Res gestae 23.6.85

23.6.85

Restat ut super ortu lapidis huius, pauca succinctius explicentur. Apud Indos et Persas, margaritae reperiuntur in testis marinis robustis et candidis, permixtione roris anni tempore praestituto conceptae. Cupientes enim velut coitum quendam, humores ex lunari aspergine capiunt, densius oscitando. Exindeque gravidulae, edunt minutas binas aut ternas, vel uniones, ideo sic appellatas quod evisceratae conchulae singulas aliquotiens pariunt, sed maiores.

It remains for me to speak briefly about the origin of this gem. Among the Indians and the Persians pearls are found in strong, white sea-shells, being conceived at a definite time of the year by mixture with dew. For at that time they desire, as it were, a kind of copulation, and by often opening and shutting quickly they take in moisture by sprinkling with moonlight. Thereby becoming pregnant, they each bear two or three small pearls, or else uniones, so called because the shell-fish, when opened, sometimes yield only one pearl, but in that case they are of greater size.