well
engraved by the tool, but how could this have been done by the ancients
? Besides, did they ever find clear corundums of sufficient size to
make cups ? " Potoria vasa et ex hoc lapide et ex Melinite factitata inverno."
Therefore, I believe the lichnite to be rather our balais than the Oriental ruby.
In
the dark ages this name was given it throngh the Greek rendering of
Balassus, or Palassus, because it was supposed to be the bark or house
in which the true ruby resided; and Andrea Braccio says, explicitly,
that " The name of balais comes from the word palatium, because it is supposed to be the matrix or palace in which the ruby is found."
Emmanuel
believes, on the contrary, that this name had its origin from the
province of Asia now called Beloochistan, and anciently Badakschan or
Balaschan. Emmanuel makes the same observation as Sebaldo Savio : " Nomen
ejus belaslisch diciturque a Teifaschio adduci ex BalasJichane, quam
regionem barbari Badachschan vocant, estque secundum eum pars terree
Turcarum quae ad Tartarium rergit." And he goes on to assert that even at the present day this gem is called Badakschiani, in Persia.
A
Persian tradition holds that the balais remained unknown until the
occurrence of an earthquake, which, by dividing the mountain in which
it had been concealed, discovered and offered it to human rapacity.
Marco Polo, in the description of his voyages, tells
