98 THE CURIOUS LORE OF PRECIOUS STONES
is
an especially sacred color. As a gift for lovers the moonstone takes a
high rank, for it is believed to arouse the tender passion, and to give
lovers the power to read in the future the fortune, good or ill, that
is in store for them. To gain this knowledge, however, the stone must
be placed in the mouth while the moon is full.98
Antoine
Mizauld " tells us of a selenite or moonstone owned by a friend of his,
a great traveller. This stone, about the size of the gold piece known
as the gold noble, but somewhat thicker, indicated the waxing and
waning of the moon by a certain white point or mark which grew larger
or smaller as did the moon. Mizauld relates that to convince himself of
the truth of this he obtained possession of the stone for one lunar
month, during which time he sedulously observed it. The white mark
first appeared at the top. It was like a small millet-seed, increasing
in size and moving down on the stone, always assuming the form of the
moon until, on reaching the middle, it was round like the full moon;
then the mark gradually passed up again as the moon diminished. The
owner declared that he had "vowed and dedicated this stone to the young
king [Edward VI], who was then highly esteemed because he had good
judgment in regard to rare and precious things."
The
onyx, if worn on the neck, was said to cool the ardors of love, and
Cardano relates that everywhere in India the stone was worn for this
purpose.100 This belief is closely related to the idea commonly associated with the ( onyx,—namely, that it provoked discord and separated
e8Marbodei, "De lapidibus," Friburgi, 1531, fol. 51.
99 " Les secrets de la Lune," Paris, 1571.
100 Cardani, " De subtilitate," lib. vii, Basile®, 1560, p. 464.
