The Worthy Churchman, Section 10
SECTION X. The Tarshish or Berill.
WIth this beginnes the fourth row, it is the eight in the Apocalypse, an Indian Gemme which jewellers use to cut corner-wise, because it sheweth dull if the colour be not stirred up by the repercussion of the angles.
The Vertue.
PLiny and others are silent in the vertues of this stone. But I have a laborious Lapidary by me, who is anonymus, and so antique that (asaVix divinare Lectionem. Erasmus sayd of the writings of Hierom) I can scarce divine the reading; who affirmes the Berill being steeped in water, and that water drunke, to bee availeable against all griefes and diseases of the eyes: which assertion hee confirmes also under the mouths of three witnesses, Arnoldus, Dioscorides, and one Nuba an author to me unknowne.bLev. 21. 20. VnderUnder the Law whosoever had any blemish in his eye was not capable of Priesthood.cProv. 22. 9. Blessed is the man (saith Salomon) who hath a good eye. EvendProfecto in oculis animus habitat, Plin. nat. histor. the whole soule seemes to dwell and reside in that little round sphericall ball of the eye, so as by that looking-glasse, it is easie to know what passion is predominant in the mind: if love, the eye lookes; if sorrow, it weepes; if admiration, it gazeth; if madnesse, it stareth; if anger, it sparkleth; if feare, it twinckleth; if pride, it is lift up; if humility, it is cast downe: You will wonder, so little a substance to be obnoxious to so many infirmities as the oculist will tell you. So are there many spirituall maladies therein, for which we must provide eye-salve: there is theeSubsan…s Pro. 30. 17. scoffing and scorning eye first of all: secondly, thefImmisericors, Pro. 22. 9. and cha. 28. ver. 27. mercilesse eye: thirdly, thegCaecus, Rom. 11. 10. Ephes. 1. 18. blind ignorant eye: fourthly, hMagnificus, Pro. 30. 13. and ch. 6. ver. 16.proud and lofty eye: fiftly, theiVenereus, 1 Io. 2. 16. Mat. 5. 28. lustfull venereous eye which is full of adultery: sixtly, thekRubicundus, Prou. 23. 29. red or drunken eye: seventhly, thelAemulus, Mat. 20. 1…. envious maligning eye: eightly, themNictans, Pro. …0. 10. winking or dissembling eye: lastly, thenAvarus, Eccles. 4. 8. covetous insatiable eye; so that the oSIC MVRAENA.Muraena hath not more eies on a side then are evil eyes mentioned in holy Scriptures. But the man of God should ever be provided of a Collyrium for his ghostly patients affected with any of these kinds of sore eyes: first making them wash them in their owne syrrope, the salt and brackish teares of contrition for what is past, and then anointing them withpPsal. 19. 10. honey of Gods word, whichqver. 8. giveth light to the eyes to direct the whole man for the time to spend, so as he shall be constrained to speak out Ionathans words,r2 Sam. 14. how are mine eyes enlightned since I tasted of this honey.
The Colour.
THe colour is a Sea-water-greene. And Pliny who seemes to have had an exact knowledge of the Berill, after hee hath reckoned up seven distinct kinds, saith,sProbatissimisunt ex iis qui …iriditatem puri maris imitantur. lib. 37. cap. 5. Those are the best which imitate the greennesse of pure Sea-water. tApocalypsis Apocalypse…. c. 21.Brightmans conceit pleaseth me well in this point: The watery-colour (saith he) betokeneth lenity and humility, such as water it selfe is, which will easily give place to every thing: and so it fitly followes the majesticall Chrysolite (as S. Iohn reckons them,) that so it may keepe the statelinesse thereof within measure and compasse. So he. By which element also Virgil paraphraseth the same vertue, when he compares a meeke man to a standing poole, which yet is farre more calme and gentle then the Sea, whose face is so much vwrinckled with billowes:
uVirgil.Mitis ut in morem stagni, placidae que paludis.
Heare S▪ Pauls ordination-sermon,*2 Tim. 2. 24. 25. The servant of the Lord must not strive, but bee gentle towards all men, apt to teach, suffering the evill, instructing with meeknesse, &c. Heare his Consecration-sermon, xTit. 1. 7.A Bishop must be unreproveable as Gods Steward, not froward nor angry, &c. Indeed Aristotle calls angeryCalcar virtutis the Spurre of Vertue: but I have heard there is an old canon that Churchmen may not weare spurres, or have armed heeles. The meeke (saithzMat. 5. 5. our Saviour) shall inherit the land: and yet those who inherit no land (such were the Tribe of Levi under the Law altogether, such is it now for the most part) must be meeke. Ordinarily men will be perswaded to vertue, hardly compelled; they may be led to heaven, not drawne: more are won with the blandishments of sweet words, then with calling downe for fire from heaven. The word of God prevailes more when it falls like raine into a fleece of wooll, then when it rattles as a shower on the tyles. Oratory is more gratefull when it is put in the forme of entreaties, then when of commands. Counsels sound better to us then praecepts. It is usually not so prevalent to come with a rod, as to come with the spirit of meeknesse. Few are like nettles which bite being gently touched, most are like thornes which will not be grasped. a1 King. 19. 11. &c.When God appeared to Eliah, he was neither in the whistling wind, nor in the quivering Earthquake, nor in the scorching fire, but in a still and soft voice. Yet may this doctrine vary according to the differing dispositions either of Pastor or People: To a meeke and gentle Titus, bTit. 2. 15.These things speake, and rebuke with all authority, especially having to doe with stiffe natures. To a more forward Timothy, c2 Tim. 4. 2.Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering: which difference of natures S. Gregory observes to have beene the reason of the Apostles differing admonitions. There is need of the spirit of an Ambrose and a Luther, to contest with an Emperour and a Pope.