athered within the space of twelve stadia, and no where else: blacke
it is, plaine and even, of a hollow substance in manner of the pumish
stone, not much differing from the nature of wood; light, brittle, and if
it bee rubbed or bruised, of a strong flavour." (Book xxxvi., chap. xviii.)

In the Commentary of Joannes Ruellius upon Dioscorides, _Pedanii
Dioscoridis Anazarbei de medicinali materia libri sex, Ioanne Ruellio
Suessionensi interprete_ ... (Frankfurt, 1543, fol., liber quintus, cap.
xcii.) is the following description:

{38} "In Gagatarum lapidum genere, praeferendus qui celeriter accenditur,
et odorem bituminis reddit. niger est plerunque, et squalidus, crustosus,
per quam levis. Vis ei molliendi, et discutiendi. deprehendit sonticum
morbum suffitus, recreatque uuluae strangulationes. fugat serpentes nidore.
podagricis medicaminibus, et a copis additur. In Cilicia nasci solet, qua
influens amnis in mare effunditur, proxime oppidum quod Plagiopolis
dicitur. vocatur autem et locus et amnis Gagas, in cujus faucibus ii
lapides inveniuntur.

"Gagates lapis colore atro, Germanis Schwartzer augstein, voce parum
depravata, dicitur. odore dum uritur bituminis, siccat, glutinat, digerit
admotus, in corollis precariis et salinis frequens."

And in the _Scholia_ upon Dioscorides of Joannes Lonicer (Marpurgi, 1643,
cap. xcvii., p. 80) is the following:

"_De Gagate Lapide._ Ab natali solo, urbe nimirum Gagae Lyciae nomen habet.
Galenus se flumen isthuc et lapidem non invenisse, etiamsi naui parua totam
Lyciam perlustravit: ait, se autem in caua Syria multos nigros lapides
invenisse glebosos, qui igni impositi, exiguam flammam gignerent. Meminit
hujus Nicander in Theriacis nempe suffitum hujus abigere venenata."

There is also a good account of _Gagates_ (and of Succinum) by Langius,
_Epistola_ LXXV., p. 454, of the work _Epistolarum medicinalium volumen
tripartitum_ (Francofurti, 1589).

[116] PAGE 47, LINE 39. Page 47, line 45. _Multi sunt authores
moderni._--The modern authors who raised Gilbert's wrath by ignorantly
copying out all the old tales about amber, jet, and loadstone, instead of
investigating the facts, were, as he says at the beginning of the chapter,
some theologians, and some physicians. He seems to have taken a special
dislike to Albertus Magnus, to Puteanus (Du Puys), and to Levinus Lemnius.

[117] PAGE 47, LINE 39. Page 47, line 46. _& gagate._--The editions of 1628
and 1633 both read _ex gagate_