And Pompey’s ring is known. Upon it were engraved three trophies, as emblems of his three triumphs over the three parts of the world Europe, Asia and Africa.[258] A ring with a trophy cut upon it has helped to victory: When Timoleon was laying siege to Calauria, Icetes took the opportunity to make an inroad into the territories of Syracuse, where he met with considerable booty; and having made great havoc, he marched back by Calauria itself, in contempt of Timoleon and the slender force he had with him. Timoleon suffered him to pass; and then followed him with his cavalry and light-armed foot. When Icetes saw he was pursued, he crossed the Damyrias and stood in a posture to receive the enemy, on the other side. What emboldened him to do this was the difficulty of the passage and the steepness of the banks on both sides. But a strange dispute and jealousy of honor which arose among the officers of Timoleon awhile delayed the combat: for there was not one that was willing to go after another, but every man wanted to be foremost in the attack; so that their fording was likely to be very tumultuous and disorderly by their jostling each other and pressing to get before. To remedy this, Timoleon ordered them to decide the matter by lot; and that each, for this purpose, should give him his ring. He took the rings and shook them in the skirt of his robe; and the first that came up happening to have a trophy for the seal, the young officers received it with joy and, crying out that they would not wait for any other lot, made their way as fast as possible through the river and fell upon the enemy, who, unable to sustain the shock, soon took to flight, throwing away their arms and leaving a thousand of their men dead upon the spot.[259]
Cæsar’s ring bore an armed Venus. On that of Augustus there was, first, a sphinx; afterwards, the image of Alexander the Great; and at last, his own, which the succeeding emperors continued to use. Dr. Clarke says, the introduction of sculptured animals upon the signets of the Romans was derived from the sacred symbols of the Egyptians and hence the origin of the sphinx for the signet of Augustus.
Nero’s signet-ring bore Apollo, flaying Marsyas. This emperor’s musical vanity led him to adopt it.
§ 3. When the practice of deifying princes and venerating heroes became general, portraits of men supplied the place of more ancient types. This custom gave birth to the cameo; not, perhaps, introduced before the Roman power and rarely found in Greece.
§ 4. In the British Museum is an enamelled gold ring of Ethelwoulf, King of Wessex, second King of England, A. D. 836, 838. It bears his name.[260]
The tradition of Madoc, one of the last princes of Powis, is kept up by the discovery of a gold signet-ring, with the impress of a monogram placed under a crown. It is supposed to be the ring of Madoc.
The ring of Edward the Confessor has been discovered; and is said to be in the possession of Charles Kean the actor and that he wears it whenever he plays the character of King Lear. This performer is a collector of antiquities. He purchased the red hat of Cardinal Wolsey at the sale of the Strawberry Hill collection. This hat was found by Bishop Burnet, when Clerk of the Closet, in the great wardrobe and was given by his son, the Judge, to the Countess Dowager of Albemarle, who presented it to Horace Walpole.
King John of England is reputed to have secured a ring to aid his designs upon the beautiful wife of the brave Eustace de Vesci, one of the twenty-five barons appointed to enforce the observance of Magna Charta.[261] The tyrant, hearing that Eustace de Vesci had a very beautiful wife, but far distant from court and studying how to accomplish his licentious designs towards her, sitting at table with her husband and seeing a ring on his finger, he laid hold on it and told him that he had such another stone, which he resolved to set in gold in that very form. And having thus got the ring, presently sent it to her, in her husband’s name; by that token conjuring her, if ever she expected to see him alive, to come speedily to him. She, therefore, upon sight of the ring, gave credit to the messenger and came with all expedition. But so it happened that her husband, casually riding out, met her on the road and marvelling much to see her there, asked what the matter was? and when he understood how they were both deluded, resolved to find a wanton and put her in apparel to personate his lady. The king afterwards boasting to the injured husband himself, Eustace had the pleasure to undeceive him. We may imagine the cheated monarch’s rage and how freely he used his favorite oath of, “by the teeth of God!”
Lord L’Isle, of the time of Henry VIII. of England, had been committed to the Tower of London on suspicion of being privy to a plot to deliver up the garrison of Calais to the French. But his innocence appearing manifest on investigation, the monarch released and sent him a diamond ring with a most gracious message. Whether it was his liberty or the ring or the message, the fact is that he died the night following “of excessive joy.”[262]