SUPERSTITIONS AND THEIR SOURCES 5
away so as to revive him and then sacrifice him at their fearful rites.
In
a poem addressed to Marguerite de Valois,—"La Marguerite des
Marguerites," as she was called,—by Jean de la Taille de Bondaroy,1
we read of the diamond that it came from gold and from the sun. But we
are told that not only are precious stones endowed with life, they also
are subject to disease, old age, and death; "they even take offence if
an injury be done to them, and become rough and pale." The sickness of
the pearl has been a theme for centuries, and in many cases is only
fancied. It is but a subterfuge or deception for a lady to remark that
her pearls have sickened ; by referring to this sickness, her friends
are naturally led to believe that at one time her pearls were fine,
perfect ones, when in reality they may never have been so.
The
opinion given in 1609, by Anseimus De Boot, court physician to Rudolph
II of Germany, regarding the power inherent in certain precious stones,2 embodies the ideas on this subject held by many of the enlightened minds of that period.
The
supernatural and acting cause is God, the good angel and the evil one;
the good by the will of God, and the evil by His permission, . . . What
God can do by Himself, He could do also by means of ministers, good and
bad angels, who, by special grace of God and for the preservation of
men, are enabled to enter precious stones- and to guard men from
dangers or procure some special grace for them. However, as we may not
affirm anything positive touching the presence of angels in gems, to
repose trust in them, or to ascribe undue powers to them, is more
especially pleasing to the spirit of evil, who transforms
'Jean de la Taille de Bondaroy, "Le Blason de la Marguerite," Paris, 1574.
* De Boot, " Gemmarum et lapidum historia," lib. i, cap. 25, Lug. Bat., 1636, pp. 87, 91.
