Science, Art, And The Drama.

Science , Art , and the Drama .

POSY RINGS .

"VVhen posies inside wedding rings were first introduced does not seem to be known . Time has covered that , as he does so many things , with the mossesof oblivionl ; but we know , that from the i 6 thuntil the middle of theiSth century , it was customary to have them engraved on rings . These posies , or mottoes , are seldom to be found with more than two lines of verse , and often with only one , but there are a few instances known where three lines

are used . Some of these posies are very quaint and curious , and a few reach a high standard of poetic beauty . ln 1642 , a small collection of rhymes was published , with the following quaint title : " Love's Garland , * or Posies for Rings , Handkerchiefs , and Gloves , and such pretty Tokens that Lovers send their Loves . " It contains some that are not to be met with elsewhere , and is a very interesting work , though but few people seem

to have heard of it . The South Kensington Museum has a good collection of posy rings , and amongst them we find the following : " United hearts , death only parts ; " " Let us share in joy and care ; " " Love and live happily- " There is a story to the effect that Dr . John Thomas who was Bishop of Lincoln in 1753 , caused to be inscribed inside his fourth wife ' s wedding ring : " If I survive , I'll make them five . " If this be true and

not the fable it appears , we can only judge that the lady who wore the ring meant to outlive her spouse . How the story arose is not known , but most likely it is all imagination , for we lind the same thing said , about Lady Cathcart and her fourth husband in 1713 . Many posies are in Latin and some few in French ; but the majority of them are in English . A writer in ' Notes and Queries , " in 1 S 56 , mentions a heavy gold ring that had

engraved inside it a piece of advice useful , not only in the married state , but throughout life generally , " Beare and Forbeare . " The following motto mig ht be either on a wedding ring or inscribed inside one given to a friend , for these posy rings were by no means exclusively used for the former : " Thy friend am I and so will dye . " It was a usual thing at this time to give a ring with a motto on it to a friend whom you greatly

valued . To men it generally took the form of a seal ring ; but if to a woman a simple gold ring , or one set with stones , was more usually presented . A very beautiful posy is " A friend to one , as like to none" ( other)—and , perhaps , could only be intended for a wedding ring ; it seems as though it were meant to show that in marriage there should be true friendship , whatever else besides , a truth that is very often forgotten ;

but those who had it engraved on a wedding ring must have fully realised it . Our ancestors , in the days when posy rings flourished , held different views of marriage from ours , and no doubt they would be much astonished could they see " Marriage ;\ la Mode" as at the present time . They seemed to have viewed it from two standpoints—one , that it was an affair of business , to be arranged by parents and guardians solely , as is now the

French custom ; the other , that it should be by the mutual wish of the parties concerned . In the arranged marriages parents who were sincerely anxious for the happiness of their children were not entirely actuated by questions of wealth or rank , though no doubt these were duly considered ; but the character , disposition , and temper of the prospective bride and bridegroom were carefully inquired about before any definite overtures took

place ; and even where all things were satisfactory , if the principals expressed a strong dislike to the proposed union , it was usually allowed to break off negotiations . In the cases of marriages of mutual affection thc young couple were expected to have had a sufficiently long acquaintanceship with each other to have been able to form , if they were endowed with common sense at all , at anyrate , some slight idea , as to the tastes , habits ,

and feelings of each other . That people could be found with 30 hitle common sense as to engage or betroth themselves , after having only known each other a fortnight or three weeks , would have seemed to our ancestors the very climax of folly . Yet in the present day it is no uncommon thing to find persons entering upon an engagement for what—view it in whatever light one will—is the most serious event of life , with less consideration and

forethought than it is wise to give to the ordinary affairs of life . How can such marriages turn' out well ? Returning to our subject after this digression we may mention that some ring posies have symbols in the place of words , as in the following : "As God hath made my choice in thee , so move thy heart to comfort me . " The word heart- here is represented by a tiny heart engraved in the gold . The same thing occurs 011 a wedding ring of the 16 th or 17 th century ; the heart in this case is rudely cut * . " Noe

( heart ) more true than mine to you . " I . O . U . has for so long had only one meaning attached to it that it seems strange to find it , on a 17 th century ring , in any other capacity : " The love is true that I . O . U . " Surely the Monmouthshire man , who caused his wife's wedding ring to be inscribed " If Ihce dosn ' t work , thee shashn ' t eat , " was determined that there should be no mistake in what he required in a wife ; the only wonder is how any

woman could be induced to marry him with such a threat before her eyes . The exact date of this ring is not known , but it is previous to the iSth century . One of the most beautiful of all ring mottoes is to be found in a list of posies given in " The Mysteires of Love and Eloquence" ( London , I ( J 5 H ) , " More faithful than fortunate . " Ic has evidently been the gift of one whose love had been reiected . In the same list is " A heart content

cannot repent . It is again becoming fashionable to have wedding rings with posies , and no doubt the fact that the Duchess of York had one engraved upon hers will do much to revive the old custom .

Painters In The Reign Of Elizabeth.

PAINTERS IN THE REIGN OF ELIZABETH .

( Continued . ) Lucas de Heerc returned to Ghent , where he drew the Count dc Vaken , th u "^ ant * tl , e'riester i and painted two or three churches ; in St . Peter ' s , the shutters of an altar piece , in which he represented the Lord ' s supper , 'nuch admiied for the draperies of the apostles . In St . John ' s Church he Painted an altar-piece of the Resurrection , and on the doors of it Christ and disci ples at Emmaus . and His aonarition in the carden . Lucas was lot

¦ only a painter , bur . a P ' ,, wrote lhe " Orchard of Poesie , " now ad a 'L ? nslated * from the French of Marot , the " Temple of Cupid " Ca ! ° v p ' eces ' *^ ^ ad begun the lives of the Flemish painters in verse , lea ermander , his scholar , who has given the lives of those masters , thef many ane , cdotes of our English painters from Lucas . At what time jj ere a ! 'f . r arr 'v ed in England is not certain , nor were his works at all known till the indefatigable industry of Mr . Virtue discovered several of

Painters In The Reign Of Elizabeth.

them . We will mention some of the most remarkable . A portrait of Henry , Lord Maltravers , eldest son of Henry Fitzalan , Earl of Arundel , dated 1537 , the year before the accession of Queen Elizabeth ; but as this young lord died at Brussels , in 155 C , aged 19 , it is probable that De Heere drew his picture there and that very acquaintance might have been a recommendation of Lucas to England . Another well-known picture contains the

portraits of Frances , Duchess of Suffolk , mother of Lady Jane Grey , and her second husband , Adrian Stoke . Their ages , and De Heere's mark , He , are on the picture , which is in perfect preservation , the colouring of the heads clear , and with great nature , and the draperies , which are black , with furs and jewels , highly finished and round , though the manner of the whole is a little stiff . This picture was in the collection of Lord Oxford . There

is a tradition , that when this great lady made her second match , with . young fellow who was only master of her horse , Queen Elkabeth said , "What ! has she married her horsekeeper ? " "Yes , madame , " replied my Lord Burleigh , * ' and she says your Majesty would like to do so too . " Leicester then was Master of the horse to the Queen . The date on this picture is 1559 . Another picture of Lucas DeTfeere , is that representing

Lord Darnley , husband of Mary Queen of Scots , and his brother , Charles Stuart , a boy , afterwards father of the Lady Arabella . There is one , as large as life , in the room going to the King ' s closet , at St . James ' s Palace , another small replica , neatly finished , in the private apartments , b ; low stairs , at Hampton Court , dated 1561 ) . Another very remarkable picture is that

of Oueen Elizabeth , richly dressed , with her crown , sceptre , and globe , She is coming out of a palace with two female attendants . Juno , Venus , and Minerva , seem flying before her ; Juno drops her sceptre , and Venus her robes ; Cupid flings away his bow and arrows , and clings to his mother . On the old frame remain these lines , in a style of fulsome flattery , probably written by the artist himself , who , we have seen , dabbled in poetry : "Juno potens sceptris , et mentis acumine Pallas , Et roseo Veneris fulget in ore decor ; Adfuit Elizabeth ; Juno perculsa refugit , Obstupuit Pallas , erubuitque Venus . " ( To be continued . )

The Palace Theatre.

THE PALACE THEATRE .

We recently visited the Palace Theatre , being attracted by its strong programme . We had an interview with the popular enterprising manager , Mr . Chas . Morton , who courteously entered into a pleasant chat with us . We were pleased to see that he evidently bore well his advanced age . The overture to " Mignon , " by Alfred Thomas , a French composer , was first given , it has many light pleasing melodies in the

French style . The International Comedy Company , consisting of four persons , gave an amusing knock-about performance . Then we had the Alfonso Trio of Eccentric Jugglers , followed by Miss Rose Dearing , the comedienne , who was heartily welcomed by the audience , with whom she is , deservedly , a great favourite . Messrs . Alexander and Hughes , musical comedians , did not only many possible , but seemingly impossiblethings

, upon a variety of instruments , giving rise to much amusing fooling . There were many other turns on much the same lines , Fred Niblo , American humorist ; Les Milanis , eccentric comedians ; a bright pleasing vocalist , Miss Jessie Kosminski ; Smith and Cook , comedians ; Miss Frances Earle , comedienne ; A . D . Robbins , American trick bicyclist . He did some

extraordinary out of the way things with his cycle , which gained him much applause , but the great feature of the evening ' s entertainment seemed to be centred in Ephn . Thompson ' s trained elephants , which appeared to be amenable to discipline , and well under control . The American Biograph consisted of a number of animated photographs of interesting home and foreign incidents .

General Notes.

GENERAL NOTES .

Since thc interment of Lady Palmerston , only two ladies have been buried in Westminster Abbey , Lady Augustus Stanley and Louisa Duchess of Northumberland , the family vault of the Percies being in the chapel of St . Nicholas . The burial of Mrs . Gladstone in the Abbey recalls the fact that it was in similar circumstances that Lady Palmerston was laid

to rest within the historic walls . Lord Palmerston , who died in 1 S 65 , had always expressed the wish to be buried at Roimey , where his wife might also rest , and when the Queen overcame Lady Palmerston ' s hesitation in the matter , she gave the requisite assurance to the wife of the distinguished statesman—an assurance repeated in the case of Mr . and Mrs . Gladstone .

Every Anarchist and foreign suspect in London is kept under observation , and if hc displays symptoms of having business in hand , he is closely followed up . Both the Queen and the Prince of Wales have their especial police . Inspector Winkler , who lately died , had for many years guarded the Prince of Wales . He was a great linguist , and until recently used to go abroad with the Prince .

The influential and personal interest that the Prince of Wales takes in the stage has done much to increase the popularity of the theatre . His Royal Highness does not hesitate to express hi ; disapproi / al , a > well as his approval , at the entertainments to which he gives his patronage . He is very outspoken , asfirm , generally , in his condemnation as he is generous in his praise . Mr . Sutherl and Edwards , in his new and interesting book of

reminiscences , tells a capital story of the Prince , that redounds as much to the credit of the critic as to the manager . When Sir Augustus ( then Mr . ) Harris brought out the " Meistcrsingers , " at the Opera I louse , the Prince of Wales went to him 011 the stage , and said , " Mr . Harris , what could make you produce this work ? " "I felt it would be weak on my part , " said Harris ,, repeating the conversation to Edwards , " simply to sav that I

was sorry it did not please the Prince , " and I replied boldly , " because your Royal Highness it isa masterpiece . " " Nothing of the kind , " replied the Prince , turning upo . i his heel . " Some nights afterwards , the Prince , " continued Harris , " came to me on the stage again . " "Mr . Hirris , " he said , " you are quite right . Tne ' Meistersingers' is a fine work . I like it more and more every time I hear it . "

A gentleman in Vienna has discovered several valuable violins by Guanerius and Amati , in the lumber room of a mansion , which he is about to rebuild . They are supposed to have been used by members of a private orchestra , kept by the great-graudfatlier of the discoverer .