ON THE VIRTUES OF FABULOUS STONES 189
his
sources believed them to be meteorites, which "fell from the sky when
the moon was waning." This was, indeed, a prevalent fancy regarding all
dart-shaped, pointed or sharpened fossils, or flints. Because of this
celestial origin, the glossopetrœ were said to control the
winds and even to affect the motions of the moon. At a later time the
chief source of supply for these petrified teeth was the island of
Malta, and they were therefore sometimes called Ungues Melitenses, or Maltese tongues; the Germans named them Steinzungen, or
"stone-tongues." According to popular belief these so-called Maltese
tongues were petrified snakes' tongues and they were brought into
connection with the miraculous adventure of St. Paul on the island of
Malta, when he shook off a viper that had fastened on his hand, and
sustained no injury from the bite (Acts, xxviii, 3-5). This was taken
to signify that the poison had been taken from all the snakes on the
island.68
The
material called "St. Paul's Earth," said to be derived from "St.
Paul's Cave," in the island of Malta, was reduced to a fine powder and
made into tablets. These were stamped with the Maltese cross ;
sometimes on the opposite side some other figure was impressed. As
there was temptation to sell other material for the genuine, the
purchaser was warned to be on his guard. The virtues of this powder—
which was dissolved in wine or water—were numerous, and were the same
as those ascribed to the "tongues" {glossopetrœ) and to the
"eyes" ; for it was believed to be an antidote for poisons, cured the
bites of venomous creatures, and remedied many other ills. The "eyes"
were set in rings so that the material touched the wearer's skin; the
"tongues" were worn attached to the arm or suspended from the neck.
Sometimes vessels were made from the earth. These were
" Valentini, " Museum museorum, oder Vollständige Schau-Bühne," Frankfurt am Main, 1714, lib, i, cap. 24, § 2.
