Precious Stones in the Latin-Old-English Literature.
The writers belonging to this section are A l d h e l m , Be de, A l e u in, B o n i f a c e and T a t wine. E u s e b i u s has nothing to say on the subject. The knowledge of precious stones in these authors is, for the most part, gleaned from I s i d o r e , So l i n n s and P l i n y , with occasional contributions from the Church Fathers, as S. G r e g o r y , S. A u g u s t ine and S. J e r o m e .
1. Achates
In Exod. 28, 19, the Hebrew has Shebo 1 ), the Greek, αχάτης. The stone takes its name from the river Achates, in Sicily. It is mentioned in the Orph. Lithika, by Theophrastus, Priscian and Pliny. English agate is a borrowing from the Italian through the French, and first occurs in the sixteenth century (N. E. D.). The older form achate is found in the Ancren Riule.
This is mentioned only in the Ascetica Dubia’ printed in the edition of Β e d e in Migne’s Patrologia Latina, and it is taken from S ο 1 i η u s cap. X L Β e d e (?) says: Achates lapis mieans gratis aureis, resistens scorpionibus; quique intra os receptus. sitim sedat (94, 552 A). Solinus says: Dat Oreta quern Curalliachatem vocant, Curallio similem: sed illitum guttis auro micantibus, et scorpionum ictibus resistentem. Dat India reddentem nunc nemorum, nunc animalium facies; quem vidisse, oculis favet, quique intra os receptus sedat sitim. ‘) In this, as in all other Hebrew citations, I use the transliteration of Redpath.
Also in the third row of the Rationale it is merely mentioned by Be de (Migne 91, 327 B). In Pentateuchum Commentarii — Exodus 28—31.2.
Adamas
The Biblical references are Jer. 17, 1; Ezech. 3, 9; Zech. 7, 12. The Hebrew has Shamir, which is prominent in the later Solomon-legends, the Greek has simply πέτρα. The first meaning of Adamas is ‘unconquerable’, then it was used to denote steel. Later it was applied to the stone. The Adamas is used by Be de as a symbol of Christ: at veroipse sicut adamas verus lubrici gressus nee vel signum suscepit (Migne 91, 1055 Β in Prov. 30, 19). In Aldhelm’s xEnigmata is the Adamas with the usual powers and peculiarities: Lib. I 11. De Adamante lapide (Migne 89. 185 A): En ego non vereor rigidi discrimina ferri, Flammarum nee torre cremor; sed sanguine capri Virtus indomiti mollescit dura rigoris. Sic cruor exsuperat, quern ferrea massa pavescit. The sources are Isidore XVI 13, 2; Solinus c. 50; Pliny XXXVII 4.
Alcuin in makes a beautiful application of these qualities in his tract against the heretic Elipandus: ‘Legitur in litteris eorum, qui de lapidum natura scripserunt, adamantini lapidis duritiam nullo malleorum ictu frangi, nullo ignium ardore dissolvi: sed hsec durissima natura 1 illius virtus sanguine tantummodo hircino cedit. Si nullo testimoniorum pondere duritia cordis tui conteri valeat, mollescat et dissolvatur sanguine veri Dei Domini nostri Jesu Christi, qui effusus est pro salute tua,’ Opera II 287 B—C (Migne 101).
Then, too, on account of its great hardness, it is used in similes, e. g. in Aldhelm de Laudibus Virginitatis p. 40, adamante rigidior; p. 46 adamante duriores. Also, as in Classical Latin, we find the adjective ‘adamantinus’, as in Aldhelm’s Adamantinus scopulus p. 55, and in Alcuin’s de scription of the chains which bound Mars and Venus, ‘adamantinis catenis’ (Epistola 31, ed. Jaffe p. 233).
Mons Adamantis or Atlas is mentioned in Bede’s Mundi Constitute (Migne 90, 885 C).
Amethyst
Three references in the Bible: Exod. 28, 19; 39, 12; Bev. 21. 20. The Hebrew has Achlamah, the Greek άμέθ-υοτος. The Greek name signifies that the stone has power to prevent drunkenness: Prellwitz: ‘a priv. -\- με&ύω ?’ We hear nothing of this virtue in the Ο. Ε. writers. This is because Pliny looked upon this etymology as a sort of gossip, and preferred to see in it only the word ue&v as a reference to the color of the stone.
He says ‘causam nominis adferunt quod usque ad vini colorem accedens, priusquam eum degustet, in violam desinat fulgor, alii quia sit quiddam in purpura ilia non ex toto igneum sed in vini colorem deficiens. . . . Magorum vanitas ebrietati eas resistere promittit et inde appellatas’. XXXYII 40. The quotation from Β e d e is to be found on p. 6.
Berillus
This stone is mentioned in Exodus 28, 20 (and 39, 13); Ezekiel 28, 13, and Apocalypse 21, 20. The Hebrew has Shoham, which in another place (Gen. 2, 12) is translated ‘lapis onychinus’ in the \”ulgate. In Bede’s works we find the stone mentioned as occurring in the first two passages (Migne 91, 327 B; 93, 463).
As one of the stones of the Fundamente (Apoc. 21, 20), Be de describes the Beryl at length: Berillus est quasi consideres aquam solis fulgore percussam. rubicundum ac decorum reddere colorem. Sed non fulget. nisi in sexangulam formam poliendo figuretur. Repercussus enim angulorum splendor illius acuitur. Significat autem homines ingenio quidem sagaces, sed amplius supernae gratiae lumine refulgentes etc. (Migne 93, 200 B).
The three chief sources agree in the idea of the necessity of polishing the Beryl in the form of a hexahedron, but the color given is different in some ways from that given by Bede. Pliny says: probatissimi ex iis sunt qui viriditatem maris puri imitantur. proximi qui vocantur chrysoberulli paulo pallidiores sed in aureum colorem exeunte fulgore (XXXVII 20); Solinus, following Pliny closely, says: Beryllorum genus dividitur in speciem multifariam: eximii intervirente glauci et caerulei temperamento, quandam praeferunt puri maris gratiam. Infra hos sunt Chrysoberylli, qui languidius micantes aurea nube circumfunduntur etc. (c. 50); Isidore says: ‘viriditate similis smaragdo, sed cum pallore’ XVI 7, 5.
Could it be possible that Bede has for once in his descriptions of precious stones relied on his own observations ? As we shall immediately see, the beryl was known to him by sight. There is a curious parallelism between the Leiden Gloss 41, 14: Byrillus tarnen ut aqua resplendit (no. 16) p. 49, (and the similar ones from the other Glossaries (no. 11, 12)), and Bede’s description.
Bede also says of the mystical significance of the beryl as one of the foundations: ‘In berillo prsedicantium perfecta operatio’ (Migne 93, 202 D). In the Ascetica Dubia is mentioned a quality which is foreign to Pliny, Solinus and Isidore: tenentem manu adurere dicitur (Migne 94, 552 A); this seems to have been taken from Isidore’s description of the Pyrites: hie tenentis manum, si vehementius prematur, adurit. XVI 4, 5.
Bede mentions the beryl as used on the binding of a book in the monastery: … liber, cujus exterior apparatus habet unum magnum berillum in medio cum pluribus aliis lapidibus cristallinis ex omni parte (De libris Gregorianis. Migne 95. 314 App. V § 1).
Carbunculus.
One can easily believe that the carbuncle was a great favorite for its brilliant color. It is mentioned in Exodus 28, 18 (and 39, 11) and in Ezekiel 28, 13, so we may be sure it occurs in the ecclesiastic writings. The Latin name Carbunculus is merely a translation of the Greek αν&ραξ a coal, and the German Karfunkel is a further attempt to express its most noticeable quality.
The idea that the Carbuncle shines in the dark is very general among the ancients. Augustine says: nam et carbunculi notitia, quod lucet in tenebris etc. (De Doctrina Christiana Lib. II c. XVI 24Ί and Isidore: Carbunculus autem dictus, quod sit ignitus, ut carbo, cujus fulgor nee nocte vincitur. Lucet enim in tenebris, adeo ut flammas ad oculos vibret (XVI 14, 1). In speaking of the brilliancy of the carbuncle, A1 d h e 1 m says: illinc carbunculus ardet (Fragmentum . . . de Die Judicii, Giles p. 132; Migne 89, 299 C); again he mentions the color: sine . . . carbunculo. et rubieunda gemmarum gloria (De laudibus virginitatis XV. Migne 89, 114 C).
Τ a t w i η e in his 35 th Riddle, ‘De Prima’ [MS de Pruina] says: Rubricolor, flammor, flagrat ceu spargine lumen Scintillans flammae, seu ridet gemma rubore; Jsominis intus apex, medium si nonus haberet, Gemma rubens iam non essem, sed grando nivalis. Boniface: . . . divinam sapientiam, qua 1 est … ignitior carbunculo (Migne 89, 696 Β Epist, IV Ad Nidhardum).
Aleuin understands under ‘calculum candidum’ Apo calypse 2, 17: ‘Calculus lapis est pretiosus, qui et carlmnculus vocatur; quoniam sicut carbo succensus, qua magnitudine subsistit ea in tenebris positus fidget, ita et lue lapis facere perhibetur. Quid itaque per calculum candidum, nisi Christus Jesus designatur? qui sine ulla peccati offuscatione mundus inter homines apparuit, et divinitatis suae luce tenebras nostrae mortalitatis illustravit’.
He adds: Mia vero translatio pro calculo margaritum posuit (I 1106 A Comment, in ApocaL). Likewise Β e d e gives as an old variant for bdellium (Gen. 2, 12): Antiqua Translatio pro his (bdellium et lapis onychinus) habet earbunculum . . . . sicut et nomine probat, lapis ignei coloris, quo noctis quoque tenebras illustrare perhibitur (Migne 91, 46 B—C Hexameron I).
Then later: Carbunculum, veritatem, quam nulla falsitas vincit: sicut carbunculi fulgor nocte non vincitur (Migne 91, 207 C In Pentat. Comm. Gen.). This is a repetition of a quotation from August ine’s Hexameron, in Qutestiones super Gen. (Migne 93, 269 C): Haec ergo prudentia terrain circuit, quae habet . . . carbunculum . . . ., id est, . . . . veritatem, quam nulla falsitas vincit, sicut carbunculi fulgor nocte non vincitur.
Also Ave find the following in the Ascetica Dubia: Carbunculus colore rufeo, quern oculi amant, a longe splendorem spirat, et prope non videtur (Migne 94, 551 D).