Folio 98v - sard, continued. Septimus crisolitus; The seventh, chrysolite. Octavus Berillus; The eighth, beryl
and for that reason it is placed in the sixth position, because Christ in the sixth age and on the sixth day consecrated his martyrdom with his blood.
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The sard gets its name from Sardis where it was first found. It gets its name from its reddish colour.
The seventh, chrysolite
The seventh foundation, chrysolite, is similar in colour to gold. For this reason its name comes from crisis [chrysos], which means 'gold'; it seems to give out glittering sparks, as the Glossator says; and it signifies wisdom, which exceeds all other gifts, just as gold exceeds all other metals.
Wisdom, through the medium of preaching, gives out glittering sparks, that is, encouragement and doctrine, setting alight the hearts of those who hear them. In this context, Ezekiel 1, on the sacred animals: 'They sparkled like the colour of burnished brass' (1:7); The Wisdom of Solomon, 3: 'The righteous shall shine and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble' (see 3:1,7).
This stone is placed in the seventh position, because it holds the seventh place in order of ascendancy among the gifts of the holy spirit.
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Chrysolite shines like gold and flashes like fire. It is similar to the sea, displaying something of its green colour. We read that the Ethiopians send us this stone.
The eighth, beryl
The eighth foundation is beryl. This stone is polished into a hexagonal shape; it shines like water struck by the sun; it is also said to be of such heat that it warms the hand of the holder; and it signifies the virtue of mercy.
Mercy operates in six ways, warming the cold hearts of the infirm to a love of God and one's neighbour, according to Proverbs, 25: 'If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he thirsty give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head' (25:21-23). Matthew, 5: 'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven' (5:16).
This virtue is placed in the eighth position, because not here but in the eighth age