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BOOK V
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93
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Misena
near Sala and in Bononia, Italy. This mineral withstands the heat of
the sun and the cold of the winter but cannot withstand rain since it
is destroyed whenever placed in large heaps. Since it is transparent
they made panes of it, even within the memory of Seneca, and these were
placed in windows since they shut out the air and transmitted light. A
church in Cosuicus, Saxony, and another in Merseburg, Thuringia, have
window panes of this mineral. Later the people made their window panes
from round or square pieces of glass joined with lead, also from paper
or linen smeared with white wax or goat tallow. Nevertheless they have
retained the ancient Latin name. Today certain people take the rough
stone from a selenite quarry and after burning it use it in the place
of lime. Fragments drunk in sour wine relieve dysentery. If the powder,
after burning, is sprinkled on fistulas and ulcers it promotes the
growth of flesh.
Asbestos (amiantus) follows.
This does not form from limestone or gypsum but from a juice of its own
genus which, however, is of a special nature. It is named amiantus because
fire does not destroy its luster and even if an impurity is mixed with
it this is removed with no loss of brilliancy or luster.7 It is also called asbestos because
they make wicks for lamps from it and when once these are set on fire
they will continue to burn as long as any oil touches them and yet they
are not consumed by the fire.8 It is called bostrychites by
Zoroaster because it is braided like the hair of women (it is usually
sold in this braided form). Because it is the whitish gray color of man
it is called polia by some, corsoides by others, and because it may have the whitish gray color of esparto grass some call it spartopolios. Some call it linon since it is spun and woven by hand like linen. The cloth is called asbestinum by the Greeks because it is made from asbestos. Pliny calls it vivum because it is not affected by fire. Pausanias calls it carystium because it is mined near Carystos.9 It is called alumen by Quadrigarius because it has a fracture similar to alum.
Asbestos
occurs in the mines of Suacium in Noricum in the Arcadian mountains;
near Carystos, a town of Euboea; in Scythia, India and Egypt. It is
either white, gray, red or the color of iron. It differs in taste from
alum since the latter is astringent, asbestos is only slightly
astringent although it may sting the tongue a little. Concerning its
form, asbestos resembles hair and can be separated into fine fibers. It
is by nature dry externally but has a humor internally. Fire is unable
to consume this humor since it is more powerful than the heat of the
fire. However the fire is able to consume impurities adhering to the
mineral. Pliny says that napkins made from it are burned in the
fireplace after a banquet when they are soiled in order to clean them
since the fire is better than water.
7 From ά, not; μιαίναν, to stain.
8 From &σβ€στο$, not extinguished.
• A town on the south coast of Euboea, once famous for its marble, a white stone veined with green mica and also called carystium.
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