Ancient Rings.

In Beowulf we read : — " l ? or one of wondrous gift a goldsmith's art is provided . I ? ull oft he decorates and well adorns a powerful king ' s noble , and be to him gives broad land in recompense . "

Owing to the ravages of the Danes , and tho needy Norman adventurers under William the Conquerer , whose appreciation of the line arts was overcome by their thirst of plunder , few examples of the skill of our Saxon forefathers in the precious metals have been spared to us . Amongst the examples of rings of this period may be enumerated the ring of Alhstan , Bishop of

Sherburne , A . D . 823—867 ; a massive gold signet with the name ALI-RET , or AYFRET ; and a silver ring of North Saxon make ; the bezel is ornamented with lacertine work , and which is , as far as can be ascertained , the only existing ring of the kind . Having now arrived at the eleventh century , we must diverge for a whileand consider the rings which come

, next in order , viz ., papal rings , and others . Tbe sovereign pontiff , on his promotion to the see of St . Peter , receives no ring , being already a bishop , and invested with tbe episcopal insignia . Neither does he receive a ring at his coronation . For some centuries the sovereign pontiffs have used a seal ring , styled the Ring of the Fishermanso called because it represents St .

, Peter , the prince of the Apostles , seated in a boat , and drawing a net from the waters . It has been used for the sealing of those documents called briefs apostolic , from the fifteenth century ; but prior to that time it was employed for the private letters of the popes . The earliest mention of it occurs in 1264 . "Writing to his nephew from Perugiaon the feast of Saints Perpetua aud

, Felicitas , Clement IY . says : — " Non scribimus tibi , neque familiaribus nostris sub bulla , sed sub piscatoris sigillo , quo Romani pontifices in suis secretis utuntur . " On the death , of every pope it is broken and a new one made . The Ring of the Fisherman is never worn by the

pope . That used by the Sovereign Pontiff Pius IX . is of plain gold , rudely executed , and weighing one ounce and a half ; it is always in the keeping of the Magister ab Admissionibus , or Lord Chamberlain ; whilst a small stamping die is used in its stead by the Secretary of the Briefs . The use of the large brass rings with papal arms and emblems , of which several are in the collection ,

remains a mystery . The earliest one of which the writer knows , is that of Gregory XL ( 1370—1378 ); the latest , that of Julius II . ( 1503—1513 ) . Many exist with the names and arms of the same Pope ; thus , I know of eight of Pius II . ( Piccolomini , 1458—1464 . ) Various conjectures have been made as to their use , that they were given by way of credentials ; that they were given

by the Holy See when erecting a fief ; that they were used for the statue of St . Peter , in the Basilica of St . Peter's at Rome ; but in the absence of more certain data , the writer ' s opinion is that they were used to contain filings of the chains of St . Peter , and sent as presents by the holy father . This practice of enclosing filings of St . Peter ' s chains in rings was in as early as the

vogue eighth century . Cardinals on being raised to their high estate are invested with a ring in the public consistory by the sovereign pontiff . It is unknown when the ring was first given to them , but in the twelfth century it is spoken of as being then an old custom : cardinals' rings are always set with a sapphire . The ring is one of the earliest of

the episcopal insignia , and its primitive form and use was a signet . Until the introduction of large official seals , the ring of the bishop was his signet ; and of this we have abundant proof in charters of the sixth , seventh , eighth , and ninth centuries , cited by Mabillon and others . The device engraved on the rings seems to have been

selected at the pleasure of the wearer . St . Augustine had on his ring the head of a man in profile . Sometimes the ring of the bishop was called the " Annulus Ecclesias . " Finally , in 1194 , Innocent III . oi-daiued that the bishop ' s ring should be henceforth of solid and pure gold , and set with a gem , on which nothing should be engraved . If bishops were deposed their rings were taken from them . Abbots who have received from the holy see the privilege of using the episcopal insignia , wear also the

ring . Amongst the varieties of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries , one very pleasing class is formed by the " Inconographic rings , " that is , of rings which have , either on the bezels or " on the shoulders of onr Blessed Lady and Child , or of Saints . They are nearly all of the same style of workmanship , and those of silver are always of much ruder make than those of gold . Their date may

be assigned from 1390 to 1520 at the latest , and they are peculiar to England and Scotland . These are followed by devotional rings with sacred monograms , and others with inscriptions , some with the holy names , such as JESVS , MAEIA ; others with the names of the three "kings spelt in all manner of ways ; others with the title upon our Lord's crossntsvs . NAZARENVS . REX . IVDAEORTJU . Many

, of these were worn against the cramp . Then , again , we have char-act rings of superstitions rise , which were charms in the forms of inscriptions , such as ANANIZAPTA : and strange barbaric words and combinations , such > % * . > 5 * BBER fy DIABAB , » 5 < SABAYS . One ring in particular has a most curious legend upon the hoop : JESVS , AVTESI .

TRANSIENT . TER . MEBH . ILLOI ? ., which words were held to render the wearer invisible . Many other rings of this clas has cabalistic names and words utterly unintelligible . The class of signet rings contains many intez'esting varieties . The earliest of the mediseval ones ( including in that term the period from the sixth to the sixteenth centuries ) are those with siglce . or monograms ; these were

much used from the fourth to the tenth centuries . These siglce very probably led , at a later period , to the adoption of certain arbitrary signs , called merchants' marks . Merchants and others not entitled to armorial bearings used to have engraved on their rings these devices . They were much used in England and on the continent . Pyers Plowman speaks of "merchautes merkes ymedeled in

glasse . " Another class of signets are those set with antique gems . During the eleventh , twelfth , thirteenth , and fourteenth centuries the art of gem-cngraving had nearly died out ; and hence we often meet with Roman intaglia set in rings , and a legend engraved on the metal setting . Then , again , there are rings with punning devices called a " rebus . " Amongst those with heraldic emblems , and shields of armorial bearings , there are some which are set either with crystals or white sapphires , and which have

the tinctures represented underneath , m enamels , thus blazoning the arms . The earliest known example of this work is the ring of Jean Sans-Peur , Duke of Burgundy , who was assassinated in 1419 . Another interesting example of this class is the signet-ring of Mary , Queen of Scots , now in the British Museum . We now come to the different varieties of wedding

rings . The fyancel or wedding ring is doubtless of Roman origin , and was usually given at the betrothal as a pledge of the engagement . Its primitive form was a signet or seal ring . Amongst the wedding rings there are three Roman ones ; one of gold , with the fede , or two hands joined , which Baronius calls the " hieroglyphienm concordias et amoris : " another of silver , set with an

intaglio of the same device ; and a third , all of silver , with the fade , and inscription NIKAS . Then there are the " posy " rings , with inscriptions ; formerly called " chancons , " then " resons , " or " reasons , " and finally posies or poesies ( from ™ lf < nj ) . Another variety of the wedding ring is the " gimuiel" ring , or double ring , which opens and shuts together again ; but this term is only applicable to rings which divide , and , when divided , play into each other . Many of these gimmel rings have the fade , and the hands