of
the Danube, and in the countries north thereof. In England, as noted in
the preceding chapter, they were obtained by Caesar's invading legions,
who carried many to Rome. Ancient coins indicate that pearls formed the
principal ornament of the simple crowns worn by the early kings of
Britain previous to Alfred the Great.
The
river pearls were not so beautiful as oriental ones ; but, owing to the
ease with which they were obtained, they were employed more extensively
and especially in ecclesiastical decorations, the principal use for
pearls from the eighth to the eleventh century. Apparently authentic
specimens of. fresh-water pearls of an early period are the four now in
the coronation spoon of the English regalia, which is attributed to
the twelfth century.
From
the most ancient times until the overthrow of the Roman Empire,
practically the only use for pearls was ornamental ; but after the
eighth century there developed a new employment for these as well as
for other gems. Natural history was little studied in Europe from the
ninth to the fourteenth century, except for the effect which its
subjects had in medicine and magic, which were closely allied. Largely
through Arabic influence, the practice of medicine had developed into
administering most whimsical remedies, among which gems, and
especially pearls, played a prominent part, and belief in the
influence of these was as strong as in that of the heavenly bodies. For
this application, large demands had arisen for pearls, which seem to have
been prescribed for nearly every ill to which the flesh was heir. On
account of their cheapness, the small ones—seed-pearls—were used
principally; though larger ones were preferred by persons who could
afford them. While many of these so-called medicinal pearls were
obtained from the Orient, most of them were secured from the home
streams in the north of Europe and in the British Isles.
After
the decadence of Roman power in the East, the rulers of India and
Persia, through their control of the fisheries, again accumulated
enormous quantities of pearls. All of the early travelers to those
countries were astonished at the lavish display of these gems in
decorative costume.
The
manuscript of Renaudot's two Mohammedans, who visited India and China
in the ninth century, notes that the kings of the Indies were rich in
ornaments, "yet pearls are what they most esteem, and their value
surpasses that of all other jewels ; they hoard them up in their
treasures with their most precious things. The grandees of the court,
the great officers and captains, wear the like jewels in their collars."1
1 Renaudot, " Ancient Accounts of India and China by Two Mohammedan Travelers,"
London, 1733, p. 98.
