Nowe ys thus
(inscription upon a gold ring found about 1786 on the site of the battle of Towton, Yorkshire. The weight was more than an ounce; it had no stone, but a lion passant was cut upon the gold. The inscription was in old black characters. The crest is that of the Percy family, and it is supposed the ring was worn by the Earl of Northumberland on the day of the battle (March 29, 1461). The motto seems to allude to the times: ‘The age is fierce as a lion’).
Je change qu’en mourant. Unalterable to my Perdita through life
(inscribed on a ring presented to Mrs. Robinson, by the Prince Regent, afterwards George IV.).
If love I finde, I will bee kinde.
In thee my choyse how I reioyce.
In thee my choice I do rejoice
(this posy is on a massive gold ring, which is thus described by a writer in ‘Notes and Queries’:—In the centre of the ornamentation outside is a shield, with three lions passant on it. On the right of the shield H, and on the left of it I, each letter having an old-fashioned crown over it. At the extreme ends of the ornamentation, outside the letters H and I are three fleurs-de-lys).
Take hand and heart, ile nere depart.
Live and dye in constancy.