retained the notion of this peculiar nerve, which connected the aforesaid finger and the heart. In the book of Offices "juxta vsum insignis Ecclesiæ Sarisburiensis," printed (under their directions) at Douay, in Flanders, in the year 1604, this notion is adverted to in the directory portion of the marriage ceremony.

From the Rubric + I also draw this inference, that, in the olden times, the nuptial ring was of silver made, and that, from the sonorous tone of that metal, and through the intervention of the ticklish nerve in question, it was sagely adjudged, that the heart of the ladye faire might respond in the chords of love, and affection. The happy bridegroom having placed the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand of his admired spouse, the Rubric proceeds to say: "Ibique dimittat annulum. Quia in medico est quædam vena procedens vsque ad cor, & in sonoritate argenti designatur interna dilectio, quæ semper inter eos debet esse recens." Whilst copying the foregoing most curious, and interesting, passage, I perceive, that I have by no means done it the meed of justice. By the words "quæ semper inter eos debet esse recens," it appeareth, clearly, that our good forefathers supposed, that the sonorosity of the silver ring would, ever and anon, when struck, like even unto a bell, by means of the vibrating nerve, remind the fair wearer thereof of that affectionate love, and duty, which she owed unto her admiring Lord and Master.

The general, I may say, the universal use of the formularies of the Cathedral Church of Salisbury, expressly testified "secundùm usum Sarum," raised a proverb applicable to the correctness of any deed. This is thus noted by old Tom Fuller :

"It is done secundùm usum Sarum."]

"This Proverb, coming out of the Church, hath since inlarged itself into a Civil use. It began on this occasion. Many Offices or Forms of Service were used in severall Churches in England, as the Office of York, Hereford, Bangor, &c.; which caused a deal of confusion in God's Worship, untill Osmond, Bishop of Sarum, about the year of our Lord 1090, made that Ordinall, or Office, which was generally received all over England, so that Churches thenceforward easily understood one another, all speaking the same words in their Liturgy.

"It is now applyed to those Persons, which do, and Actions which are formally and solemnly done, in so regular a way, by authentick Precedents, and Patterns of unquestionable Authority, that no just exception can be taken thereat."

This is the name of the directory part of the books of office in the olden times, and takes its name from ruber, red, it being printed in the red letter. The name is still applied to the analogous part of our Common Prayer Book, although the red letter be discontinued.

• "Worthies of England," Vol. ii. p. 438 (1811.)

The opinion, that there is a nerve, reaching peculiarly from the heart to the end of the fourth finger of the left hand, was long since refuted by Sir Thomas Browne (himself a Physician) in his "Enquiries into Vulgar and Common Errors," Book iv. chap. 4.

Rings were worn by our progenitors in succession; by the aboriginal Britons, the Saxons, the Danes, and the Normans. This fashion has lost none of its zest, and will, probably, continue even unto the end of all things. It is a fashion ornamental in itself, and gratifying to vanity. The dame of the wealthy husband thus loads her fair fingers with rings beset with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and all the precious stones of the Eastern Climes, to the admiration of man, and the envy of the youthful belle, whose charms are yet, "when unadorned, adorned the most."

It is very true, that the honest, the unambitious, and the venerable John Halle did despise, in his own person, these gewgaws of fashion-these clap-traps of vanity-these baits of allurement to the envious eye; but, gentle reader, turn to the plate of "Dethe and the Galante," (p. 105,) and there you will see the beau of the days of John Halle, unlike to him, bedecked with the varied ring—even unto his thumb! To wear a ring on this, the first in dignity of all the fingers, was, in former ages, very usual, but this fashion has been long since superseded : the thumb, alas! degraded, and perhaps-for ever.

With this observation, restrained by my limits, I must close this note, which is very brief, when I consider the extensive, and varied, remarks, which the subject of the ring is capable of supplying.

NOTE 12-(p. 193.)

"William of Malmesbury." I know not, that I can do better, with the view of bringing you acquainted, gentle reader, with this writer of the olden time, than to extract the following brief account of him from the pages of Henry's "History of Britain," Vol. vi. p. 136: "William of Malmesbury," (says he,) "who is well entitled to stand at the head of our historians of the twelfth century, was born in Somersetshire, and, on that account, is sometimes called William Somerset. When he was but a child, (as he himself acquaints us,) he discovered a fondness for learning, which was encouraged by his parents, and

increased with his years. I applied' (says he) to the study of several sciences, but not with equal diligence. I went through a course of logic, but prosecuted it no further; with physic, or the art of curing diseases and preserving health, I was at more pains; for ethics, which lead to a good and happy life, I had still a higher veneration; but history, which is equally pleasant and profitable, was my favourite study. Having, at my own expense, procured the copies of some foreign histories, I then, at my leisure, began to inquire into the memorable transactions of my own country; and not finding any satisfactory history of them already written, I resolved to write one, not to display my learning, which is no great matter, but to bring things to light, that are covered with the rubbish of antiquity.' This design he executed with great ability and diligence, by writing a general history of England in five books, from the arrival of the Saxons, A. D. 449, to the 26th of Hen. I., A. D. 1126; and a modern history in two books, from that year to the escape of the Empress Maud out of Oxford, A. D. 1143; with a church-history of England in four books. In all these historical works (which are written in a Latin style more pure than that of any of his contemporaries,) he discovers great diligence, much good sense, and a sacred regard to truth, accompanied with uncommon modesty. I do not' (says he)' set a very high value on the applause of my contemporaries, which I hardly expect; but I hope, that when both favour and inalevolence are dead, I shall obtain from posterity the character of an industrious, though not of an eloquent historian.' This excellent person, to whom all the lovers of English history are so much indebted, spent his life in the humble station of a monk, and library-keeper in the Abbey of Malmesbury, where he died A. D. 1143."

NOTE 13-(p. 195.)'

"Longspees." Thou hast heard, gentle reader, of the romantic story of the fair Rosamond Clifford, the mistress of King Henry, the Second. For the purpose of evading her discovery by Eleanor, his justly-incensed Queen, he immured her within a bower at Woodstock, the inmost recesses of which were deemed to be an impenetrable labyrinth; yet, as is said by • W. Malms. Prolog. i. ii. p. 19.

Sandford, in his relation of the tale," the eye of Jealousie is quicker in finding out than the Eye of Care is in hiding."* Of this interesting piece of history the honest John Stowe giveth the following account: "1177. Rosamond the faire daughter of Walter, Lord Clifford, Concubine to Henry II. (poysoned by Q. Elianor as some thought) died at Wodstock, where K. Henry had made for her an house of a wonderfull working, so that no man or woman might come to her, but if hee were instructed by the King, or such as were right secrete with him touching the matter. This house after seene was named Labyrinthus or Dedalus worke, which was thought to be an house wrought like vnto a knotte in a garden called a Maze, but it was commonly sayde, that lastly the Queene came to her by a clewe of thredde, or silke, and so dealt with her, that shee liued not long after, but when shee was dead, shee was buried at Godstow, in an house of Nunnes, beside Oxforde, with these her Tombe:

verses vpon

'Hac iacet in tumba, Rosa mundi, non rosa munda,
Non redolet, sed olet, quæ redolere solet.'

In English thus:

The rose of the world, but not the clene flowre,
Is now here grauen, to whom beautie was lent;

In this graue full darke now is her bowre,
That by her life was sweete and redolent,

But now that shee is from this life blent,

Though shee were sweete, now foully doth shee stinke:
A mirrour good for all men that on her thinke."" +

The supposed site of this labyrinthal abode of the fair Rosamond is still shown in Blenheim Park.

The Sovereign had a son by this celebrated beauty of the name of William, who took the surname of Longspee (or Longsword) from the long sword, which he usually wore. I must here remark, that the compound name of this illustrious person was derived, as to its latter portion, from the Norman Tongue, as Minshieu reports the denomination of sword, in the Gallic, to be Espée; and this, again, has for its ultimate root the Greek Word “σnáw, i. e. extraho, quia extrahitur ex vaginâ."

66

This William Longspee married Ela, the daughter, and heiress, of William Devereux, Earl of Salisbury, and thus he subsequently bore that title.

Genealog. Hist. of Eng. p. 114. + Annales of Eng. (1592) p. 219.

This celebrated warrior died in his Castle at Old Sarum, not without the suspicion of being poisoned at the instance of Hubert de Burgh, the justiciary, and royal favourite. He was buried in the Cathedral of New Sarum, then recently erected, in a tomb on the north side of the Lady Chapel. This tomb, formed of wood, and richly painted and gilt, was removed into the nave (where it may now be seen) at the time of the alterations, which were made in the Cathedral some years since, and is well worth the inspection of the antiquary, who cannot fail to be much gratified by the view of his sculptured effigies—his armour-his long sword—and his curious heraldic achievements. Matthew Paris gives him this interesting epitaph, in allusion to his name:

"Flos Comitum Willielmus, obit, stirps regia, longus

Ensis vaginam cæpit habere brevem."

which we may thus translate:

This flower of Earls of royal race,

This Longsword needs but short'ned space.

A splendid engraving of this military hero may be seen in Meyrick's "Critical Enquiry into Ancient Armour," Vol. 1, p. 106.

His widow, Ela, founded the Abbey of Laycock, in the County of Wilts, and ruled that establishment, as its abbess, for eighteen years. Prior to her death she resigned that office. Her decease took place about the year 1263, and she was buried in the choir."

William, the eldest son of William Longspee, Earl of Salisbury, did not, according to Dugdale,* take the title of his father. He was a celebrated warrior, and, joining in the crusade to the Holy Land, was slain at the battle of Mansoura, in Egypt, in the year 1249. His supposed effigies also ornament the nave of Salisbury Cathedral, and this memorial was, probably, placed there at the instance of his sorrowing mother, bereft of her gallant, and darling, son, who fell in a cause, which was considered as uniting the crown of martyrdom with the wreath of valour."†

Many most interesting anecdotes of the Longespees might "Baronage of England," Vol. i. p. 177.

+ Dodsworth's (Hatcher's) "Cathedral of Salisbury," p. 195.