The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
Gold Ring [ARK00052]
Attached People: Collector (major) - Bargrave, John (1610-1680)Collector (minor) - Casaubon, Méric (14 Aug 1599-14 Jul 1671)
Location(s): Past Location at - Calechut (Region)
Annotation:[Canterbury Catalog: A small gold Salerno ring, written on the outside, not like a posey in the inside but on the out- 'Bene scripisti de ME, Thoma'. Tradition states that Thomas Aquinas (d.1374), being at Salerno in a church before an image of blessed Virgin Mary, asked her whether she liked all that he had written of her, especially being free from original sin, the Queen of Heaven, etc.; and entreated her to give him some token of her acceptance of his endeavours on her behalf. The image opened its lipps, and said, 'Bene scripisti de ME, Thoma'. Salerno layeth a little beyond Naples, on the Mediterranean sea; and the goldsmiths of the place, for their profit, make thousands of these rings, and then have them touch that image which spake. And no marchant or stranger that cometh thither but buyeth of these rings for presents and tokens. An English marchant gave me this at Naples. The Schola Salernitana was anciently famous for physicians.] (missing) (approx 1374 - 1660) Other Links: www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Population-history-of-london.jsp#a1674-1715 - "A Population History of London" in The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913 mapoflondon.uvic.ca/ - Map of Early Modern London (MoEML) project grubstreetproject.net/ - The Grub Street Project