The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-28
ROMANCEs or ROYAL RINGS.
Mystic Power Attributed to Ornaments
worn by MOnRrchs.

Mystic Power Attributed to Ornaments
worn by MOnArchs.
King Alfonso Of Spain il the possessor OF a
ring Of strange and awesoms history. II
was presented by his predecessor and name
sake, Alfonso XII. to his consort. Queen
Mercedes. who died within a month after
ward. Ere the funeral had taken place the
King bestowed the ring on his sister. Maria,
says London Tl-Bis. and she was dead IN a
few days.
The fatal circlet then coming again into his
possession he presented il 10 his sister-in-
law, Princess Christina. who only survived
for three months. Thereupou' the King
resolved to wear the ring himself. and IN a
short time he too had passed away. Inc
Queen Regent was not disposed to run any
! risk, and she refused TO accept such a deadly
possession. Instead she had il attached to
a golden chain. which she hung o the
neck Of the statue of the Virgin Of Almudena
Of Madrid.
Spaniards believe this ring to be possessed
Of mystic powers by which unworthy
wearers Of it are slain. To a worthy SOW
ereign they claim it will assure prosperity
and a long life. and to its magic influence
they attribute the young Kings escape from
injury in the bomb explosion on his wedding
day.
He was said to nave been seen praying
TO the Virgin on the eve Of his marriage. and
further. that before leaving the cathedral he
reverently pressed the ring to his lips.
There is another and more pleasing ring
romance associated with the royal family
Of Spain. One of the proudest possessions
Of the present Kings nurse ia a gold ring in
which is set the first tooth lost by his
Majesty when a boy. The ring bears the
inscription, MY tooth. To my nurse.
Alfonso KILL
The Car Of all the Russias has a ring
which he believes it il necessary he should
always have about him. In its absence
he will not move a step from the palace,
The ring con tains what is supposed to he
a small piece of the cross on which the
Sa viour was crucifed. Thefact that when
he was assassinated Gar Nicholas's grand
father had not the precious ring with him
enormously strengthened the belief in its
protective virtues.
The German Emperor has a ring which
he wears at all times and regards as his
own peculiar talisman, though few are
aware Of the fact.
An absurd though curious history is
told Of this ring. 1t is TO the effect that in
the days of Elector John Of Brandenburg
a toad entered that worthy's room one
night and placed a small stone on the bed.
1t then disappeared, and ever since the
stone, which has no real value, has been
treasured as one OF the most precious pos
sessions Of the house of Hohenzollern
BY the ia ther of Frederick the Great it was
set in a ring. which since that time has
always adorned the finger of the head OF
the family.
Whe late Ameer Of AfRhanistan was an
other p~otentate who put faith in a ring.
He invariably wore this potent charm
against the plottings of his enemies, and
although he was more often reported dead
than any other monarch Of his day, this
ring, according to his own belief, enabled
him to live a great deal longer than ne
would nave done without II.
Napoleon l. was, II possible, more OF a
fatalist than even the impressionable Turk,
yet strange to. say he wore n couple OF
rings TO which he ascribed mysterious pow
ers. In course of tim both these rings
came into the possession OF Napoleon Ill,
who wore them constantly down to the time
Of his death. 1t was then proposed that they
should be removed from his finger, but for
some reason OF other his son, the late
Prince Imperial, refused to accept them.
The rings were therefore Inferred with
the remains at Chislehurst, though the
Princes decision did not commend luseH
to the retainers Of the deceased Emperor;
On the contrary, they strongly dissented
from it, and expressed the belief that for his
discarding of the rings he would come to an
untimely end.
IL is about twenty-seven years since the
Prince Imperial was killed by the Zulus,
soon after his arrival at the seat Of war to
fight for the country that had befriended
his parents and provided them a home.
What could be more romantic than the
history of the amous coronation ring?
According to the story it was originally
an ordinary royal ring which was bestowed
by Edward the Confessor on an aged mendi-
cant in the street, who begged aims to help
him on his journey to Jerusalem.
On the beggar's arrival in the Holy City
the story OF the ring somehow came to the
knowledge Of st. John the Divine, who
blessed the circlet and babe the wanderer
return il tn his sovereign. This he accord
ingly did through two English pilgrims who
were returning from a visit to the Holy
Land. The ring was afteISard carefully
preserved at the Confessor's shrine at West
minister, and the story was painted on glass
which was fixed in a window Of the south
aisle Of the venerable abbey.