Shakespeare and Precious Stones Part 15

ROCK-CRYSTAL

A closet never pierced with crystal eyes.

Sonnet XLVI, l. 6.

D 2, verso, l. 6.

ROCK-CRYSTAL

Favours from a maund[32] she drew Of amber, crystal, and of beaded jet.

"Lover's Complaint", l. 37.

[Footnote 32: Basket, or hamper.]

ROCK-CRYSTAL

Who glazed with crystal gate the glowing roses.

"Lover's Complaint", l. 286.

AMBER

With coral clasps and amber studs.

"Pa.s.sionate Pilgrim", l. 366.

D 4, verso, l. 2.

AMBER

Favours from a maund she drew Of amber, crystal, and of beaded jet.

"Lover's Complaint", l. 37.

JET

as above.

CORAL

That sweet coral mouth Whose precious taste her thirsty lips well knew.

"Venus and Adonis", l. 542.

D iv, l. 20, 21.

CORAL

Her alabaster skin, Her coral lips, her snow white dimpled chin.

"Lucrece", l. 420.

D 3, l. 7.

CORAL

Like ivory conduits coral cisterns filling.

_Idem_, l. 1234.

I 2, verso, l. 2.

CORAL

Coral is far more red than her lips' red.

Sonnet Cx.x.x, l. 2.

H 4,1. 2.

CORAL

A belt of straw and ivy buds.

With coral clasps and amber studs.

"Pa.s.sionate Pilgrim", 1. 366.

D 4, verso, l. 1, 2.[33]

[Footnote 33: References are here given to the original editions of "Venus and Adonis", 1593 (unique copy in the Malone Collection in the Bodleian Library, Oxford); "Lucrece", 1594; "Pa.s.sionate Pilgrim", 1599, and Sonnets, 1609. As there is no continuous pagination, the letters and numbers refer to the page signatures and to the line of the page.]

While it cannot be regarded as certain that whenever Shakespeare writes of jewels or of rings he means those in which precious stones were set, several of the pa.s.sages more or less clearly indicate this, and we therefore present here the more characteristic of the lines in question:

A Death's face in a ring.

_Love's Labour's Lost_, Act v, sc. 2, l. 616.

"Comedies", p. 142, col. A, line 36.

The dearest ring in Venice will I give you.

_Merchant of Venice_, Act iv, sc. 1, l. 435.

"Comedies", p. 181, col. B, line 27.

_Diana_. O behold this ring Whose high respect and rich validity Did lack a parallel; yet for all that He gave it to a commoner of the camp, If I be one.