The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-08-06

life when he pleased, could not effect his
desires, having from his early youth &C
customed his body to antidotes: so that he
was obliged to have himself killed by a
Gaul. But what must be said of the ring
of Polycrates, king of the isle of Samos,
which had an invaluable diamond set in
it? This king, having been favored during
his whole life by fortune, was willing to
make visible trial of it, by throwing his
ring into the sea but, by very surprising
incident, he was SO fortunate as to find
the same ring in the stomach Of large
fish that was the next day served at his
table. Was this fortunate recovery due
to the princes good fortune, or the virtue
of the ring?
1t does not appear that Romulus had
introduced or authorized the use of rings
after the foundation of Rome, for we only
ind them on the figures of the statues of
Numa Pompilius, and Seryius Tullus.
II However, it may be remarked that in
Florus, even in that time, rings and brace
lets were pretty common among the Sa-
bines; for we find that the virgin Tarpeja,
one of the Nestals. being gone to draw
water for the sacrifice, betrayed one of
the gates of the capitol to Talius king of
the Sabines, and demanded as a recon-
pense the rings or bracelets the soldiers
wore on their left hands: but they, pre-
tending she had asked their bucklers,
crushed her to death between them. and
entered the city, thus acquitting them
selves OF their promise. 1t was customary
at Rome for the bridegroom to send to the
bride, before marriage, a ring OF iron,
without either stone OF coliet, to denote
how lasting their union ought to be. and
the frugality they We're to observe to-
gether. The Roman knights We're dis
tinguished from the senators by their gold
rings; and it was customary, as a mark of
honor, to present ambassadors with them
when they received orders from the senate
to 60 to foreign nations. 1t was after
wards the sign of liberty at Rome to wear
gold ring; because the freedman was
deemed person of free birth when he
received the right and privilege of the
ling, whereby he could also be admitted
to dignities, and at last take the title of
knight. In the time of the war between
Carthage and Rome, Hannibal, in token
of the signal victory lie gained over the
Roman army, which was entirely defeated
in the battle of Cannes, sent to Carthage
three bushels of rings taken off the fingers
of the Roman mobiles and knights who
We're slain on the field of battle.
Though the first inhabitants of Eng
land. ireland and Scotland, and the an
Gent Gauls were accustomed to wear
rings on the middle finger, use at last
prevailed among all nations to place them
on the finger next to the little one of the
left hand, which thence has got the name
of annulary, or ring finger, because there
is, according to the opinion of the Egyp-
tians, small nerve which proceeds from
the heart to this finger.
The diamond has been always esteemed
by the ancients the rarest stone and the
most precious of all, either for its hard
ness. its fine brilliancy, its water, its
virtues. 1t was held to be victorious over
fire. and to resist the hardest things.
The virtue attributed to this stone was
against poison, panic, terrors and en-
chantments: that it claimed anger and
fomented love between man and wife, and
was, therefore. called the stone of recon-
Citation. AS heat may tarnish the lustre
and fire of the diamond, it was held that
it ought to be taken off the finger and
laid on some marble, or in cool place
The symbol of the diamond is consistency,
fortitude, innocence, and other heroic
virtues
The carbuncle was rare and precious
stone to the ancients, yet accounts tell of
some very large and beautiful stones of
this kind. Gracas ab Horto, physician
to the Niceroy of the Indies, writes that
he himself saw carbuncles in that princes
possession, the splendor of which was so
prodigious that they seemed like so many
blazing Goals, which glowed in the dark
ness. Lewis Vertoman, Roman, relates
that the king of Pegu usually wore one of
so large a size and of SO lively and brisk
lustre that whoever looked at this king in
the darkest night saw him shine as if sur
rounded by the rays of the sun. Aelian
relates, in his ''History of Animals,
that a young stork, having been cured of
a broken thigh by a woman of Tarentum,
in gratitude for her care, let fall into her
lap a precious carbuncle, which shone in
the night like burning candle. Accord
ing to the ancients the carbuncle is OF dit
ferent kinds and sexes. Its nature is to
emit a coruscant fire, which shines the
brighter the greater the obscurity is. 1t
was also supposed to contain drops of
gold, like so many stars within. The
Chaldeans had so great veneration for
this stone that they used it in their relig-
ious ceremonies. 1t is said that the car
DuHtit Cdhupt bC SouhlSilSi1SN, ehOoSi
no doubt modern chemistry may give a
different reading to this assertion. Its
old time supposed virtues We're that it
will resist fire. will stop running at the
eyes, will divert dreams and nocturnal
illusions, and will serve as an antidote
against corrupt and pestilential air.
The ruby differs much from the car
buncle, though some place no distinction
between them. 1t is translucent and is
sometime variegated with little spots of
azure in the midst of its purple color.
The less azure it has the more noble and
beautiful it is, the variety known as pig
cons blood'' being the most rare and
priced by connoisseurs. The best rubies
are obtained in Ceylon, and the river
Pegu The virtues ascribed to the ruby
were for resisting poison, preserving from
plague, banishing sorrow, depressing lux
ury, and averting i'll thoughts. If it
changed in color, it portended impending
misfortune; but it resumed its color as
soon as they were over.
The amethyst was in great esseem for
its excellences, and therefore ranked
among the most precious stones. The best
have been derived from the East Indies,
though Germany and Bohemia have fur
nished many fine ones. Later the Unit