I] THE HISTORY OF PEARLS 7 



After the 8th century, as the idea began to grow 

 that man was the centre of the universe, — that the 

 world was made for man, — a new use was found for 

 pearls. It was thought that all things which grew 

 naturally, were of direct use in lielping to keep the 

 body sound and healthy. Hence we find that many 

 of our common herbs and lowly plants came to be 

 used as medicine, and they were used for whatever 

 their shape or colour suggested. So we get the 

 origin of the "kidney" bean, and the " liver "-wort. 

 The pearl seemed so beautiful and pure that the 

 idea arose that it too must be of some value in this 

 respect. So we find that the small seed pearls were 

 used as medicine, sometimes ground into powder, 

 sometimes swallowed whole. 



It was not until about the 12th century that 

 pearls were used in England, for the Anglo-Saxons 

 were not artistic, in the lavish manner of more south- 

 ern races. All through the 13th and 14th centuries 

 pearls were extremely fashionable over the whole of 

 Europe as ornaments for both men and women. 

 They were conspicuous too in church decoration, so 

 that from the spoil which Henry VHI obtained when 

 many of the churches were plundered, he came into 

 possession of numerous and costly pearls. 



During the loth and 16th centuries, pearls came 

 into still greater favour than before. Many of the 

 German cities revived the old restrictions of the 



