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PRECIOUS STONES.
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which the native priests were the fortunate guardians. Many
of these costly gifts fell into the hands of the conquerors, but the great emerald goddess was spirited away and her hidingplace could never be discovered. A slight variation from the above tradition makes the
emerald only the dwelling-place of the goddess Esmeralda, and not the veritable divinity herself. The Peruvians, like the nations of the Eastern hemisphere, cherished the belief that mines of the precious metals and precious stones were guarded by demons and griffons. Emeralds of great value, and in large quantities, were carried off by the Spanish brigands, during their invasion of
Mexico, many of which found their way into the royal treasury of Spain, while others were retained by the conquerors. Five, of remarkable beauty and of curious design, given by Cortez to his bride, were the cause of his loss of the royal favor, as stated by his biographer ; consequently, the origin of the misfortunes that befell him in his last years. These emeralds are described as marvels of the lapidary's skill, one having been cut in the form of a rose, another in that of a horn, a third representing a fish with golden eyes, the fourth a bell with a tongue of pearl, and the fifth a cup resting on a gold foot with small gold chains attached. Two of these gems bore inscriptions, and the whole set was valued at several million dollars. Cortez was offered a large sum for them, but "he had the imprudence to refuse to dispose of his treasures, even to Charles V., who wanted them for the empress. This disregard of the imperial will was followed by a withdrawal of court favors, which, in those days, was a serious calamity. These coveted jewels were subsequently lost at sea during the shipwreck of the owner, on the Barbary coast, in 1529; still, he had other valuable emeralds left, which proved the wealth |
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