Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/638

 RIN

C 1021 )

RIN

Rigbt-Hand. Among the Romans, e're they came to be adorned with Stones, and while the Graving was yet on the Metal, eve- ry body wore [hem at Pleafute, on what Hand and Finger he lifted.— When Stones came to be added, they wore them altoge- ther on the Left-Hand ; and it would have been held an exceffive Foppery to have put them on the Right.

Pliny fays, they were at firft wore on the fourth Finger, then on the fecond, or Index; then on the little Finger; and at laft on all the Fingers, excepting the middle one. —The Greeks wore it altogether on the fourth Finger of the Left-Hand, as we are in- form'd by Aid. Gellius, lib. x. and the Reafon he gives for it is, that having found from Anatomy, that this Finger had a little Nerve that went ftraight to the Heart, they efteem'd it the moil honourable, by reafon of this Communication with that noble Part. — Pliny fays, the Gauls and autient Britons wore it on the middle Finger.

At firft they only wore a iingle Ring; then one on each Fin- ger; and at length feveral on each Finger, Martial, lib. xi. Epig. (So. At laft one on each Joint of each Finger, Arifioph. in Nub. & c — Their Delicacy, at length went to that pitch, that they had their Weekly Rags. Juvenal Sat. VII. fpeaks of Annuii Semefcres; as alfo of Winter and Summer Rings. But of all o- thers Lampridius, cap. 32. obferves, Hettogabaks carried tie Point further*, who never wore the fame Ring, or the fame Shoe, twice.

Rings have been alfo wore in the Nofe, as Pendants in the Ears —Bartholin has an exprefs Treatife, de Annulis Narium, of Rings of the Noftrils. St. Augvfim allures us, 'twas the Fafhi- on ot the Moors; and Pedro delte Valle obferves the fame of the modern Orientals.

In effect, there is no Part of the Body whete it has not been wore.-Several Eafi-lndia Travellers affirm, that the Natives commonly wear them in their Nofe, Lips, Cheeks, and Chin. Ramujio tells us, that the Ladies of Narjingua in the Levant, and Diodorus Siadus, lib. 3. that thole of Ethiopia, ufed to adorn the.r Lips with Iron Rings.

As to die Lars, the Cuftom (rill obtains of wearing Rings therein, both for Men and Women, all over the World. See Pendant.

j be Indians, particularly the Guzzerattet, have wore Rings on their Feet.— And when Peter Alvarez had his firft Audience of the King of Calicut, he found him all covered with Stones fet in Rings ; Bracelets and Rings both on the Hands and Fingers, and even the Feet and Toes. Louis Bartome reprefents a°King of Pegu, as ftill more extravagant, having Rings fet with precious Stones on every Toe.

With regard to the Vfe of Rings.— The Antients had three dif- ferent kinds : The firft ferv'd to diftinguilli Conditionsor dualities. Phny afiutes us, that the Senators at firft were not allowed to wear the Gold Ring, uulefs they had been Ambaffadors at fome fo- reign Court. Nor was it even allowed them to wear the Gold Ring which was given them, in Publick; except on publickOc- Kiions. At orhcr times they wore an Iron one. And thole who had had a Triumph, obferved the fame Rules.

At length the Senators and Knights were allow'd the common Ufc of the Gold Ring; but Acron on Horace, Lib. 2. Sat. VII obferves, they cou'd not do it unlets it were given them by the Prretor.

In after Days the Gold sing became the Badge of the Knights; the People wearing Silver Rings, and the Slaves Iron ones. Tho' the Gold Ring was fomecimes allow'd the People, and Sevens granted^ it his common Soldiers. Augujlus allow'd it the Liber- ti, or Freedmen ; and though Nero made a Regulation to the contrary, yet it was foon fet afide.

A fecond Kind of Rings were the Annuii Sponfalitii, Wedding Rings. Some carry the Origin of this Cuftom as far back as the

Hebrcvis, on the Authority of a Text in Exodus xxxv. 22

Leon de Modena, however, maintains that the antient Hebrews did not ufe any Nuptial Ring. Selden, in his Uxor Ebraha, Lib. II. Chap. 14. owns, that they gave a Ring in the Marri- age, but that it was only in lieu of a Piece of Money of the fame Value, which had ufed to have been given before.— The Greets and Romans did the lame ; and from them the Chriftians took it up very early, as appears from Tertullian; and in fome antient Liturgies, where we find the Form of Blelling the Nuptial Ring. See Marriage.

The third Kind of Rings were thofe ufed as Seals, call'd Cero- graphi, or Cirographi, an Account whereof fee under the Article Seal

iciVWBifhop of Salisbury, in his Conftitutions, Anno 1217, forbids the putting of Rujh-rings, or any the like Matter, on Wo- men s fingers; in order to the debauching of them more irea- dily : And he inlinuatcs the Reafon of his Prohibition, that there were fome People weak enough to believe, that what was thus done in jeft was a real Marriage.

DeBW in his Antiquities of Paris, fays, 'twas an antient Cu- ftom to ufe a Ruffe-ring in the Marriage of fuch as had had an Af- fair together before Marriage. See Concubine, ejre.

Ring, in Aftronomy.-TheW^ of Saturn is a thin, luminous Circle, incompaffing the Body of that Planet, but without touch- ing the fame. See Saturn.

n Jn^rSr 7 " COf ,s owi "g » M. Huygens, who after fre- emen Oblervatlon ot Saturn, percciv'd two lucid Points! or^- /*, ariling out from the Body, ,n a right Line. See Ans*. (W A '" iai ! k 1 uea \ Obfervations, he always found the

fame Appearance, he concluded that W» was incompafs'd with a permanent Rmg; and accordingly produced his new Syftcra in

The Plane of the Ring is inclined to the Plane of the Ecliptic man Angle of 23" 3 o'.-lt fometimes appears Oval; and ac- cording to Campani, its greateft Diameter is double its load See

JrLANET.

Ring, is alfo an mftrument ufed in Navigation, for taking the Altitudes of the Sun, &c. See Altitude

'Tis ulually of Brafs, about o Inches Diameter, fufpended by a htde Swivel, 4.5 • from the Po.nt whereof is a Perforation' which is the Centre of a Quadrant of oo° divided in the inner Concave Surface.

io ufe it, they hold it up by the Swivel, and mm it to the Sun, till the oun-Beams tailing through the Hole, make a Spot among the Degrees, which is the Altitude required.

This Infttumenr is prefer'd to the AftrolMe by reafon the Di- viiions are here larger than on the Altrolabe. See Astro- labe.

Ring-IW, is a kind of Dial, ufur.Uy fmalUnd portable; con- futing ot a Biafs Ring, or Rim, feldom exceeding two Inches in Diameter, and one third of an Inch in Breadth. See Dial.

In a 1 0111c of this Rim, is a Hole, through which the Sun- Beams being received, make a lucid Speck on the Concavity of the oppolire Semicircle, which gives the Hour of the Day in the Diviiions mark'd therein.

But it only holds good about the Times of the Equinox.— I o have the Dial peitbrm throughout the whole Year, the Hole is made moveable; and the Signs of the Zodiac, or the Days of the Month are mark'd on the Convex Side of the Ring; by means whereof the Dial is rectified for the Time.

To ufe it, put the moveable Hole to the Day of the Month, or the Degree ot the Zodiac the Sun is in; then fufpending it by the little Ring, turn ic towards the Sun, till his Rays, as be- fore, point out the Hout among the Diviiions on the Infide.

Vnnerfal, or Aftrouomical Kma-Dial, is a Ring-Dial which ferves to find the Hour of the Day in any Part of the Earth- whereas the foimer is confined to a cettain Latitude. See Dial

Its Figure fee reprefented in Table, Dialling, Fig. 7

It conhfts of two Rings, or flat Circles, from two to fix Inches in Diameter ; and its Breadth, tjre. proportionable.— The 011c- ward Ring A reprefents the Meridian of any Place you are al- and contains two Diviiions of oo" each, diametrically oppolite to one another ; ferving.the one from the Equator to the North, the other to the South Pole.— The inner Ring reprefents the Equator, and turns exactly within the outer, by means of two Points in each Ring at the Hour of 12.

A-crofs the two Circles goes a thin Reglet or Bridge, with a Curfor C, that Slides along the middle of the Bridge. In the Curfor is a little Hole for the Sun to ihine through.

The middle of this Bridge is conceiv'd as the Axis of the World, and the Extremities as the Poles; and on the one Side are drawn the Signs of the Zodiack, and on the other the Days of the Month. On the Edge of the Meridian Hides a Piece, to which is fitted a Ring to fufpend the inftrument by.

Vfe of the univerfal Rma-Dial.

Place the Line a (on the middle of the Hiding Piece) over the Degree of Latitude of the Place {e. gr. 5 1 ° for London) put the Line which erodes the Hole of the Curlor to the Degree of the Sign, or Day of the Month. Open the Inftrument fa as the two Rings be at right Angles to each other, and fulpend ir by the Ring H, that the Axis of the Dial, reprefented by the middle of the Bridge, be Parallel to the Axis ot the World. Then turn the flat Side of the Bridge towards the Sun, fo as his Rays ftri- king through the little Hole in the midele of the Curfor, fall ex- aclly on a Line drawn round the middle cf the Concave Surface of the inner Ring; in which Cafe the bright Spot fhews the Hour of rhc Day in the faid Concave Sutface of ihe Ring.

Note, The Hour of 12 is not (hewn by this Dial ; by reafon the outer Circle, being then in the* lane of the Meridian, hinders the Sun's Rays from falling on the inner: Nor will this Dial fliew the Hour when the Sun is in the Equinoctial, by reafon his Rays, then, fall Parallel to the Plane of the inner Circle.

Ring is alfo ufed for the Sound or Tone of a Bell. See Bell, Sound, &c.

Ring-Bom?, among Farriers, «£r. a hard callous Subftance, growing in the hollow Circle of the little Pattern of a Horfe, above the Coronet. See Horse.

It fometimes goes quite round, like a Ring; whence its Name.

It is fometimes heredirary, derived from the Stallion, or Mare, but oftcner comes by Accident, as a Strain, blow of a Horfe, <&c.

RiNG-Jfrf/*, among plunters, a round Walk, fee Hunting.

RiNG-Worrn, in Medicine, &e. See Tetter.

RIOT,