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284 THE MAGIC OF JEWELS AND CHAEMS
jasper in ancient times, and this stone was everywhere believed to possess wonderful magic powers.
The
jasper * as an emblem of strength and fortitude is noted by St. Jerome
in his commentary on Isaiah (liv, 11, 12), where he writes that the
bulwarks or walls of the Holy City were strengthened by jasper. These
bulwarks served "to overthrow and refute every proud attack against the
knowledge of God, and to subject falsehood to truth. Whoever,
therefore, is most convincing in debate and best fortified with texts
of Holy Scripture is a bulwark of the Church."5 Jerome also alludes to the variety of jasper called grammatias, because
of the peculiar markings, suggesting letters of the alphabet. This was
believed to possess great talismanic virtue, especially in putting to
flight phantoms and apparitions, since the markings were thought to
signify some potent spell, written on the stone by nature's hand. Of
another kind of jasper, "white as snow or sea-foam,"6 and
having reddish stains, we are told that it symbolizes the spiritual
graces, which preserve those endowed with them from vain terrors ; and
the learned Father quotes as descriptive of this stone the words of
Solomon's Song (v, 10) : " My beloved is white and ruddy. ''7
Writing
of the sapphire (lapis lazuli), one of the foundation stones of the
Holy City, St. Jerome likens it to heaven and to the air above us,
adding, somewhat fancifully, that we might apply to the sapphire the
words of Socrates in the ' ' Clouds ' ' of Aristophanes : " I walk upon
air and look down upon the Sun." Turning then to Holy Scripture, Jerome
notes the well-known passage in Ezekiel (i, 26) where the
'Sometimes believed to be rock crystal.
'Sancti Eusebii Hieronymi " Opera Omnia," ed. Migne, vol. iv, Parisiis, 1865, col. 544.
* Δ stained or colored massive quartz.
'Sancii Eusebii Hieronymi " Opera Omnia," ed. Migne, vol. iv, Parisiis, 1865, col. 545.
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