16 THE MAGIC OF JEWELS AND CHARMS
(thus
will the lion be tamed and thus will the yellow lilies flourish).
Around a crown surmounting the two shields appear the initial letters
I. P. H. V. N. F., indicating Latin words the sense of which is
"Johannes Petrus Hofmann a Nurembergian subject made it," and also the
letters Τ G V L, intended to signify tinturœ guttae v. libram, or
"five drops of the tincture [transmuted] a pound." The reverse has
Latin words denoting that iron was the base of this tincture, the
symbols used for lead, tin, copper, mercury, silver and gold being each
accompanied by a cryptic declaration that Mars (iron) had controlled
the respective metal.28
Besides
the "Philosopher's Stone," the chief object of their quest, the
alchemists believed that several other stones possessing magic virtues
could be produced. Among these was the "angelical stone," which gave
power to see the angels in dreams and visions, and also the "mineral
stone," a substance by means of which common flints could be
transmuted into diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, etc.29 Possibly
some alchemists were glassmakers, and fused the quartz with various
mineral salts into imitations of the gems, having the colors, but not
the hardness or other properties.
One
of the strangest fancies as to the medicinal efficacy of stones is that
held by the native Australians, who believe that "crystals" are
embedded in the bodies of their medicine-men. This belief is
encouraged by the medicine-men themselves; indeed, they are supposed
only to retain their power so long as these atnongara or ultunda stones remain in their bodies, and a share of their might can be transmitted by transferring certain of the stones from their
" Bolton, " Contributions of Alchemy to Numismatics," New York, 1890, pp. 17, 18.
» Ashmole, " Theatrum chemicum Brittanicum," London, 1652, pp. 4-β.
