Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-10-14
AltstelIoneuus.
A History of Rings.

|
within the circumference Of ring, with what
variety of events its uses are blended, and how
many important ones il has figured in. Old as
the oldest record Of human history, we find it
used amongot the Egyptians, as type of trust
and badge of power, at the period when the
shepherd sons Of Jacob sold their brother Even
previous to that great epoch in the life of the
wise and wel-!avorvd Joseph, when Pharaoh,
investing him with a rank only second to his
own, bestowed as the sign Of it the ring that
was on his finger, we find the sgnet mentioned;
so that in all probability the inventor of the fash
ion OF wearing them, who Plmy tells us is un-
known, may have been that primal artifcer in
brass and iron, old Tuba Cain himself.
The sgnet rings worn by the Israelites and
other Eastern nations, appears to have borne in
scriptions and devices Ike our own for in the
description of the breast plate of the high priest
it is distinctly stated that the twelve precious
stones with which it was set were inscribed with
the names of the children of Israel, " like the
engrdUingS of signet, every one with his name
according to the twelve tribes"
Very tragic in Scripture are the occasions on
which we usually find the signet referred to; Je-
zebel seals the warrant for the death of Naboth
with her husbands the kings and the decree
and policy of Esther prevented, was sealed with
the ring of Ahasuerus
From an expression Of the prophet Jeremiah
we find that the Jews wore their signets on the
right hand; and the Importance in which they
were held, may be gathered from the same pas
sage. Jeremiah xii, 24.)
But besides the Hebrews and Egyptians, the
Babylonians, Chaldeans and Persans are known
at very early period to have made use Of the
signet The dispatches which Alexander sent
into Europe he sealed laccording 10 Quntus
Curtus) with his own ring, but those which he
wrote into Asia bore the signet Of Darius.
Pliny imagines, from their not having been
meptioned by Homer, that the Greeks were ig-
norant Of the use of the ring, until the time Of
| tuS lINIull wal ulNCl HIlCh PSIlOu luSJ WIZ
them, as English wives do, on the third finger
Of the left hand, and give the same reason, name
ly, that this finger communicates by small
nerve with the heart, which was presumed by
sympathy to act upon it, and prevent the hant
lending itself to any dshonorable action.
From the Greeks the Sabines are supposed tC
LDu La,.o,uol tba pf ri re
which they did as early as the lime of Romuus
but long period seems to have elapsed before
the Romans adopted them, and no traces of thei
official use as an Opendage to the statutes o
their kings, is to be found before the reigns o
Numa and Servius Tullius.
Pliny, who has left US much interesting infor
nation on this subject, tells US that the ancien
t Romans made use of gold, silver and iron ring
as distinguishing marks of the condition orqual
ity of the wearers and that all were original
worn on the little finger.
Murus, in his third Consulate $3.50 fthe Re
man year,) is said to lave been the first wh
wore golden ring. And we also learn that nc
= even a senator was allowed to wear this precou
crclet, unless he had been ambassador at a fol
d eign court, nor could he then IF given him
| pubc except upon public occasions.
Subsequently the gold ring became the badg
" a knight but in the progress of time thes
" primitive Distinctions which limited the peop
1t to the wearing silver ones, and bound the slave
nnger with iron, became lost, and we find tn
=, gold annulus of the patrlcian grdling the broo
fingers of the pebs, and even granted by Sc
, erus as a privilege of the common soldiers NJ
: could the edict issued by Nero, iofbidding the
use, recall them afterwards to their several 0
r ders.
" Originally only one ring had been worn, b
as the love of ornament grew stronger the r
Ut man beaux adorned each finger with them, al
: shortly extended this display to one on eve
III Joint. Then it became the fashion to wear Sc
y al and Aristolhanes tells US that their loppe
grew to such pitch that they had their week
'' rings while Juvenal, in his Sajres," me
tious rings for summer and winter but the E
deuor Hellogabalus went farther, for he ne'
chose 10 wear the same ring twice.
''0 When, however, it became the mode to ado
them with precious stones, the fashion OF we
!" ing rings on either hand, and every finger "
abandoned and no Pelham of the period wo'
io have adventnrcd to defy tie ordonnance of ia
."' ion which limited the display of them to the
~ hand.
lot Some ancient Roman finger rings may
'"0 seen in the bronze room Of Greek aud Ron
Antiquities in the British Museum. And in
ny Egyptian Gallery ot the same institution
O' very interesting one Of Gold, Of the PtoIcm
10 or Roman period, With fgures of the detics S
apis, Isis and Ilolus. Here are also seve
'"- signels set with umulets or scarab@i (he sac
beete,) and others bearing he prenomen Of I
10 times III. and Rumeses VII. or TX. with j
ones of the Greek period.
The barrows Of our Saxon forofathers,
ln- the mummy caseG of the East, have kept stral
ric record for the living, of the manners aud custC
wn of the dead, and afford indubitable proof of
of early use of this trinket in the British islar
L;s 'Vha onans toll us that the perOd of their