Evax

, a king of the Arabs, is said to have lived in the first century, and to have applied himself with great industry to the study of medicine. Pliny mentions that he wrote a book “De simplicium effectibus,” which he dedicated to Nero. But it is proved, both by Salmasius and Hardouin, that this account is not found in the best manuscripts of Pliny for which reason the former delivers it as his opinion, that by an error of transcribers, from Cratevas, who in some copies is also named Cratevax, this Evax has arisen. A manuscript is still found in several libraries “On the properties and effects of precious stones,” which is attributed to a certain Evax but Salmasius has remarked, that this piece was first cited by Marbodee, a French poet of the eleventh century, and therefore spurious in regard to its pretended antiquity. It was published by Henry llantzovius at Leipsic in 1585, 4to. under the title “De Gemmis scriptum, olim a poeta quodam non infeliciter carmine redditum, et mine primuin in lucem editum.” ²