“And on Tuesday, May 10,[155] in the second week of the term, the said Sir John Walter being of the Inner Temple, Sir Henry Yelverton of Grayes Inne and Sir Thomas Trevor of the Inner Temple, with the benchers, readers and others of those Inns of Court whereof they respectively had been, being attended by the warden of the Fleet and marshall of the Exchequer, made their appearance at Serjeants Inne in Fleet street, before the two chief justices and all the justices of both benches. And Sir Randolph Crew, chief justice, made a short speech unto them, and (because it was intended they should not continue serjeants to practise) he acquainted them with the king’s purpose of advancing them to seats of judicature, and exhorted them to demeane themselves well in their several places. Then every one in his order made his count, (and defences were made by the ancient serjeants,) and their several writs being read, their coyfs and scarlet hoods were put on them, and being arrayed in their brown-blew gownes, went into their chambers, and all the judges to their several places at Westminster, and afterward the said three serjeants, attyred in their party-coloured robes, attended with the marshall and warden of the Fleete, the servants of the said serjeants going before them, and accompanied with the benchers and others of the several Inns of Court of whose society they had been, walked unto Westminster and there placed themselves in the hall over against the Common Pleas bar.
“And the hall being full, a lane was made for them to the barre; (the justices of the Common Bench being in court) they recited three several counts, (and several defences made to several counts,) and had their writs read. The first and third by Brownlow the chief prothonotary, and the second by Goulton the second prothonotary. And Sir John Walter and Thomas Trevor gave rings to the judges with this inscription, ‘Regi Legi servire libertas.’ And Sir Henry Yelverton gave rings whereof the inscription was, ‘Stat Lege Corona,’ and presently after (they all standing together) returned to Serjeants Inn, where was a great feast, at which Sir James Lee, Lord Treasurer and the Earl of Manchester, Lord President of the Council, were present.”
§ 10. Arabian princesses wear golden rings on their fingers, to which little bells are suspended, so that their superior rank may be known, and they, themselves, receive in passing, the homage due to them.[156]
§ 11. The insignia of honor peculiar to the Roman knights were a charger, furnished at the public expense, a golden ring and a certain place in the theatre.[157] The senators also wore golden rings.[158]
§ 12. We read of:
“—— an agate stone
On the forefinger of an alderman;”
but cannot discover whether an alderman in Shakspeare’s time wore a ring in connection with his office. We however find this: “Grave persons, such as aldermen, used a plain broad gold ring upon the thumb.” It may be that Shakspeare was not thinking of an alderman whose duties were attached to a mere city, but of the earl or alderman of a whole shire, to whom the government of it was intrusted. Such a person, from the authority he possessed, might have worn a ring of power in former times. The word had the same signification in general as senator. By Spelman’s Glossary it appears there was anciently in England a title of aldermannus totius Angliæ; and that this officer was in the nature of Lord Chief Justice of England.
It will be seen that there is an incorrectness in Mercutio, a Veronese and in Verona, referring to an alderman. Knight, in his edition of Shakspeare, sees this and proposes that we read, instead of alderman, burgomaster. It has been observed that in whatever country Shakspeare lays the scenes of his drama, he follows the costume of his own.[159]