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nouember the 21. 1678.

mr. Henshaw the vice Pret: tooke the chair.
The same produced some three peices of stones of Differing substances but they
all agreed in this that they were made vp of seuerall sorts of small pebbles
which were cemented together by a petrifyed substance as hard as the
Pebbles themselues, they seemd to be of the same kind wth. some pro
duced at the same time cutt into Hafts of kniues and polished very
well which seemd as good if not to exceed the Indian Agates. mr.
Henshaw resolued to haue them cutt and polished in the like man
ner and promised then to shew them againe th to the society and ad=
ded, that he knew where a very great quantity of the same
stone might be procured if there were occasion . namely in Hart
fordshire not farr beyond St Albans.

A note ^ /signed by Sr Ionas more vice President/ was directed and orderd to be sent to the Porter of A=
rundell House to Deliuer to the Bearer mr. Hunt the 11 Booke
which were left in the Library of Arundell house some now
Pulled down.

vpon a further Discourse concerning Bezoar stones, mention was
made of a Passage in Dr. Primrose booke De erroribus vulgi that
the great duke of Tuscany /Pope sextus Quintus/ had almost a cartload of Bezoar Stones
sent him but that vpon examination of them by skilfull
physitians not aboue 3 of them proued very good most of the
rest being sophisticated. -
Dr. croon added that the Indians Did sometimes find a sort of Bezoar
stones in the maws of monkeys which they valued at soe hight
a rate as to Esteem them f a fitt present for the Great mogull
/himself/
mr. Henshaw mention Added that there was mention made in
Linschotes voyages of another sort of stones somewt. of the nature
of Bezoar, and counted euery way as good wch. are found in the
stomack of a Porcupine and thence called by the Portuguess
Piedra de puerco. which are smaller generally ^ /about the Bignesse of a gall/ and of a dark
Brown Colour Tis frequently made vse of in feauourish Dis
em
pers and hath been vsed wth good successe for the strengthning the sto=
mack. Being steeped some few howers in fair water it yealdeth a
greenish tincture wch tasteth very bitter.
Herevpon mention was made also of A Stone Presented by Sr. Robt.
Southwell calld piedra de Cobre ^ /being one/ kind of Snake stones which was
supposed to /doe/ great cures by outward application for the biting of serpents
tis a factitious stone made by the Beunians -

Ref: CELL/RS/HF_251  © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters