One expense remained. Serjeants on their call must give gold rings to the Sovereign, the Lord Chancellor, the judges, and many others. From about the time of Elizabeth mottoes or “posies” were engraved thereon. Sometimes each Serjeant had his own device, more commonly the whole call adopted the same motto, which was usually a compliment to the reigning monarch or an allusion to some public event. Thus, after the Restoration the words ran: _Adeste Corolus Magnus_. With a good deal of elision and twisting the Roman numerals for 1660 were extracted from this, to the huge delight of the learned triflers. _Imperium et libertas_ was the word for 1700, and _plus quam speravimus_ that of 1714, which was as neat as any. The rings were presented to the judges by the Serjeant’s “colt,” as the barrister attendant on him through the ceremony was called (probably from _colt_, an apprentice); he also had a ring. In the ninth of Geo. II. the fourteen new Serjeants gave, as of duty, 1409 rings, valued at £773. That call cost each Serjeant nearly £200. This ring-giving continued to the end; another custom, that of giving liveries to relatives and friends, was discontinued in 1759. In mediæval times the new Serjeants went in procession to St. Paul’s, and worshipped at the shrine of Thomas à Becket; then to each was allotted a pillar, so that his clients might know where to find him. The Reformation put a summary end to the worship of St. Thomas, but the formality of the pillar lingered on till Old St. Paul’s and Old London blazed in the Great Fire of 1666. The mediæval lawyer lives for us to-day in Chaucer’s famous picture: A Sergeant of Lawe, war and wys, That often hadde ben atte parvys, Ther was also, ful riche of excellence. Discret he was, and of great reverence: He semede such, his wordes weren so wise, Justice he was ful often in assise, By patente, and by pleyn commissioun; For his science, and for his heih renoun, Of fees and robes hadde he many oon. So gret a purchasour was nowher noon. Al was fee symple to him in effecte, His purchasyng mighte nought ben enfecte. Nowher so besy a man as he ther nas, And yit he seemede besier than he was. In termes hadde he caas and domes alle; That fro the tyme of kyng William were falle. Therto he couthe endite, and make a thing, Ther couthe no wight pynche at his writyng; And every statute couthe he pleyn by roote. He rood but hoomly in a medlé coote, Gird with a seynt of silk, with barres smale Of his array telle I no lenger tale.