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Book V about lodestone, hematite, geodes, hematite, selenite, lapis secularum, asbestos, mica

Book V about lodestone, hematite, geodes, hematite, selenite, lapis secularum, asbestos, mica Page of 251 Book V about lodestone, hematite, geodes, hematite, selenite, lapis secularum, asbestos, mica Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
BOOK V
105
hard and from this we can conclude that it is also found soft and having other colors. It probably resembles stones found at Hildesheim near a mill on a cliff not far from the village of Hasda. Here they occur in veinlets of a glutinous sticky earth similar to Samian earth. They are gray or some pale shade, soft to somewhat hard, sparkling inside and rough outside. They are used to polish gold. The white Samian stones have been made into gems because of their beauty and these were called exhebenus by Zoroaster. Samius lapis since it is astringent and cooling, having been ground in a mortar with milk, can be used advantageously in curing ulcers and reducing watering of the eyes. Artisans polish gold and silver with samius lapis in the same manner as ring makers clean and polish hard gems with emery. Glass workers use it to cut sheets of glass. It is found in the silver mines of Annaberg, Misena, and other localities and has the ap­pearance and hardness of iron.36 It is used to harden the gums and as a dentifrice. The stone occurs in Armenia where they use it to engrave gems and cut small images according to Stephanus but he does not state whether it is emery, Armenian flint or some other stone.
Ostracites, so named because it resembles an oyster shell, is accepted as the best material to remove skin and hair. The younger Greek writers have called it Xidoapeos in order to distinguish it from the oyster shell. The older writers have called it ceramites since it has the color of the shell and also cheramides because it has a band of dark colored protuberances. It forms in strata that are conspicuous. When tapped with the finger it has the sound of a jug. Today a light red variety is found in Hildesheim near a cave named for dwarfs. The area, as I have said, shows that it has been on fire at some time or other. Ostracites dries and is astringent and, for that reason, will repress menstruation when a dram is drunk with wine. Mois­tened with water it reduces inflammation of the breasts, heals ulcers and is poisonous to crawling insects.37
Phrygius stone takes its name from Phrygia where dyers color cloth with it although it is also found in Cappadocia. It is a spongy substance with a mixed taste. Some is astringent and biting. The best has a pale color with white veins similar to calamine and a body structure that is not strong. The weight is moderate. When sprinkled with wine and burnt it becomes a darker yellow. Some of this is sold today for lyncurium just as belemnites is sometimes substituted for it. It is used in medicine as a desiccant. It possesses mixed qualities for it also repels and disperses. It is used to treat decomposed ulcers and as an eye remedy. According to Galen dyers use phrygius just as tanners use ageratus. Since it is both astringent and biting it is impossible to assign to it a definite taste. Since it represses and disperses it is used to cure inflammation of dog's teeth.
38 Apparently quartz, chalcedony, and other minerals are included in this group. 37 Although other writers have given this name to a variety of minerals Agricola limits its use to a particular variety of fossil shell.
Book V about lodestone, hematite, geodes, hematite, selenite, lapis secularum, asbestos, mica Page of 251 Book V about lodestone, hematite, geodes, hematite, selenite, lapis secularum, asbestos, mica
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