286 NATURAL HISTORY OF PRECIOUS STONES, &c.
brought
away several specimens of the gem in its quartz matrix, now exhibited
in the mineralogical department of the British Museum. They are indeed
of a bad, pale colour, and very foul, yet incontestably true Emeralds.
However, it was not likely that a casual visitor could obtain anything
but the refuse of the ancient miners ; and a scientific exploration of
the locality might produce stones equal in quality to those Emeralds of
Imperial times, hereafter to be noticed.
"
All the other eight species," says Pliny, " are found in copper-mines."
We may therefore, on that ground alone, set them down for Prases,
Malachites, perhaps the Green Turquois, &c., without the trouble of
farther investigation. The best amongst these was the Cyprian, " the
excellence of which lies in their colour, which was neither transparent
nor diluted, but oily and liquid ; and in whatever way it be viewed,
resembles the clearest sea-water, so as to be equally transparent and
lustrous : that is to say, sending out its colour, and admitting the
eye " (" pariterque ut traluceat et niteat : hoc est ut colorem
expellat, aciem reoi-piat"). There are certain Prases occasionally met
with amongst antique gems, which, from the extraordinary richness and
brightness of their green, can with difficulty be distinguished by the
eye alone from Peruvian Emeralds. There can be little doubt these are
the gems Pliny here describes. " It is said that the tomb of Hermias, a
prince of that island, which stood on the coast near the tunny-fishery,
was surmounted by a marble lion, the eyes of which were made of these
Emeralds [a proof of their large size and little value], and shot forth
such lustre upon the sea as to scare away the fish ; nor could the
cause for a long
