“The diamond renders a man invincible; the agate of India or Crete, eloquent and prudent, amiable and agreeable; the amethyst resists intoxication; the cornelian appeases anger; the hyacinth provokes sleep.”[175] In a scarce poem, by T. Cutwode, entitled _Calthæ Poetarum_, or the Humble Bee, (1599,) the goddess Diana is introduced, modestly clothing and attiring the heroine: “And with an emerald hangs she on a ring, That keeps just reckoning of our chastitie. * * * * * And therefore, ladies, it behoves you well To walk full warily when stones will tell.” The ancients have had a very high esteem of the diamond, “champion of the precious stones,” insomuch as they have thought it to be endued with divine virtues, and that if it were but worn in a ring or carried about a person near his heart, it would assuage the fury of his enemies and expel vain fears, preserve from swooning, drive away the vanity of dreams and terrors of the night and frustrate all the malign contagious power of poisons. According to Josephus, the high-priest of the Israelites wore a ring on his finger of inestimable value and celestial virtue; and Aaron had one whereof the diamond, by its virtues, operated prodigious things, for it changed its vivid lustre into a dark color when the Hebrews were to be punished by death for their sins, when they were to fall by the sword it appeared of a blood-red color, while, if they were innocent, it sparkled as usual. It is reported of the diamond that it is endued with such a faculty as that if it be in place with a loadstone, it bindeth up all its power and hindereth all its attractive virtue. Also, that if a diamond be put upon the head of a woman without her knowledge, it will make her, in her sleep, if she be faithful to her husband, to cast herself into his embraces; but if she be an adulteress, to turn away from him. We take the above from a quaint work, by Thomas Nicols.[176] He goes on to say: “It hath been by the ancients esteemed powerfull for the driving away of _Lemures_, _Incubos_ and _Succubos_; and for the hindring of contentions and to beget in men courage, magnanimitie and stout-heartednesse.”