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Ovum Anguinum, Druid's Bead

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OVUM ANGUINUM.
279
These details show how much in the wrong antiquaries are in giving the name of Ovum Anguinum, or Druid's Bead, to the large spheres of variegated glass (often exhibiting the most vivid colours, arranged in elegant wavy patterns equal to any tradi­tionally reproduced by the Murano factories) that formed the central ornament of Roman-British or Saxon necklaces. But the object seen by Pliny was evidently some natural production, and his description applies better to a large fossil echinus than to anything else. Perhaps some lingering traces of the ancient fable may be the cause why a species of the recent shell yet bears the popular name of the Mermaid's Egg. This explanation too is corroborated by Mediajval tradition; for De Boot actually figures two fossil echini as specimens of what in his day was accounted the true Ovum Anguinum, and prized as an antidote against poison ; but he sapiently adds that they do not agree with Pliny's description. The longitudinal septa of the shell were construed into as many lizards attached to its surface.
Singularly enough he notices that the travelling quacks were in the habit of selling to the simple Bohemians, as the veritable Serpent's Egg, and generated according to all the circumstances of the old Druidical legend, a thing hence called Duchanek, or the Breath-stone (lapis Spiritalis). This was a thick glass ring, bluish-green in colour, having but a small opening. On the ex­terior circumference were set equidistant projections in blue and white, like eyes. De Boot warns his readers against being taken in by these mysterious-looking objects, stating that in Belgium in his boyhood (about 1555) they were commonly used by women for an ornamental counterpoise to the ends of their spindles, for which purpose they were manufactured there. These identical articles occasionally are turned up in England, and are still received with­out question as indubitable Druid's Beads.
In the Middle Ages this wonderful production passed only for an antidote against poison, pestilence, bad air, &c. ; but we see from Pliny's notice that anciently the virtues attributed to it were of a much higher and supernatural order, not merely medi­cinal. It was for the attempt to pervert justice by magical means that Claudius, " the wisest fool, or the foolishest wise man" (as was said of our James I.), amongst the emperors, put
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