In old times these rings were sometimes engraved with a legend that was itself a strong suggestive element. The rings of the Middle Ages that were supposed to be a cure for biliousness were engraved with a command to the bile to go and take possession of a bird. Occasionally rings were supposed to be valuable because of their origin. Epileptic fits, for instance, were rendered much less frequent and less severe if a ring made of money that had been given in the church were worn. The condition was that the sufferer should stand at the church door asking a penny from every unmarried man who passed in or out. After sufficient alms had been thus collected the money was exchanged for silver money that had been contributed to the church, and from this the ring was made. It was to have a cross and sometimes a verselet from Scripture, or an exorcism, or a prayer, engraved on it. It is {62} easy to understand that all of this represents strong suggestive influence and that the standing at the church door begging alms might well represent an enforced prolonged opportunity to get rest and air, for many unmarried men do not go to church, and so there were also physical factors at work in the cure noted. Precious Stones as Preservatives.--Pettigrew, in his "Superstitions Connected with Medicine and Surgery," mentions a number of the precious stones and their power to heal. Garnet hung about the neck relieves sorrow and refreshes the heart; chrysolite is the wisdom stone, the enemy of folly; heliotrope staunches blood and acts as an antidote; sapphire is good for ague and gout, and also gives its wearer courage; it also stops bleeding at the nose and was an antidote; the topaz was good for lunatics; the carnelian cured bloody fluxes and also fluxes of anger and passion. Jasper, hematite and similar stones had certain general powers of doing good. The Bezoar stone had a great reputation against melancholy; the smaragdum was infallible against epilepsy; the onyx was good for sleep; the sardonyx prevented bad dreams. The most wonderful stone, however, was the agate; taken in liquid it was good for any disease. It made the skin healthy. It preserved against snakebite, and against all poisons, and it prevented the devil from injuring one who wore it or drank it, and also preserved him from being struck by lightning. Considering how common agates were and how readily they could be obtained, it is rather surprising that we should have so many stories of illness and deaths by lightning and from poison and from venomous serpents in the old days when its curative value was rated so high.