a

LUMINOUS STONES (p. 408, and vol. ii. p. 22).

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A power of emitting light seems to have been associated from time immemorial in the East with certain precious stones, notably the carbuncle. A shining stone is likewise of frequent occurrence in Russian stories. Afanasief (Vozrenia, iii. 800, etc.) remarks that the Russian Alatuir and the Greek 1⁄2λɛктρоv are derived from common root-Sanskrit, ark aλk, to flash, emit rays. Raviratnaka (precious stone dedicate to the sun), and tarala (sparkling) are among Indian names for the ruby. See note, vol. ii. p. 22. The stone eyes of the monumental lion in the Piazzetta at Venice were believed to emit light; and Antony of Novgorod speaks of a picture painted above the porta paradisiaca of Sta. Sophia, representing the emperor Leo the Wise, having upon his brow a precious stone which at night illuminated the whole temple with its brightness.

Josephus (Ant. Jud., iii. c. 8), alludes to a luminous jewel in the dress of the high priest. Ælian mentions a light-emitting carbuncle, indeed, the allusions to the luminosity of this stone are very numerous. Many will be found in W. Jones's "Precious Stones; their History and Mystery." London, 1880. Roland while yet a youth, as the legend runs, despoiled the Ardennes giant of a gem which he carried in his buckler and which shone like the sun, and inserted the sparkling trophy in his father Milon's shield. See Warnke, Pflanzen in Sitte, Sage und Geschichte. Leipzig, 1878.

The idea occurs in the Roman de la Rose.

"A fyn charboncle sette saugh I
The stoon so clere was and so bright,
That, also soone as it was nyght,
Men myghte seen to go for nede
A myle or two, in lengthe and brede
Sich lyght tho sprang oute of the stone
That Richesse wondir brighte shone
Bothe hir heed, and alle hir face
And eke aboute hir al the plaie,"

and in Mandeville's description of Prester-John's palace.

"And alle the Pileres in his Chambre, ben of fyne gold with preciouse Stones, and with many Carboncles, that zeven gret lyght upon the nyght to alle peple. And alle be it that the char

boncle zeve lyght right y nowe, natheless at all tymes brenneth a vesselle of cristalle fulle of Bawme, for to zeven gode smelle and odour to the Emperour."

In Mandeville's "Grand Lapidaire" (1561) it is said: “Le rubis est appelé en grec Epiteste . . . . et si cette pierre est au soleil par un espace de temps, elle rendra raies rouges comme du feu." Mr. Dutens, Member of the Royal Society, in his work on precious stones, published in 1776, says that the ruby may be rendered phosphorescent by exposing it for several hours to the solar rays, or raising it to a red heat in the crucible.

The belief in the luminosity of certain stones may, perhaps, in some instances have arisen from their high refractive power, in other cases from the property of phosphorescing for a considerable period after exposure to strong light or heat, which characterizes certain substances, notably the sulphides of calcium, barium, and strontium. In the case of the celebrated Bologna stone (sulphide of barium) this phenomenon was authentically recorded as early as 1603, and caused much sensation. In his Adamas Lucens, Robert Boyle asserted the phosphorescent power of the diamond, which was confirmed by M. Dufay in the Mémoire de l'Académie, 1730, and by M. Dutens in his treatise on precious stones (1776). M. Edmond Becquerel (La Lumière, etc. Paris, 1867, vol. ii.), although premising (p. 207) that probably the phosphorescence of precious stones was not early observed, says (p. 210) he had observed calcic fluoride and two white diamonds to phosphoresce an hour after exposure to solar rays, and again (p. 348), that, roughly speaking, 50 per cent. of diamonds will phosphoresce, though faintly, for over an hour's space after insolation. The duration of phosphorescence in the aluminous compounds (rubies, carbuncles), is, however, much less. According to his experiments (p. 339), it hardly exceeds To of a second, and can only be observed with a phosphoroscope, and can therefore hardly have been really noticed in previous times.

VIRGIL'S BRAZEN ARCHER (vol. i. p. 433, and vol. ii. p. 22).

Gervase of Tilbury, in his Otia Imperialia, tells a story of Virgil (given in vol. i. p. 433, supra), essentially the same with that in the Gesta Romanorum. A somewhat similar fiction is the story of Rosencreutz's (the founder of the Rosicrucians) Sepulchre,

given by Eustace Budgell in a contribution published in the Spectator, May 15, 1712, under the epigraph: "Scire tuum nihil est, nisi te scire hoc sciat alter." Pers. Sat., i. 27. The same narrative was prefixed to the English edition of the Abbé Villars' "Count de Gabalis." In this instance a vault is discovered illuminated by a lamp, which burned before a figure seated at a table, clad in armour and grasping a truncheon. The intruder "had no sooner set one foot within the vault, than the statue erected itself from its leaning posture, stood bolt upright, and upon the fellow's advancing another step, lifted up the truncheon in his right hand. The man still ventured a third step, when the statue, with a furious blow, broke the lamp into a thousand pieces, and left his guest in a sudden darkness." was subsequently found that the effect had been produced by mechanism. "Rosicrucius, say his disciples, made use of this method to show the world that he had re-invented the everburning lamps of the ancients, though he was resolved no one should reap any advantage from the discovery."

It

Just as Verzhiulovoe Kolo, so the Welsh fferylliaeth (alchemy and chemistry) was derived from Virgil, the Irish Feargal who was referred to the eighth century, and stated to have asserted the existence of the antipodes.

i

1

APPENDIX.

No. 1, p. 152.
MERLIN.

Quand les Chevaliers et Dames et Damoyselles furent arrivez, Dieu sait la joye que le Roy leur fist; et s'en vint a Yguerne et a son Mari, et les fist menger en sa table, et fist seoir le Duc de coste lui. Et fist tant le Roy par ses paroles que Yguerne ne se peut deffendre qu'elle ne print de ses jouyaulx, tant qu'elle sceut bien de vrai, que le Roy l'aimoit; et apres que la feste fut passee, chascun se en voulut retourner, et prinrent congié du Roy. Et le Roy leur pria qu'ils revinssissent tousjours, ainsi qu'il leur avoit commandé; si luy accorderent chascun. Si endura le Roy cette peine d'amours jusques a long-temps. Si ne peut plus endurer ce martyre, et luy convint se descouvrir a deux des plus privéz de son conseil, et leur dit l'angoisse qu'il souffroit pour l'amour d'Yguerne.- -Et quant le jour de la feste fut venu, chascun se trouva a Cardeuil avecque leurs appareils, tant Dames et Damoyselles, de quoy le Roy fut moult joyeux; et quant le Roy sceut que chascun fut arrivé, et le Duc de Tintaiel, et sa femme Yguerne, si prist sa couronne, et se presenta devant tous les Barons auxqueulx il donna plusieurs riches jouyaulx, et aux dames et Damoyselles aussi. Et quant se vint a la table, que chascun fut assis pour menger, le Roy fut moult joyeux et lye. Si parla a ung sien conseiller, auquel il se fioit, qui fut nommé Ulfin. Et lui dist que l'amour d'Yguerne le tuoit, et le feroit mourir, et qu'il ne povoit durer s'il ne la veoit, et que quant il en perdoit la vue, le cueur lui meurdrissoit, et que s'il n'avoit remede d'elle, qu'il ne povoit longuement vivre. Et Ulfin lui re

spondit: Sire, cuideriez vous bien mourir pour l'amour d'une dame? Saichez, que Je ne suis que ung povre Gentilhomme; mais Je ne cuiderois point mourir pour l'amour d'une femme. Car Je ne ouy parler de femme (pourveu qu'elle fust bien requise) qui, pour ce qu'on luy presente plusieurs dons, ne se consentye a la voulente de celui qui la requiert. Et toy qui es Roy, te esbahis tu comme tu pourras avoir l'amour d'une dame! Il semble que tu ayes le cueur bien couart qui n'oses requirrir une dame d'aymer. Et le Roy luy dist: tu ditz vrai, tu sces qu'il convient a telle chose. Si te prie que tu m'aydes en toutes les manieres que tu pourras. Si, prens en mon tresor, ce que tu vouldras pour lui donner, et a ceulx et a celles qui sont autour d'elle; et pense de faire a chascun son plaisir, et va parler a Yguerne. Et Ulfin respondit: Je sauray bien faire ce que m'avez commandé. Ainsi tint la court huit jours en grant joye, et avoit le Roy tousjours a sa compaignie, et lui donna de moult riches jouyaulx, et a ses compagnons aussi. Et Ulfin s'en alla parler a Yguerne, et luy dist ce qu'il convenoit a parler d'amours, et luy porta plusieurs beaulx jouyaulx, et riches. Et jamais Yguerne n'en voulut riens; tant qu'il advint ung jour que Yguerne tira Ulfin a conseil a une part, et luy dist.-Ulfin, pourquoi me offres tu tant de si beaulx jouyaulx? Et Ulsius respondit; pour le grant sens et belle contenance que Je voy en vous, votre grant beaulté. Et saichez que

tout l'avoir de ce Royaume est a vous; et tous les gens aussi sont a faire vostre plaisir et vostre voulente. Et elle respondit: comment sais tu ce? Et il respondit: Dame vous avez le cueur de celuy a qui est le Royaume. Et elle dist; qui est le cueur ? C'est le cueur du Roy, dist il. Comment? dist elle; le Roy a le cueur bien felon et bien traître de monstrer a monseigneur si grant semblant qu'il l'aime, si il me veult trahir et deshonnourer; Je te diray, Ulsius gardes sur ta vie que jamais tu ne me parles de tieulx parolles, que bien saiches que Je le dirois au Duc, et s'il le scavoit, il te conviendroit mourir. Ne ja ne le celeray que ceste foys. Et Ulfin respondit; se Je mouroye pour le Roy, se me seroit grant honneur. Puis il lui dit: Dame, Je me esbahis que vous reffusez le Roy pour vostre amy, qui plus vous aime que luy meme; et veuillez savoir qu'il meurt pour vous, et qu'il mourra si n'avez mercy de luy. Et elle respondit: vous vous gabez. Et il luy respondit: Pour Dieu, Dame, ayez mercy du Roy et de vous-mesmes; car si vous n'en avez mercy, vous en verrez venir grant mal: Ne vous, ne votre seigneur, ne vous