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He procured from Amsterdam three emeralds of extraordinary size

and richness of colour, and had a turquoise _de la vieille roche_

that was the envy of all the connoisseurs.

He discovered wonderful stories, also, about jewels. In

Alphonso's Clericalis Disciplina a serpent was mentioned with

eyes of real jacinth, and in the romantic history of Alexander,

the Conqueror of Emathia was said to have found in the vale of

Jordan snakes "with collars of real emeralds growing on their

backs." There was a gem in the brain of the dragon, Philostratus

told us, and "by the exhibition of golden letters and a scarlet

robe" the monster could be thrown into a magical sleep and slain.

According to the great alchemist, Pierre de Boniface, the diamond

rendered a man invisible, and the agate of India made him

eloquent. The cornelian appeased anger, and the hyacinth provoked

sleep, and the amethyst drove away the fumes of wine. The garnet

cast out demons, and the hydropicus deprived the moon of her

colour. The selenite waxed and waned with the moon, and the

meloceus, that discovers thieves, could be affected only by the

blood of kids.