Magnus (1193–1280), Count of Bollstädt, and Bishop of Ratisbon,
affirmed that he had seen a sapphire set in a ring remove impurities
from the eyes. He had also witnessed the curative effects of the stone
when applied to carbuncles, and declares the common belief that after
operating such a cure a sapphire would lose its virtue, to be entirely
false.[556] As the name carbuncle (or _anthrax_ as Albertus puts
it) was given both to a boil and to ruby or garnet, we have here an
instance among many of the cures by antipathy, the blue stone curing a
red, inflamed tumor.
Should we need proof that in the Middle Ages rings were believed to
have remedial powers, this is offered by a passage in the statutes
of the Hôtel Dieu of Troyes, dated in 1263. Here it is decreed that
the nuns should not be permitted to wear rings set with precious
stones, _except in case of illness_.[557] Probably in this event
the appropriate stone was selected by those versed in this branch of
knowledge, after they had determined, as well as they were able, the
real nature of the disease.
If the owner of a garnet ring who was not an expert in precious
stones wished to assure himself of the genuineness of his garnet, the
following rather troublesome experiment was at his disposal. He was to
disrobe, still wearing his ring, and then to have his body smeared with
honey. This done, he was to lie down where flies or wasps were about.
If in spite of the sweet temptation they failed to light on his body,
this was a proof that the garnet was genuine, an added proof being that
when he took off the garnet ring the insects would hasten to make up
for lost time and suck up the honey.[558]
Jacinth as a ring-setting was said to preserve a traveller from all
perils on his journey and to make him well received everywhere.
Another merit was that he was protected against plague and pestilence,
and would enjoy good sleep.[559] Certainly if this were true, the
traveller could ask for no better amulet to bear about with him on his
trip.
A toadstone set in an open ring, so that the stone could touch the
skin, was thought to give notice of the presence of poison by producing
a sensation of heat in the skin at the point of contact. A ring made
out of narwhal tusk was believed to be an effective antidote to
poisons. Apart from these materials, several precious or semi-precious
stones, such as emeralds, agates, and also amber and coral, were
assumed to be especially sensitive to the approach of poison, so
much so that when worn suspended from the neck or set in rings, they
would lose their natural color, thus giving timely warning to their
wearers.[560]
The earliest notices of cramp rings are from entries made in the reign
of Edward II (1307–1327), recording the Good Friday gifts of coins by
the sovereign to the altar, the metal of which, or else an equivalent
quantity of metal, was to be made up into rings. Although no cramp
ring has been preserved--at least none concerning which there is any
good evidence--it has been considered probable that it was a simple
gold hoop. Its curative power was not connected with any image or
inscription, but solely due to the magic effect of the royal blessing.
Some old wills contain bequests of cramp rings, or what we may assume
to have been such rings. Thus John Baret of Bury St. Edmunds, in his
will dated in 1463, left a “rowund ryng of the Kynges silver,” that is
of the silver coins of the royal offering; another bequest in the same
will is that of a “crampe ryng with blak innamel, and a part of silver
and gilt.” A few years later, in the reign of Henry VIII, Edmund Zee
wills to his niece a “gold ryng with a turkes (turquoise) and a crampe
ryng of gold.”[561]
At his coronation, Edward II of England offered at the high altar of
Westminster Abbey a pound weight of gold, fashioned with “the likeness
of a king holding a ring in his hand, to this was added a golden image
weighing eight ounces (⅔ pound), representing a pilgrim stretching
forth his hand to take the proffered ring.” The offering of a pound of
gold has persisted down to modern times, although the later offerings
have been in the form of plain ingots, while in medieval times the
sovereign would have it formed into the saintly figure or figures to
which he paid particular devotion, as Edward II did to St. Edward the
Confessor.[562]
[Illustration: Massive gold ring engraved with the Wounds of
Christ. A healing talisman; English; Fifteenth Century. Found at
Coventry, 1802
British Museum]
[Illustration: Edward the Confessor bestowing his ring upon
the beggar. From a tile in the Chapter House at Westminster.
Thirteenth Century
British Museum]
[Illustration: The sapphire as an eye-stone. The woman points to
her eye, which the physician is about to relieve by applying a
sapphire ring
Johannis de Cuba, “Ortus Sanitatis,” [Strassburg, 1483], De
lapidibus, cap. cix]
[Illustration: Curious test of the genuineness of a garnet set
in a ring. Should the stone not be an imitation, flies and wasps
will not alight on the wearer’s body, even though it be smeared
with oil
Johannis de Cuba, “Ortus Sanitatis,” [Strassburg, 1483], De
lapidibus, cap. lx]
[Illustration: Jeweller offering rings
Johannis de Cuba, “Ortus Sanitatis,” [Strassburg, 1483], De
lapidibus, cap. lxv]
These so-called “cramp-rings,” long regarded in England as specifics
for the cure of cramps and convulsions, and even of epileptic attacks,
owed their virtue, as has been stated, to the royal blessing. Polydore
Vergil, writing in 1534, in the reign of Henry VIII, asserts that the
original cramp-ring was brought to Edward the Confessor shortly before
his death by some persons who came from Jerusalem. This very ring had
been given by Edward, many years before, to a beggar, who had craved
alms of the King for the love he bore St. John the Evangelist. The
historian appears to regard the return of the ring as a warning to the
King of his approaching death. When Edward was interred in Westminster,
this ring was placed in that church,[563] and it became an object of
great veneration there, for it cured those suffering from paralysis or
epilepsy, if they touched it. From this time, says Polydore Vergil,
the kings of England adopted the practice of consecrating, on Good
Friday, similar rings, which received the name of “cramp-rings” from
their special efficacy.[564] Confirmation of the exercise of this rite
of consecration by Henry VIII after the establishment of the English
Church is given by Andrew Borde, who writes in 1542 as follows: “The
Kynges of Englande doth halowe every yere Crampe rynges the whyche
rynges, worne on ones fynger, dothe helpe them the whyche hath the
Crampe.”[565]
Cramp rings appear to have been consecrated by Henry VIII both before
and after his breach with the Roman Church, for in 1529 Anne Boleyn
wrote to Bishop Gardiner, then in Rome, that she was sending him cramp
rings for himself and certain of his friends.[566] After the death
of Henry, Bishop Gardiner wrote to Ridley that he trusted the young
king (Edward VI) would not neglect to continue the usage. However,
as we have no information that such rings were consecrated during
Edward’s reign (1547–1553), it seems probable that the practice was
discontinued.[567] In the early part of Mary’s reign (1553–1558), a
special Latin service for the consecration of cramp rings was drawn up,
some extracts from which are here translated:[568]
The rings lying in one basin or more, this prayer is to be said
over them: “O God, the creator of all celestial and terrestrial
creations, the restorer of the human race, and the bestower of all
blessings, send Thy Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, from heaven upon
these rings made by the hand of man, and deign to so purify them
by Thy power, that all the corruption of the envious and venomous
serpent being expelled, the metal created by Thee in Thy goodness
may remain untainted by all the stains of the enemy. Through
Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
Benediction: O God, who in every disease hast always shown
miracles of Thy power, and who hast willed that rings should
be a pledge of faith for Judah, a priestly ornament for Aaron,
a symbol of a faithful custodian for Darius, and a remedy for
various diseases in this reign, graciously vouchsafe to sanctify
+ and to bless + these rings; that all who wear them may be
protected from the wiles of Satan and armed with the virtue of a
celestial guardianship; and that they shall neither be menaced
by convulsions nor by danger of epilepsy, but shall find by Thy
succor, alleviation of all manner of diseases. In the name of the
Father +, of the Son +, and of the Holy Spirit +. Amen.
A manuscript owned by the late Cardinal Wiseman described the
ceremonies of the service under this heading: “Certain prayers to be
used by the Quene’s Heighnes in the Consecration of the Cramp-rynges.”
There is also an illuminated design showing Queen Mary as she knelt at
the ceremony, a dish filled with the rings being set on either side
of her. King Philip was also present to take part in the ceremonial,
although the Queen’s share in the consecration must have been regarded
as the principal one; still Philip’s fervent devotion to the church
ritual found expression here as elsewhere, for on entering the chapel
he is said to have crept on his knees along a carpet extending from
the entrance to the place where the rings were to be blessed. Here
a crucifix had been placed on a cushion, and the King, still in a
kneeling attitude, bestowed his royal blessing on the rings. This
intensely devout approach to them was then repeated by Queen Mary and
the ladies who attended her to the chapel.[569]
A talismanic ring especially valuable for a physician is described by
Konrad von Megenberg. This is to be of silver and set with a stone
bearing the figure of a man with a bundle of herbs hanging from his
neck. The wearer is given the power to diagnose diseases, and he will
be able to stanch any hemorrhage, however severe, if he only touch the
affected part with the stone. As a natural result, we learn that the
physician will gain both reputation and honors, and it is related that
Galen, the great Roman medical authority, wore such a ring.[570]
In the “Gesta Romanorum” is a story of a ring endowed with great
remedial powers:
A certain king had three sons and one precious stone. When the
hour of his death had come, he reflected that his sons would
dispute for the possession of the stone. Now he loved one of his
three sons better than the others, wherefore he caused three
similar rings to be made and two glass imitations resembling
the precious stone; he then had the three stones set in their
respective rings. Lest his plan should fail, the father called his
three sons to him, and gave to each the ring destined for him,
giving the best one to the son he most loved. After the father’s
death each of the sons declared that he had the ring with the
precious stone. Hearing this, a sage said: “Let us make a test,
for that ring which can cure disease is the most precious.” The
test was made, and two of the rings had no effect, but that with
the precious stone cured the disease; whence it became manifest
which of the sons had been best loved by his father.[571]
It was this mediæval tale that suggested to the German dramatic poet
and critic, Lessing, the celebrated parable of the three rings, which
he puts into the mouth of Nathan the Sage,[572] in answer to Saladin’s
question as to whether the true religion was Judaism, Christianity
or Mohammedanism. Nathan likens them to the three rings given by the
father to his sons, the secret as to which was the genuine magic ring
being hidden from them. Pursuing the parable, he makes the sons, after
the father’s death, bring their dispute before a court of justice.
The judge having heard the testimony, at first declares that it is
impossible for him to determine which of the rings is the genuine one;
then, after a moment’s thought, he recalls the statement that the
hearts of all will be drawn toward him who has it, and asks which of
the brothers is most loved by the other two. They are honest enough to
confess in turn that each loves himself the best. Thereupon the judge
adjourns the case for a few thousand years, during which the race that
has shown the greatest virtues will become the favored one, and thus
prove that its ring was the true one.
Mediæval superstition did not shrink from the belief that some
magicians had such power over the spirits of evil that they could force
a demon to take up his abiding-place in a ring, and rings of this kind
were thought to be powerful medical amulets. In classic times also
medicine-rings were known and used, one having been given by Augustus
to his son-in-law Agrippa.[573]
It was not uncommon in the Middle Ages for a pharmacist to make an
impression from a signet upon his prescription as a guarantee that it
had been prepared by a trustworthy person. A fine specimen of this
type of ring is one that belonged to a certain Donobertus.[574] It was
found at St. Chamant, dept. Corrèze, in 1867. The material is gold and
the ring was set with an antique carnelian around which is engraved
on the gold bezel a circular inscription signifying “Donobertus has
made this medicine.” The supposition is that, as in so many cases, the
functions of the physician and pharmacist were here exercised by the
same person.[575]
At the trial of Jeanne d’Arc, her judges questioned her closely
regarding certain magic rings she was asserted to have worn. From
the tenor of the questions we can infer that Jeanne was accused of
having used the rings for the cure of diseases and also that they were
believed to have been set with charmed stones.
Interrogated as to whether she had any rings, Jeanne replied: “You
have one of mine; give it back to me.” She added that the Burgundians
had taken away another, and requested that if the judges had the
firstmentioned ring in their possession they should show it to
her. When questioned as to who had given her the ring taken by the
Burgundians, Jeanne answered that she had received it in Domremy,
either from her father or her mother, and that she believed it was
inscribed with the names “Jhesus Maria.” She did not know who had made
the inscription and did not believe there was any stone in the ring.
She strenuously denied ever having cured anyone by means of her rings.
It is characteristic of the simple straightforward way in which Jeanne
refuted the accusation of witchcraft that she charged her judges to
give to the church the ring in their possession.[576]
In 1802 there was found in Coventry Park an ancient gold ring, weighing
1 oz., 13 dwts., 8 grains, and bearing a number of religious designs.
In the central division was depicted Christ rising from the tomb, the
hammer, ladder, sponge and other emblems of the Passion being shown
in the background. In two compartments on either side were graven the
five wounds, with the following Old English legends: “the well of
everlasting lyffe,” “the well of confort,” “the well of gracy,” “the
well of pity,” “the well of merci.” Still existent traces evidenced
that black enamel had been used in the figure of Christ, and red
enamel to picture the wounds and the drops of blood. Inside the hoop
ran the following legend: “Vulnera quinq. dei sunt medicina mei, pia
crux et passio xpi sunt medicina mihi. Jaspar, Melchior, Baltasar,
ananyzapta tetragrammaton.” The whole signifying that the wounds and
Passion of Christ were to serve as remedial agents for the wearer, the
healing virtue of the ring being strengthened by the names of the Three
Kings, by an enigmatic Gnostic epithet, and by the tetragrammaton,
or the four Hebrew letters forming the Ineffable Name. A series of
sixteen mourning rings “of fyne Gold,” bequeathed by Sir Edmond Shaw,
Alderman of London, by his will made about 1487, were “to be graven
with the well of pitie, the well of mercie, and the well of everlasting
life.”[577]
It has been conjectured that the names of the Magi, the “Three
Kings,” Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, which nowhere appear in the
Scriptures, may have been originally titles or epithets of Mithras,
signifying respectively “White One,” “King of Light,” and “Lord of
Treasures.”[578] The invocation or inscription of these names was, in
early Christian and mediæval times, believed to have great curative
effect, more especially against epilepsy, and hence they were often
engraved on rings. A number of these may be seen in the British Museum.
Cologne Cathedral has been and still is the great centre of attraction
for all devotees of the Three Kings, for their remains are said to
have been brought there in 1162 from Milan, whither they had been
miraculously conveyed long before from Constantinople.
Medicinal rings were often used in the reign of Elizabeth, and one was
given to this queen by Lord Chancellor Hatton. Writing to Sir Thomas
Smith, under date of September 11, 158-, Hatton says: “I am likewise
bold to recommend my most humble duty to our dear mistress [Queen
Elizabeth] by this letter and ring, which hath the virtue to expell
infectious airs, and is (as it telleth me) to be worn between the sweet
duggs, the chaste nest of pure constancy. I trust, sir, when the virtue
is known, it shall not be refused for the value.”[579] This rather
coarse flattery would not offend the Virgin Queen, who habitually
indulged in very plain speaking.
A diamond ring said by a faithful courtier to have brought him health
and strength when he was at death’s door, was one sent by King James I
to Thomas Sackvil, Duke of Dorset, High Treasurer both under Elizabeth
and James. When, early in June, 1607, news was brought the king that
his Treasurer was so dangerously ill that his life was despaired of,
he sent him a rich gold ring set with twenty diamonds, five of which
were so disposed as to form a cross. With the ring James sent a special
message, expressing the hope that Sackvil would recover and might
live as long as the diamond in the ring endured. This proof of his
sovereign’s favor called the patient back to life, according to his
own narration.[580]
Convulsions and fits were believed to be cured by rings made of a
silver coin representing the value of a number of smaller pieces of
money, sixpences or even pennies, collected at the church door from
those who had just been present at a communion service. Should this
have taken place on Easter Sunday, the value and efficacy of the
talismanic ring made from the offering were much enhanced. A less
religious source for a silver ring of this kind has been reported. Five
bachelors were to contribute a sixpence apiece, and a bachelor was then
to convey the silver to a blacksmith who was also unmarried and who
was to make the ring. An absolute requisite, however, was that none
of the voluntary contributors should have the slightest idea of the
destination of his sixpence.[581]
For the cure of ulcers, Johannes Agricola advises the wearing of rings
made from solidified quicksilver, during a conjunction of the moon with
the planet Mercury; these rings were to be worn on the side opposite
to that afflicted with the ulcer.[582] This might suggest some vague
idea of the fact that the right hemisphere of the brain controls the
left side of the body, and _vice versa_, although if the effect
of the ring was to be transmitted by reflex action of the brain, the
stimulus must of course, proceed from the afflicted side. It is said
that if a remedial potion were stirred about with the ring finger, the
heart would quickly realize the presence of poison, and would thus give
warning against drinking it; the fourth finger was therefore sometimes
called the “medical finger.”[583]
The idea that the ring possessed a mystic restraining power finds
expression in the curious custom of the Bagobos of the Philippine
Islands, who encircle the wrists and ankles of the dangerously ill
with rings of brass wire, in the belief that these serve to keep the
soul from taking its flight.[584] An analogous, although apparently
contradictory impulse induces the Greek inhabitants of the island of
Scarpanto (Carpathus), near Rhodes, to take off all rings from a dead
person lest the soul should be bound to the body even after death; the
pressure of a ring on the little finger being sufficient to interfere
with the freedom of the spirit.[585] Similar beliefs obtained as to the
secret binding power of knots.
[Illustration: ASTROLABE RING, OF GOLD
Two views, closed and open
Albert Figdor Collection, Vienna]
[Illustration: PHYSICIAN’S RING OF GOLD, WITH MINUTE WATCH FOR
COUNTING THE PULSE-BEATS
Beneath the watch is the maker’s name, Kossek in Prague. The
movement is regulated by a slide at one side; the hole for the
watch key is on the lower side. Enameled leaf-work decoration.
Two views
Albert Figdor Collection, Vienna]
[Illustration:
1. WATCH RING, SET WITH DIAMONDS
2. WATCH RING, SET WITH PEARLS
Showing the dial and the movement of the balance staff Eighteenth
Century]
[Illustration: MODERN WATCH RING
Side and front views]
A ring made from the hoof of a wild ass was supposed to possess
medicinal virtue, and one made from the hoof of a rhinoceros, if
placed on the finger, was believed to cure certain nervous disorders.
A ring of rhinoceros-horn was a still more powerful remedial agent
and its wear was favored in India as an antidote for poisons and to
cure convulsions or spasms.[586] A ring made from the hoof of the elk
possessed similar virtues, and cramps in the legs would be cured if
the afflicted part were merely touched with such a ring.
As to the mode in which the elk-hoof should be used for curative rings
for epilepsy, the old authorities differed, Goclenius affirming that a
piece of the hoof should be set in a ring, while others believed that
the entire ring should be turned out of this material. The proper way
of wearing it was to place it on the fourth finger, so that it could
come in contact with the palm of the hand. The choice of the particular
hoof was also matter for debate, some favoring that of the left hind
foot and others that of the right one. Rings set with teeth of the
sea-horse were recommended by Johann Michaëles, a famous physician of
Leipsic. A ring made of pure silver, of “the moon,” as the astrologers
said, if set in a piece of elk-hoof, under the zodiacal sign of Pisces
and during a favorable conjunction of the planets, would prove a
certain cure for epilepsy and all brain diseases.[587]
The Tyrolean hunters have the same superstitious fancy as to the
talismanic power of an antelope’s tooth set in a ring as is (or was)
held in some other parts of the world regarding elks’ teeth set in
rings. Of the Tyrolean rings, four examples were disposed at the sale
in New York in 1913, of the fine collections of Mr. A. W. Drake.[588]
A gold ring specially designed for a physician’s use in counting
pulse-beats is to be seen in the collection of Dr. Albert Figdor,
Vienna. It is set with a watch, below which, on the bezel, is inscribed
the name of the watchmaker, Kossek in Prague. The aperture for the
insertion of the watch key is on the lower side, and there is a slide
for regulating the movement of the little timepiece.[589]
Among healing rings none might be thought to promise better results
than the “electric rings,” made of an amalgam of copper and some other
metal, which are sold to a considerable extent, their curative power
being supposedly derived from an electric charge, or a generation of
electricity. Whatever good effects may have been observed as a result
of the use of such rings, presumably few would be inclined to deny
that one of the active agents in the cure was the faith of the wearer,
which assuredly would fortify or supplement the beneficial effects
of electric emanations, where the mind was firmly impressed with the
conviction that a curative power existed in the ring.
CHAPTER IX
RING MAKING
The modern methods of ring manufacture in the United States are far
different from those of the past, due to an endeavor to keep pace with
the growth of the country and with an increase in production. Owing
to the introduction of modern systems, great quantities of an article
can now be sold, which, though not preserving the character of the
finest handiwork, yet cost so much less to produce that they can now be
offered at greatly reduced prices.