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it appears outside of the enclosure, whence it is also called anthrax. The thunder stone is a little similar to this one, because it is also found in the same place.

1.5 The sapphire stone is purple, like the appearance of dark purple silk. But many kinds of this exist; for there is the royal one, flecked with gold; but this one is not so much admired as the one that is entirely purple. And this one is said to be in India and Ethiopia. Therefore, they say that among the Indians the sanctuary of Dionysus has 365 steps made of sapphire stone, even if this is unbelievable to many. The stone is wonderful and most beautiful and most graceful. Therefore they set this in ornaments and necklaces, especially kings. It is an antidote; for when powdered, it heals with milk sores that come from pustules and tumors, when anointed on the ulcerated places. It is also written in the Law that the vision seen by Moses on the mountain, and the legislation given, is said to have been on sapphire stone.

1.6 The jasper stone. This one is emerald-green in appearance; it is found beside the banks of the Thermodon river, and around Amathus in Cyprus. But there is a numerous kind called Amathusian; the appearance of the stone is as follows: it is pale green like the emerald, but duller and dimmer; and within it has a green body, resembling copper rust that has four-rowed veins. But we have heard this to be a fantasy, as the mythographers say. Another is more sea-green, deeper in bloom and in dye; another in the caves, on Mount Ida in Phrygia, resembling that from the blood of the cochlea, more translucent, as if resembling wine or more yellow than amethyst; for it is not of one color nor of the same power; but one is more porous and whiter, neither shining very much, nor again lacking. Another is like water of crystal; and it is said by myth-makers to be a cure for apparitions. It was found among the Iberians and the Hyrcanian shepherds in the land of Caspian. Another jasper, not very bright, is green, which has lines in the middle. And another jasper, the one called old, is like either snow or sea-foam. The myth-makers say that this one frightens wild beasts in the field, and phantoms.

1.7 The ligurion stone. We have in no way learned of its discovery, neither among the naturalists, nor among any of the ancients who have been concerned with these things. But we have found a stone so called langourion, which some in the clear dialect call lagourion; and perhaps I think this is the ligurion, since the divine scriptures have altered the names in other ways, as the smaragdos to prasinos, and that somehow in the naming of these stones they did not mention the hyacinth, although it is a conspicuous and precious stone; so that we might take into our minds that the divine scripture might call this ligurion. The hyacinth, then, has different appearances; for the deeper in color the stone is found, so much more valuable is it than the others. The hyacinth resembles wool or is somewhat purplish. Therefore the divine scripture also says that the priestly garments were adorned with hyacinth and purple. And the first stone is called thalassites, the second rhodinos, the third natibos; the fourth is called channiaeus, and the fifth perileukios. And these are found in the inner barbarian land of Scythia. These stones, besides being very precious, also have such a power: when thrown into burning coals they are themselves not harmed, but they extinguish the coals; not only this, but also if someone takes the stone and wraps it in a cloth and places it on burning coals, not even the covering cloth is burned, but it remains unharmed. The stone is said to be useful for women in labor for an easy birth; it is also an expeller of phantoms.

1.8 The agate stone. This was supposed to be the one called perileukos, which is found beneath the hyacinth; it is wonderful, in appearance being somewhat dark blue, on the outside a circumference

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ἔξωθεν τῆς περιβολῆς φαίνεται, ὅθεν καὶ ἄνθραξ κέκληται. Ὀλίγον δὲ ὁ κεραύνιος λίθος παραπλήσιος τούτῳ, ὅτι καὶ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τόπου εὑρίσκεται.

1.5 Λίθος σάπφειρος πορφυρίζων, ὡς βλάττης πορφύρας τῆς μελαίνης τὸ εἶδος. Πολλὰ δὲ γένη τούτου ὑπάρχουσιν· ἔστι γὰρ ὁ βασιλικός, χρυσοστιγής· οὐ πάνυ δὲ οὗτος θαυμαζόμενος ὡς ὁ διόλου πορφυρίζων. Καὶ οὗτος δὲ λέγεται εἶναι ἐν τῇ Ἰνδίᾳ καὶ Αἰθιοπείᾳ. ∆ιὸ τὸ τέμενος παρὰ Ἰνδοῖς φασιν εἶναι τοῦ ∆ιονύσου τξεʹ ἀναβαθμοὺς ἔχον ἐκ σαπφείρου λίθου, εἰ καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ὑπάρχει ἄπιστον. Ἔστι δὲ θαυμαστὸς ὁ λίθος καὶ εὐειδέστατος καὶ χαριέστατος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐν τοῖς χλιδῶσι καὶ ὁρμίσκοις κατατιθέασι τοῦτον, μάλιστα οἱ βασιλεῖς. Ἀλεξίπονος δέ ἐστι· τριβόμενος γὰρ καὶ ψυδράκων καὶ φυμάτων γινομένας πληγὰς σὺν γάλακτι ἰᾶται χριόμενος τοῖς ἡλκωμένοις τόποις. Γέγραπται δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ Νόμῳ τὴν τῷ Μωϋσεῖ ὀφθεῖσαν ὀπτασίαν ἐν τῷ ὄρει, καὶ δοθεῖσαν νομοθεσίαν ἐπὶ λίθου σαπφείρου πεφυκέναι λέγεται.

1.6 Λίθος ἴασπις. Οὗτός ἐστι τῷ εἴδει σμαραγδίζων· παρὰ δὲ τὰ χείλη τοῦ Θερμόδωντος ποταμοῦ εὑρίσκεται, καὶ περὶ Ἀμαθοῦντα τὴν ἐν Κύπρῳ. Ἀλλ' ἔστιγένος πολὺ καλούμενον ἀμαθούσιον· τὸ εἶδος τοιόνδε ἐστὶ τοῦ λίθου, κατὰ τὴν σμάραγδόν ἐστι χλωρίζουσα, ἀλλὰ ἀμβλυτέρα καὶ ἀμαυροτέρα· καὶ ἔνδοθεν χλωρὸν ἔχει τὸ σῶμα, ἐοικυῖα ἰῷ χαλκοῦ ἔχοντι φλέβας τετραστίχους. Ὡς δὲ τοῦτο ἠκούσαμεν εἶναι φαντασίας, ὡς οἱ μυθολόγοι λέγουσιν. Ἄλλη δέ ἐστι γλαυκοτέρα θαλάσσης, βαθυτέρα τῷ ἄνθει καὶ τῇ βαφῇ· ἄλλη δὲ ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις, ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῆς Ἴδης ἐν τῇ Φρυγίᾳ, ὁμοιάζουσα τῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος κόχλου, διαυγεστέρα μᾶλλον, ὥσπερ οἴνῳ ὁμοιάζουσα ἢ ἀμεθύστου ξανθοτέρα· οὐ γάρ ἐστι μιᾶς χροιᾶς οὐδὲ τῆς αὐτῆς δυνάμεως· ἀλλ' ἡ μέν ἐστι χαυνοτέρα καὶ λευκοτέρα, οὔτε πάνυ στίλβουσα, οὔτε πάλιν ἀποδέουσα. Ἄλλη δὲ κρυστάλλου ὕδατι ὁμοία· λέγεται δὲ ὑπὸ μυθοποιῶν ἄκος εἶναι φαντασιῶν. Εὑρέθη δὲ παρὰ Ἴβηρσι καὶ ποιμέσιν Ὑρκανῶν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Κασπίαν γῆν. Ἄλλη δὲ ἴασπις οὐ πάνυ λάμπουσα, χλωρά, ἥτις ἔχει γραμμὰς μέσας. Καὶ ἄλλος ἴασπις ὁ παλαιὸς καλούμενος ὅμοιος ἢ χιόνι ἢ ἀφρῷ θαλάσσης. Τοῦτόν φασιν οἱ μυθοποιοὶ τοὺς θῆρας ἐν ἀγρῷ φοβεῖσθαι, καὶ τὰ φάσματα.

1.7 Λίθος λιγύριον. Τούτου δὲ τὴν εὕρεσιν οὐδαμῶς ἔγνωμεν, οὔτε παρὰ φυσιολόγοις, οὔτε παρά τισιν ἀρχαίοις τοῖς περὶ τούτων μεμεριμνηκόσιν. Εὕρομεν δὲ λαγκούριον οὕτω καλούμενον λίθον, ὅν τινες τῇ τρανῇ διαλέκτῳ λαγούριον καλοῦσι· καὶ τάχα τοῦτο οἶμαι τὸ λιγύριον, ἐπειδὴ αἱ θεῖαι γραφαὶ τὰ ὀνόματα ἑτέρως μετεποιήσαντο, ὡς τὸν σμάραγδον πράσινον, καὶ ὅτι πως ἐν τῇ τῶν λίθων τούτων ὀνομασίᾳ οὐκ ἐμνήσθησαν καὶ ὑακίνθου, καίτοι γε προόπτου καὶ ἐντίμου ὄντος λίθου· ὥστε εἰς νοῦν ἡμᾶς λαβεῖν μήποτε τὸ λιγύριον τοῦτο καλεῖ ἡ θεία γραφή. Ὑάκινθος οὖν τὰς μὲν ἰδέας ἔχει διαφόρους· ὅσῳ γὰρ εὑρίσκεται ὁ λίθος βαθύτερος τῇ χροιᾷ, τοσοῦτον ἀναγκαιότερός ἐστι τῶν ἄλλων. Ἔοικε δὲ ὑάκινθος τῇ ἐρέᾳ ἢ ὑποπορφυρίζων ποσῶς. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡ θεία γραφὴ ἐξ ὑακίνθου καὶ πορφύρας τὰ ἱερατικὰ ἐνδύματα κεκοσμῆσθαί φησι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν πρῶτος λίθος καλεῖται θαλασσίτης, ὁ δὲ δεύτερος ῥοδινός, ὁ τρίτος νάτιβος· ὁ τέταρτος λέγεται χαννιαῖος, ὁ δὲ πέμπτος περιλεύκιος. Εὑρίσκονται δὲ οὗτοι ἐν τῇ ἐσωτέρᾳ βαρβαρίᾳ τῆς Σκυθίας. Οὗτοι δὲ οἱ λίθοι μετὰ τοῦ εἶναι πολύτιμοι ἔχουσι καὶ ἐνέργειαν τοιαύτην· βαλλόμενοι εἰς ἄνθρακας πυρὸς αὐτὰ μὲν οὐ βλάπτονται, τοὺς δὲ ἄνθρακας σβεννύουσιν· οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ λαβών τις τὸν λίθον ἐνειλίσσῃ ὀθόνῃ καὶ ἐπιθῇ ἐπ' ἄνθρακας πυρός, οὐδ' αὐτὴ ἡ καλύπτουσα ὀθόνη φλογίζεται, ἀλλὰ μένει ἀσινής. Λέγεται δὲ ὁ λίθος ταῖς τικτούσαις γυναιξὶν εἰς εὐτεκνίαν χρησιμεύειν· ἔστι δὲ καὶ φασμάτων ἀπελαστικός.

1.8 Λίθος ἀχάτης. Οὗτος ὑπελήφθη εἶναι περίλευκος καλούμενος, ὃς ὑπὸ τὸν ὑάκινθον εὑρίσκεται· θαυμαστὸς δέ ἐστι, τῷ εἴδει ὑποκυανίζων, ἔξωθεν περιφέρειαν