Page:Theophrastus - History of Stones - Hill (1774).djvu/201

 will not cut thoe Gems which are work'd into Seals; tho' the Stone with which they are worked is compoed of the ame Kind of Matter with the Whettone, or omething not very unlike it. Thee Stones are from Armenia The Armenian Whettones, Coticulæ of the Latins, and of the Greeks, were of a Stone of extreme Hardnes; and, as we may learn from this Paage, of the ame Nature with that, which they ued for the working ome of thoe Stones which Iron could not touch.

This Stone ued for working on others they firt had from Cyprus; and ome of the antient Greeks called it Adamas, from its extreme Hardnes; as they alo did ometimes Iron, for the ame Reaon. This Manner of Writing has much miled their Copiers; and even Pliny, who, after having in one Place given the right Account of this Stone, and called it Cos, in another mitakes it for a Diamond, and calls it uch. This was the Effect of his copying from various Authors in different Parts of his Work; and not eeing, in many Places, that they were decribing only the ame Subtance under two different Names. This Cyprian Stone was long in Eteem, and erved not only for polihing, but boring Holes through uch Gems as they trung on Threads, to wear for Bracelets, and other the like Ornaments. But After-ages found out the Armenian, which proving much harder than it, became more generally ued, and at length entirely banihed the other. That this Armenian was of the ame Kind with their, is evident from this Paage of Theophratus; and that it had the Properties of the Cyprian, and was ued as it, is plain from Stephanuss Account of it, Plinys Account of other Gems being bored by Cyprian Diamonds, means no more, than that they were wrought by a Stone of the Nature of the , brought from Cyprus..

LXXVIII. The Nature of the Stone