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LII. They are found, in digging, by People who are ſkilful; though the Creature, when it has voided its Urine, hides it, and heaps the Earth together
Sapphire, is ſufficient Proof, that they cannot be the ſame: as no body would ever think of comparing a Thing to itſelf: But after having gone through a compleat Deſcription of the Lyncurius, according to the received, though erroneous, Opinion of thoſe Times, of its being produced from the Urine of the Lynx; he begins a ſeparate Account of Amber under its own proper Name; and ſhews he was well acquainted with its Nature and Properties, and knew it to be a native Foſſile. Hence it is therefore alſo evident, that the Lapis Lyncurius was not Amber, and that the generally received Opinions of it are both evidently erroneous. That ſuch as had not read the Antients themſelves ſhould fall into Errors of this kind, from the Obſcurity and Confuſion of thoſe who copied from them, we cannot wonder. But here it may not be amiſs to obſerve, that it is not the Antients themſelves, but theſe Copiers and Quoters of them, who are generally obſcure. Epiphanius, who was better acquainted with them, has made a different Gueſs, and is, indeed, the firſt Author who has had the leaſt Thought of what I ſhall attempt to prove to be evidently the Truth in regard to this Stone.
What it is not, has been ſufficiently proved. It remains to enquire, what it really is. The Way to judge of this is, to conſider what the Antients have left us about it: What Theophraſtus ſays we have before us. That it was of a ſtony Texture is plain from his Account, and may be confirmed from all thoſe who wrote more determinately; they have always called it, λιθος λαγγόυριος. Epiphanius has, εὕρομεν δὲ λαγγόυριον ὅυτω καλόυμενον λίθον. And Pliny, l. 8. c. 38. Lyncum humor ita redditus, ubi gignuntur; glaciatur areſcitque in Gemmas Carbunculis ſimiles, & igneo colore fulgentes Lyncurium vocatas. Can any one imagine this a Deſcription of a Belemnites? All that we find in the Antients about it, in ſhort, is of this Kind, and determines the Lapis Lyncurius to have been a tranſparent Gem, of no determinate Shape, and of a yellowiſh red or flame Colour, ſometimes paler, and ſometimes deeper; which diſtinguiſhed it into Male and Female; as we ſhall ſee hereafter in this Author; and of a Texture fit for engraving on. Had the Antients meant to have deſeribed our Belemnites, they would not only not have named any one
