Metals, Minerals, And Stones

Gold is temperate in quality, it wonderfully strengthens the heart and vital spirits, which one perceiving, very wittily inserted these verses:

For Gold is cordial; and that's the reason,
Your raking Misers live so long a season.

However, this is certain, in cordials, it resists melancholy, faintings, swoonings, fevers, falling-sickness, and all such like infirmities, incident either to the vital or animal spirit.

Alum. Heats, binds, and purges; scours filthy ulcers, and fastens loose teeth.

Brimstone, or flower of brimstone, which is brimstone refined, and the better for physical uses; helps coughs and rotten flegm; outwardly in ointments it takes away leprosies, scabs, and itch; inwardly it helps yellow jaundice, as also worms in the belly, especially being mixed with a little Saltpetre: it helps lethargies being snuffed up in the nose.

Litharge, both of gold and silver; binds and dries much, fills up ulcers with flesh, and heals them.

Lead is of a cold dry earthly quality, of an healing nature; applied to the place it helps any inflammation, and dries up humours.

Pompholix, cools, dries and binds.

Jacynth, strengthens the heart being either beaten into powder, and taken inwardly, or only worn in a ring.

Sapphire, quickens the senses, helps such as are bitten by venomous beasts, ulcers in the bowels.

Emerald, called a chaste stone because it resists lust: being worn in a ring, it helps, or at least mitigates the falling sickness and vertigo; it strengthens the memory, and stops the unruly passions of men.

Ruby (or carbuncle, if there be such a stone) restrains lust; resists pestilence; takes away idle and foolish thoughts, makes men cheerful. Cardanus.

Granite. Strengthens the heart, but hurts the brain, causes anger, takes away sleep.

Diamond, is reported to make him that bears it unfortunate.

Amethist, being worn, makes men sober and steady, keeps men from drunkenness and too much sleep, it quickens the wit, is profitable in huntings and fightings, and repels vapours from the head.

Bezoar, is a notable restorer of nature, a great cordial, no way hurtful nor dangerous, is admirably good in fevers, pestilences, and consumptions, viz. taken inwardly; for this stone is not used to be worn as a jewel; the powder of it put upon wounds made by venomous beasts, draws out the poison.

Topaz (if Epiphanius spake truth) if you put it into boiling water, it doth so cool it that you may presently put your hands into it without harm; if so, then it cools inflammations of the body by touching them.

Toadstone, being applied to the place helps the bitings of venomous beasts, and quickly draws all the poison to it; it is known to be a true one by this; hold it near to any toad, and she will make proffer to take it away from you if it be right; else not. Lemnius.

Nephritichus lapis, helps pains in the stomach, and is of great force in breaking and bringing away the stone and gravel.

Jasper, being worn, stops bleeding, eases the labour in women, stops lust, resists fevers and dropsies. Mathiolus.