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Introduction

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6            NATURAL HISTORY OP PRECIOUS STONES, &c.
The nature of the quotations seems to indicate that these writers had principally busied themselves with the supposed efficacy of gems in medicine or in magic. It may be conjectured that, although Pliny names none amongst them, save Archelaus, in his list of authorities serving him in the compilation of his book xxxvii., yet, from the nature of their treatises, we may suspect he both knew, and contemptuously classed them amongst the " impudent Magi," specimens of whose " infanda vanitas " or preposterous lies, he often adduces for the sake of exposing them. To this list Suidas adds AEsopus, " reader to king Mithri-dates," who, to judge from the passage cited ' On the Pan-fish,' followed in the same line of things wonderful.
Of ancient Greek mineralogy, this is absolutely all that re­mains : of the Roman, besides Pliny's inestimable, though too compressed, compendium, somewhat more is extant, although of but trifling importance. Solinus," who probably belonged to the weakly Eevival in Constantine's age, has in his ' Polyhistor' particularly discussed the article of the precious stones produced by the several countries as he describes them. His notices are often extremely useful, inasmuch as he evidently aims at a more precise and technical description of the precious stones than he found in his precursor Pliny; and indeed he often displays the knowledge of a practised jeweller. In fact, it is impossible to obtain a clear notion of what the Romans meant by certain species from Pliny's description (notably the Hyacinthus and the Sardonyx) without comparing it with the more systematic defini­tion of the same things as laid down by Solinus.
Lastly, many stones and minerals will be found defined in the ' Origines' (a brief encyclopasdia) of Isidorus, bishop of Seville in the 7th century. This work has a certain value as contain­ing quotations from many authors now lost. Little, however, is to be obtained from his extracts bearing upon our subject, as he evidently has here contented himself with abridging Pliny's definitions ; and that, too often, without clearly understanding his meaning. From Solinus too he has transcribed some pas­sages verbatim, for instance the definition of " Hyacinthus."
8 He is first quoted by Priscian, the grammarian of Caesarea, in the 5th century.
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