The Washington herald., 1909-06-27
D. RupoLPH DE- zAPP.

them man and wife.
From earliest times rings have been
intimately associated with some OF the
most important OF human concerns, and
have been found also. IN the strangest
places-as. amid the ruins OF Egyptian
ThebeS. within the silent halls Of the
pyramids. lurking in gloomy centers OF
old Erruscan life. beneath the ashes OF
buried cities. In ancient tumuM on the
sites of battlenelds OF long ago, and in
catacombs. whittier Christian converts
betook themselves for refuge from their
! prosecutors
! IN England rings have been worn BY
the different races which have. 81 sue
cession. inhabitated f. OF our earliest
ancestors We have the testimony OF
julius Caesar that they wore dark rings.
which be mistook FOR the currency Of the
realm: but among the Anglo-Saxons
rings were frequently Of gold. and IN
l Ireland, which bossted a higher clviliza-
ton al an earlier period than the sister
kingdom. the workmanship was skilled
and tasteful
The fact that FISH greedily swallow any
glittering object has been taken advant-
age OF By writers. WHO seem never weary
OF relating the discovery Of missing
gems. in the very nick OF time. in the
stomach Of a salmon or a mackereL Thus
the arms Of Glasgow exhibit a fsh hold
ing a ring IN its mouth. alluding 70 an
/ incident IN the life Of ST. Keutisern. pa
| irons OF the see. The Queen. his penitent.
/ having formed an attachment 10 a sol
der. gave him a ring which she had re-
ceived from her husband, and the King,
discovering the Lothario asleep one day
on the banks Of Clyde. removed the gem
from his finger and threw il into the
water. By-and-by his majesty demanded
a sight OF his old love-gift. and the
queen. unable 10 comply with his request.
confessed everything. with many prom
ises Of amendment. 70 St kenugern, who
went 70 the river. caught a salmon. out
OF whose stomach he took the missing
ring. and thereby re-esJablish the in
terrupted current Of domestic felicity.
The investiture Of English monarchs
with the ring Is an important part OF the
coronation ceremony. Queen Elizabeth
, always wore the ring wherewith she was
thus welded 70 her kingdom. and II was
necessary 70 file Il or her hnger shortly
before her decease-CardinaI York. the
last OF the direct Stusrtyiine. left as a
legacy 10 the Prince Of Wales. afJerward
George ". the ring worn BY the kings OF
Scotland on the day Of their coronation
This was the ring which was sent by
Mary Queen OF Scots al her death. 10
James 7, through whom Il came into the
possession OF Charles land on his exc
? cution was transmitted BY Bishop Juxon
20 his son and used AZ his coronation
When James II was detained by fisher
men al Sheerness. on the occasion OF his
hrst attempt 70 escape in loss. he con-
cealed this ring about BIS person, and II
was only by & fortunate accident that II
escaped the rough and rigorous search
> 70 which he was then subjected.
/ From medieval times a rms. formerly
worn on the forefnger OF the right hand,
but now always on the ringfnger. has
been the symbol Of investitUre with the
episcopal ONCE. as indicative Of a mysti-
cal union between the prelate and his
diocese. Sapphire, as possessing the sup
posed property OF checking evil thoughts.
was deemed best fitted 20 be worn by
those who were vowed 20 perpetual chss-
tity. and. In addition, the violet color
OF the gem harmcniZed. not unbefJtingly
with the hue OF the Episcopal invest
ments- such rings were often inferred
with the Prelates 20 whom IN life they be-
lOnged. and have been discovered in their
tombs. as in the case Of Cardinal Henry
de Blois "a D u2g az Winchester,
Archbishop SeWan G256 and Greenfield
dS10 at York. and Bishop Stsnoury
Cl4F1 81 Hereford. Sometimes the burial
places OF eCciesiastiCs have been ri1ed
in search OF such treasures. and q large
ring OF bronze set with amethyst. was
thus taken from the tomb OF Pope Boni-
face during the popular insurrecriOn az
Rome in 1Ss9. A large ring. not unlike
an Episcopal ring. was occasionally
worn BY layuen. especially by such OF
the middle classes as had attained high
municipal position. To such a ring Fal-
stat refers when speaking Of his youth
fuI slenderness. ne says 7 was not an
eagles talon In the waist, could have
crept into any aldermsn's thumb ring
On the death OF every ponuh. the
/ fisherman ring" the signet OF steel
which is In the keeping OF the cardinal
/ chamberlain is broken with a golden
hammer. a new one being made for each
pope. TO whom, with much ceremony, II
IS presented after his conservation
Special interest attaches 10 the gold
ring which the DOEe OF Venice was ac-
customed. on Ascension Day. 20 throw
from his gilded galley into the sea. ana
so 70 marry. as II were. The Adriatic IN
: token OF the maritime power Of Venice.
services rendered 20 the heirs Of St
Peter. that Pope Alexander III thus sur
rendered the Adriatic 70 the embraces OF
7 the Venetian Doges- AS the bridegroom
drew from his finger the glittering gem,
which he cast into the sunlit bosom Of q
sea OF blue. he pronounced the words
we espouse thee. o Sea. IL token Of real
and perpetual dominion" When the
council Of the ten demanded OF the Doge
l Foscsrf The resignation OF the Ducal
ring which he had worn so long and
venerably' he laid aside his bonnet and
l robes. and surrendering the ring. cried
aloud: There's the Ducal ring. and there
the Ducal diadem, and so the Adriatic' S
free 20 wed another"
Among the more interesting historical
D rings which have come down to Us may
be noticed the signet OF Mary Queen Of
, Scots. now preserved in the British mu-
7 scum. bearing a monogram formed Of the
letters NJ and A. Darnley having been
created Duke OF Albany. Every one re-
! members the story OF the ring intrusted
BY Essex 10 the Countess OF Noting
ham for delivery TO Queen Elizabeth.
E The ring contains a fne sardonyX with
an exqUisitely engraved bust of the maid
en- queen. and was handed down in un-
broken succession TO Lord John Thyme,
5 who was descended from Essex's daugh-
5 ter. Lady Frances Devereux-
In the Strawberry Hill collection was one
2 Of seven mourning rings given az the burial
OF Charles l. Behind t.csth's head is
the Kings head IN miniature with the
l motto, Prepared 10 follow me A ring.
bearing the initials W s., supposed 70 be
Shakespeare's signet Of gold, was found