356 CURIOUS LORE OP PRECIOUS STONES
Moon. Various forms. Sometimes as a crescent, sometimes as a
young woman in a chariot and holding a quiver, and at others as a woman with a quiver and following the chase with
dogs. Aids the fortunes of those who are sent ση an embassy, and
enables them to acquire wealth and honor thereby. Is said to confer
speed and facility in undertakings and a happy issue.20
When
Hudibras attacked and overcame the sorcerer Sidrophal, he rifled the
latter's pockets of all his mystic treasures. Among these were
Several
constellation stones, Engraved in planetary hours, That over mortals
had strange powers, To make them thrive in law or trade, And stab or
poison to evade, In wit and wisdom to improve, And be victorious in
love.21
These
manifold influences exerted by the stars and planets through the medium
of the gems, not only concerned those actually present in a material
form, but also those that were seen in dreams, and interpretations of
such dreams are given by old writers.
Many
Oneirocritica, or "dream-books," were written or compiled in the early
centuries of our era, one of the most noted being the work of
Artemidorus, who flourished in the second century a.D. Every
object seen in a dream was given a special meaning, and it is
interesting to note that Artemidorus believed dreams of rings or other
ornaments, as well as of precious stones, to be of favorable
significance only for women. Such dreams indicated marriage for
unmarried women, and the birth
20 Cannili Leonardi, " Speculum Lapidum," Venetia, 1502, f. liii.
21 Butler, " Hudibras," Part II, Canto III, 11, 1096-1103. I
