Kings, xiii. 20, 21.

I must remind my readers, that an allusion to the Old Testament is no ways improper in a Mahommedan.

It happened the dead corpse of a man was cast ashore at Chatham, and, being taken up, was buried decently in the church-yard. Now there was an image or rood in the church, called our Lady of Chatham. This Lady, say the Monks, went the next night and roused up the clerk, telling him that a sinful person was buried near the place where she was worshipped, who offended her eyes with his ghastly grinning; and unless he were removed, to the great grief of good people she must remove from thence, and could work no more miracles. Therefore she desired him to go with her to take him up, and throw him into the river again: which being done, soon after the body floated again, and was taken up and buried in the church-yard; but from that time all miracles ceased, and the place where he was buried did continually sink downwards. This tale is still remembered by some aged people, receiving it by tradition from the Popish times of darkness and idolatry. Admirable Curi

osities, Rarities, and Wonders in England.

When Alboquerque wintered at the Isle of Camaram, in the Red Sea, a man at arms, who died suddenly, was thrown into the sea. In the night the watch felt several shocks, as though the ship were striking on a sand bank. They put out the boat, and found the dead body clinging to the keel by the rudder. It was taken up and buried on shore; and, in the morning, it was seen lying on the grave. Frey Francisco was then consulted. He conjectured, that the deceased had died under excommunication, and therefore absolved him. They interred him again, and then he rested in the grave. Dec. 2. 8. S.

Joam de Barros.