CHAP. 33.—STIMMI, STIBI, ALABASTRUM, LARBASIS, OR PLATYOPHTHALMON.
In the same mines in which silver is found, there is also
found a substance which, properly speaking, may be called a
stone made of concrete froth. [Note] It is white and shining, without
being transparent, and has the several names of stimmi,
stibi, alabastrum, [Note] and larbasis. There are two kinds of it,
the male and the female. [Note] The latter kind is the more approved
of, the male [Note] stimmi being more uneven, rougher to
the touch, less ponderous, not so radiant, and more gritty.
The female kind, on the other hand, is bright and friable, and
separates in laminæ, and not in globules. [Note]
