of Haimburg, a German monk in the fourteenth
century. Imagine," he continued, as he turned over the pages, "a litany
of gems, each verse symbolizing one of Our Mother's virtues.

"This prayer in minerals opens with a human greeting. The good monk,
kneeling down, begins:--

"'Hail, noble Virgin, meet to become the Bride of the Supreme King!
Accept this ring in pledge of that betrothal, O Mary!'

"And he shows Her the ring, turning it slowly in his fingers, explaining
to Our Lady the meaning of each stone that shines in the gold setting;
beginning with green jasper, symbolical of the faith which led the
Virgin to receive the message of the angelic visitant; then comes the
chalcedony, signifying the fire of charity that fills Her heart; the
emerald, whose transparency signifies Her purity; the sardonyx, with its
pale flame, like the placidity of Her virginal life; the red sard-stone,
one with the Heart that bled on Calvary; the chrysolite, sparkling with
greenish gold, reminding us of Her numberless miracles and Her Wisdom;
the beryl, figurative of Her humility; the topaz, of Her deep
meditations; the chrysoprase of Her fervency; the jacinth of Her
charity; the amethyst, mingling rose and purple, of the love bestowed on
Her by God and men; the pearl, of which the meaning remains vague, not
representing any special virtue; the agate, signifying Her modesty; the
onyx, showing the many perfections of Her grace; the diamond, for
patience and fortitude in sorrow; while the carbuncle, like an eye that
shines in the night, everywhere proclaims that Her glory is eternal.

"Finally the donor points out to the Virgin the interpretation of
certain other matters set in the ring, which in the Middle Ages were
regarded as precious: crystal, emblematic of chastity of body and soul;
ligurite, resembling amber, more especially figurative of the quality of
temperance; lodestone, which attracts iron, as She touches the chords of
repentant hearts with the bow of her loving-kindness.

"And the monk ends his petition by saying: 'This little ring, set with
gems, which we offer Thee as at this time, accept, glorious Bride, in
Thy benevolence. Amen.'"

"It would no doubt be possible," said the Abbe Plomb, "to reproduce
almost exactly the invocations of these Litanies by each stone thus
interpreted." And he reopened the book his friend the priest had just
closed.

"See," he went on, "how close is the concordance between the epithets in
the