Beryl (maplet)

This is the entry for beryl from Maplet's A Greene Forest

Of the Berill

Berill is a Stone rare, but not so precious, for it alone growet in Indie: it is founde greene, like to the Smaradge. It is first found also raw and rude without eyther good looke or pleasant shewe, but afterwards it is better polished of the of Indie, and they that use to polish it in manner and forme of Angle or Corner, to the intent that through the dulnesse of its owne colour, this maner might shew some glittering the light having his stay in every eche corner: Some say, they fashion it at first, seaven cornered: and otherwise they say it shimmereth not. There is alsoanother kind of Berill which of the Greeke words call Golden Berill, as sayth Diascorides, whose interchaunged greene colour resembleth almost the wan and yellow colour of Golde. They say that this borne about a man, and being put now and than to his eies, keepeth a man out of perill of his enimies.