Turning—somewhat
abruptly, it may seem—to a secular instance of wondrous qualities
developed by Precious Stones when combined in a single Jewel, we read
concerning "Mr. Isaacs" (otherwise Abdul Hafiz-ben-Isak) in
that remarkable Eastern story by Marion Crawford, 1899 : " Though Mr.
Isaacs was endowed with exceptional gifts of beauty by a bountiful
nature, these were by no means what first attracted the attention of
the observer." " I was enthralled, and fascinated by his eyes. I once
saw in France a jewel composed of six precious stones, each a gem of
great value, so set that they appeared to form but one solid mass,
yielding a strange radiance that changed its hue at every movement, and
which multiplied the sunlight a thousandfold. Were I to seek a
comparison for my friend's eyes, I might find one in this masterpiece
of the jeweller's art. They were dark, and of remarkable size ; there
was a depth of life, and vital light in them that told of the pent-up
force of a hundred generations of Persian Magii. They blazed with the
splendour of a god-like nature, needing neither meat, nor strong drink
to feed its power."
"
Every Precious Stone has its special virtue," as Madame De Barrera,
1860, learnedly testified; " the more precious the Stone, the more
powerful its virtues." Of Pharmacopoeias, the oldest one counted
amongst its most sovereign remedies a costly compound called the " Five
Precious Fragments," which consisted of powdered Rubies, Topazes,
Emeralds, Sapphires, and Hyacinths. Antiquity and the Middle Ages
believed as implicitly in the influence of Stones, (and Plants) as in
that of the heavenly bodies. There is an Oriental tradition that
Abraham wore a precious stone round his neck which preserved him from
disease, and which cured sickness if
