When Elizabeth of Poland could not induce her son Andrea to leave his lustful wife of sixteen, Joan of Naples, and he was determined to be and act the King of Sicily and Jerusalem, she drew from her finger a richly chased ring, took Andrea aside, placed it upon his finger, and, clasping him in her arms, “My son,” she said, in a trembling voice, “since you refuse to accompany me, here is a talisman which I never make use of but in the last extremity. While you retain this ring upon your finger, neither steel nor poison can injure you.” “You see, then, my mother,” answered the prince, smiling, “thus protected, you have no reason to fear for my life.” “There are other deaths besides those by poison or steel,” replied the queen, sighing. When the course pursued by Andrea had determined Joan that he should be killed, her paramour Bertrand d’Artois told her of the talisman. “Nevertheless, he dies,” cried Joan. The next day, and in the castle of Aversa, this Queen of Naples was working, with her delicate hands, a rope of silk and gold.
When conspirators flew upon him, they attempted to strangle him with their hands, for it was supposed he could not be slain by steel or poison, owing to the amulet which his mother had given him. Struggles and terror were about to allow of his escape, when Bertrand d’Artois seized the prince round the body and, after a desperate resistance, felled him to the ground; then dragging him by the hair of the head to a balcony which looked out upon the gardens and placing his knee upon his victim’s breast, “This way, barons!” he cried; “I have got something to strangle him with!” and, after a desperate struggle, he succeeded in passing a rope of silk and gold round the unfortunate man’s neck. When strangled, his body was cast over the balcony. Charles of Duras was the mainspring of this tragedy; and he afterwards died on the same spot, and was thrown over the same balcony. Years after and while Joan was a prisoner in the castle of Aversa, two Hungarian barons, in complete armor, presented themselves before her, making a sign that she should follow them. She rose and obeyed in silence; but a dismal cry burst from her when she recognized the place where Andrea and Charles of Duras had each died a violent death. Recovering herself, however, she inquired, in a calm voice, why they had brought her to that place. One of the barons showed her a rope of silk and gold. “Let God’s justice be accomplished!” cried Joan, falling on her knees. And in a few minutes she had ceased to suffer. This was the third corse that was thrown over the balcony of Aversa.[204]
Patrick, Lord Ruthven, a man suspected of occult practices and who had been appointed of the privy council of Mary, Queen of Scots, offered her a ring to preserve her from the effects of poison.[205]
Amulet rings have been used by persons calling themselves Christians even in, comparatively, late times. Caylus gives one covered with letters of the twelfth century. The body of the ring is simple and square; each of its surfaces is completely filled with characters, skilfully engraved.
The words are barbarous and the whole is senseless—the name of Jesus Christ abbreviated with the words Alpha, Adonai and Agla and the cross repeated appear here as they frequently do upon amulets. At the end of the lines, two Arabic characters are distinctly marked 7. I. These sort of characters did not pass, according to common opinion, from Africa to Spain until the tenth century; and it was through Spain that they were communicated to other parts of Europe. Rings of the shape of this one and for similar use often inclosed sprigs of some herb or hair or other light substance. The present one, however, is said to be solid and does not contain any foreign matter.
A gold ring has been found in the palace at Eltham in Kent, England.[206] It is set with an oriental ruby and five diamonds, placed at equal distances round the exterior. The interior is plain, but on the sides is this inscription:
Qui me portera exploitera
Et a grand joye revendra.