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NATURAL HISTORY OF GEMS.
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demons
and poisonous reptiles." * Such a coincidence of supposed virtues, when
the ancient material was no longer forthcoming, naturally led to the
transfer of the name to the other equally virtuous substitute.
Ben
Mansur, after describing his five species of the Deine or Malachite,
observes, " This stone is only valued in Syria and the land of the
Franks." He confirms my explanation of this being Pliny's Smaragdus
Medicus by the statement that if rubbed with oil it gains a greater
lustre : the very thing remarked by Pliny touching the former, " those
not perfectly green are improved by the application of wine and oil."
To remove all doubt as to the mineral called Dehne, the Persian
naturalist concludes with, " If ground down with oil and natron (soda),
the purest copper is obtained therefrom (by fusion)."
Antique
camei in Malachite, though extremely uncommon compared with the
frequency of modern works in this soft material, nevertheless do exist.
Amongst the Pulsky Gems is the most lovely bust of a Bacchante,
belonging to the best period of Eornan art, still retaining on portions
the "thin hard patina of brown oxide with which its surface was
entirely incrusted when it came into the hands of the present owner—a
convincing proof of the ages that must have elapsed since its first
concealment in the earth.
*
The choice of this particular sigil for this particular stone excites
the suspicion of some traditional connexion in this case with the Gnostic worship of the sun-god, the pantheus Ahrasax, -whose peculiar vehicle was the green Jasper, according to me, the Molochites of those times.
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