134 THE CURIOUS LORE OP PRECIOUS STONES
A
hoopoo with a tarragon herb before it, represented on a beryl, confers
the power to invoke water-spirits and to converse with them, as well as
to call up the mighty dead and to obtain answers to questions
addressed to them.
A swallow, on a celonite, establishes and preserves peace and concord among men.
A
man with his right hand raised aloft, if engraved on a chalcedony,
gives success in lawsuits, renders the wearer healthy, gives him safety
in his travels and preserves him from all evil chances.
The names of God, on a ceraunia stone,
have the power to preserve the place where the stone may be from
tempests; they also give to the wearer victory over his enemies.
A
bear, if engraved on an amethyst, has the virtue of putting demons to
flight and defends and preserves the wearer from drunkenness.
A man in armor, graven on a magnet, or loadstone, has the power to aid in incantations and makes the wearer victorious in war.23
An Italian manuscript, dating from the fourteenth century, gives the following talismanic gems:
If
thou findest a stone on which is graven or figured a man with a goat's
head, whoever wears this stone, with God's help, will have great riches
and the love of all men and animals.
If
a stone be found on which is graven or figured an armed man or the
draped figure of a virgin, bound with laurel and having a laurel branch
in her hand, this stone is sacred and frees the wearer from all changes
and haps of fortune.
When
thou findest a stone on which is graven the figure of a man holding a
scythe in his hand, a stone like this imparts strength and power to the
wearer. Every day adds to his strength, courage and boldness.
Hold
dear that stone on which thou shalt find figured or cut the moon or the
sun, or both together, for it makes the wearer chaste and guards him
from lust.
A
jewel to be prized is that stone on which is graven or figured a man
with wings having beneath his feet a serpent whose head he
" Camilli Leonardi, " Speculum Lapidum," Venetia, 1502, ff. lvi-lvii.
