ge of jewelled letters was hung from the rim, forming
an inscription. The votive crown of King Suinthila, in Madrid, is
among the most ornate of these. It is the finest specimen in the
noted "Treasure of Guerrazzar," which was discovered by peasants
turning up the soil near Toledo; the crowns, of which there were
many, date from about the seventh century, and are sumptuous with
precious stones. The workmanship is not that of a barbarous nation,
though it has the fascinating irregularities of the Byzantine style.

Of the delightful work of the fifth and sixth centuries there are
scarcely any examples in Italy. The so-called Iron Crown of Monza
is one of the few early Lombard treasures. This crown has within
it a narrow band of iron, said to be a nail of the True Cross;
but the crown, as it meets the eye, is anything but iron, being
one of the most superb specimens of jewelled golden workmanship,
as fine as those in the Treasure of Guerrazzar.

[Illustration: THE TREASURE OF GUERRAZZAR.]

The crown of King Alfred the Great is mentioned in an old inventory
as being of "gould wire worke, sett with slight stones, and two
little bells." A diadem is described by William of Malmsbury, "so
precious with jewels, that the splendour... threw sparks of light
so strongly on the beholder, that the more steadfastly any person
endeavoured to gaze, so much the more he was dazzled, and compelled
to avert the eyes!" In 1382 a circlet crown was purchased for Queen
Anne of Bohemia, being set with a large sapphire, a balas, and four
large pearls with a diamond in the centre.

The Cathedral at Amiens owns what is supposed to be the head of
John the Baptist, enshrined in a gilt cup of silver, and with bands
of jewelled work. The head is set upon a platter of gilded and
jewelled silver, covered with a disc of rock crystal. The whole,
though ancient, is enclosed in a modern shrine. The legend of the
preservation of the Baptist's head is that Herodias, afraid that
the saint might be miraculously restored to life if his head and
body were laid in the same grave, decided to hide the head until
this danger was past. Furtively, she concealed the relic for a time,
and then it was buried in Herod's palace. It was there opportunely
discovered by some monks in the fourth century. This "invention of
the head" (the word being interpreted according to the credulity of
the reader) resulted in its removal to Emesa, where it was exhibited
in 453. In 753 Ma