Chapter CXVIII: Book XVI: On Stones and Metals357

[357] Pliny’s five books (xxxiii-xxxvii) on mineralogy in his
_Natural History_ are the chief source upon which later writers
drew. An epitome of them, or rather, an epitome of an epitome,
was made by Solinus in the third century. This underwent a
further revision in the sixth century. Isidore is supposed to
have used both the epitome and the original, as well as an
unknown source, from which he drew the medical virtues of the
precious stones. _Cf._ King, _The Natural History, Ancient and
Modern, of Precious Stones_ (London, 1865), p. 6.

ANALYSIS

I. Kinds of earth (ch. 1).
II. Earthy substances made out of water (_de glebis ex
aqua_[358]) (ch. 2).
III. Common stones (ch. 3).
IV. The less common stones (ch. 4).
V. Marbles (ch. 5).
VI. Gems (chs. 6–15).
1. Green gems (ch. 7).
2. Red gems (ch. 8).
3. Purple gems (ch. 9).
4. White gems (ch. 10).
5. Black gems (ch. 11).
6. Parti-colored gems (ch. 12).
7. Crystalline gems (ch. 13).
8. Glowing gems (ch. 14).
9. Gold-colored gems (ch. 15).
VII. Glass (ch. 16).
VIII. Metals (chs. 17–24).
1. Gold (ch. 18).
2. Silver (ch. 19).
3. Bronze (ch. 20).
4. Iron (ch. 21).
5. Lead (ch. 22).
6. Tin (ch. 23).
7. Amber (ch. 24).
IX. Weights (ch. 25).
X. Measurements (chs. 26, 27).
Abbreviations for units of measurement (ch. 27).

[358] Asphalt, alum, salt, soda, etc.

EXTRACTS