Europe in the j\ I id die Ages. 45 



courtiers were constantly impoverishing themselves 

 in order to minister to her foibles. The costly 

 parure of Pearls belonging to the unfortunate Mary 

 Queen of Scots, which Elizabeth bought for much 

 less than its value, is thus described by the French 

 ambassador at the English court : " There are six 

 cordons of large Pearls strung as paternosters, but 

 there are five and twenty separate from the rest, 

 much finer and larger than those which are strung; 

 these are for the most part like black muscades." 



The discovery of America brought fresh treasures 

 of gems and Pearls to Europe. As in the Old 

 World, so in the New, they were used to decorate 

 the gods and their temples, and were also worn by 

 the natives, high and low. The temple in which 

 the Governor of Mexico, Montezuma, used to pray 

 at night, had walls of beaten silver and gold, de- 

 corated with Pearls and precious stones. Among 

 the presents which Ferdinand Cortez received from 

 Montezuma, and which he sent to Europe to 

 Charles V. (I. of Spain), were necklaces of rubies, 

 emeralds and costly Pearls. Fernando de Soto, in 

 his expedition against Florida (in 1539) found great 

 quantities of Pearls, and the Cacique Ichioha pre- 

 sented him with a splendid string of Pearls long 

 enough to go three times round his neck, and to 

 reach to his waist. As in Cleopatra's time in Egypt, 



