afterwards of the precious metals, and, finally, it was garnished
with all manner of precious stones until the crown became a
" mine of wealth." This jewel varied in form among the
ancients ; that of the Mexican emperors consisted of a gold
mitre elaborately adorned with feathers and precious stones,
while among the Persians it consisted of a cap embellished
with gems. The ceremony of coronation is not known in any
part of Asia, says Tavernier. A cap adorned with the richest
jewels is placed upon the head of the sovereign, but it bears no
resemblance to a crown. The principal ceremony of investiture, both in Turkey and in Persia, is the girding on of the
sabre ; the same custom prevailed at the courts of the Mogul
emperors and some of the native princes. Pearls seemed to be
a royal favorite with orientals ; a crown captured from the
Tartars in the fifth century was profusely decorated with them,
and a Persian crown, two centuries later, contained no less than
one thousand large pearls.
The Emperor Heliogabalus adopted the pearl for his regal
diadem, a style generally used in the Empire until the time of
Constantine, when gold and different kinds of gems were used
for the purpose. The emperors of the Middle Ages wore a
diadem of silver when holding court at Aix-la-Chapelle, as king
■of Germany ; one of iron when at Milan, as sovereign of
Lombardy ; and one of gold at Rome, as emperor of all their
dominions.
Crowns, or, more properly, garlands or wreaths, were sometimes given for eminent services or talents, when they were
designated by epithets signifying their character, as a triumphal crown bestowed upon warriors for signal victories, and
those conferred upon successful athletes and poets, which
usually consisted of ivy or oak leaves. From this ancient
custom has descended the office of poet-laureate.
