1804.) 
and complete in their union, affords a 
Not unapt reprefentation of the married 
ftate. 
Among the numerous love-tokens which 
lovers have prefented to their miltreffes 
in all ages, the ring bears a confpicuous 
part; nor is any more likely, than the 
gimmal to ‘* fteal the impreffion of a 
miftreffes fantacy,” as none fo clearly ex- 
prefles its errand. _ 
From a,fimple love-token the gimmal 
was at length converted into a ferious 
&* fponfalium annulus,” or ring of affance. 
The lover putting his finger through 
one of the hoops, and his mittrefs her’s 
through the other, were thus fymboli- 
cally, yoked together; a yoke which 
neither could’ be faid wholly to wear, 
one half being allotted to ome, and an 
equal_portion to the other. And in the 
ufe of the gimmal may be feen typified a 
community of interefts, mutual forbear- 
ance, and a participation of authority. 
The French term for it is, °° fo2* or 
“¢ afiince,”’ which latter word in the 
** Distionnaire de Trevoux,”’ is defined, 
*‘ bague ou jonc que /’accordé donne a 
fon accordée, ou il yavun fil dor, et un 
fil d’argent.” This definition not only 
fhews the occafion of its ufe, but fup- 
pofes the two hoops to be compofed, one 
of gold, the other of filver ; a diftinction 
evidently meant to characterize the bride- 
groom and bride. Thus Columella calls 
thofe vines which produce two different 
forts of grapes “ gemellz vites.”” Skin- 
ner and Ainfworth among ourfelves de- 
duce gimmal from a Latin’ origin, ufed 
to fignify fomethirng of correipondent 
parts or dcuble. And Dr. Johnfon gives 
it a more extenfive fignification: and ex- 
plains gimmal to mean, ‘* fome little 
quaint devices, or pieces of machinery,” 
though he is inclined to think the name 
gradually corrupted from geometry, be- 
caufe any thing done by occult means is 
vulgarly faid to be done by geometry.” 
The word is not ufed in Chaucer nor in 
Spencer: in Shakefpeare it occurs two 
or three times ; in one of which it feems 
to bear Dr. Johnfon’s fignification: 
¢¢ I think by fome odd gimmals or device, 
Their arms are fet, like clocks, ftill to ftrike 
on.”? 
Upon which a commentator has the 
following note, ‘* A gimmal 1s a picce of 
jointed work where one piece moves 
within another; whence it is taken at 
large foran engine. It is now vulgarly 
called ** Gimerack.’” 
Mentury Mac. No. 113. 
Proceedings of Learned Societies, 
265 
In fome obfervations made by Taylor 
Combe, efq. we find that he has, 
within thefe few years, had an opportu- 
nity of procuring an ancient bronze 
figure of a goat with one horn, which 
was the old fymbzl of Macedon. Figures 
reprefenting the types of ancient coun- 
tries are ex remely rare; and neither bronze 
nor marble fymbols of Macedon had been 
noticed before this, which was fent for 
the infpection of the Society of Antiqua- 
ries. It was dug up in Afia Miner, 
and was brought into this country by a 
poor Turk. . 
In ancient times Macedon and the 
adjacent countries abounded with goats, 
fo much fo that they were made the 
fymbols not only of many individual 
towns ; but the kingdom itlelf, which is 
the oldeft in Europe of which we have 
any regular and connected hiftory, was 
reprefented by a goat, with this particu- 
larity that it had but one horn. 
Caranus, the firit king of the Macedo- 
nians, commenced his reign $14 years be- 
fore Chrift. The circumftances of his 
being led by goats to the city of Edeffa, 
the name of which he converted inta Eegae 
is well worthy of remark. (Urbem Edefam, 
ob memoriam: muneris, Aegas, populum 
Aegeadas vocavit.) The Cretans called 
the goat caranus, which is deduced from 
the Hebrew word keren, for a horn, or 
from the Greek word keras ; hence, fays 
Mr. C. “© it will appear that Carazus was 
fo called in conformity with an idea of 
power, which was avonexed to the word 
form even in the earlielt period of Mace- 
donian hiftery. 
About three hundred years after Cara- 
nus, the Macedonians became tributary 
to the Perfians. This event is thus re. 
corded on one of the pilafters of Perfepo- 
lis: A goat is reprefented with an im- 
menfe horn growing out of the middle of 
his forehead, and a man ina Perfian drefs 
is feen by his fide, holding the horn with 
his left hand, by which is fignified the 
fubje&tion of Macedon. A proverb in 
ufe at the prefent day is grounded upoa 
this ancient practice of fignifying-congue/# 
by the capture of the horns. ‘* To take 
the bull by the horns,” is an equivalent 
phrafe for ** to conquer.”” When Deme- 
trius Phalereus. was endeavouring to per- 
fyade Philip to make himfelf matter of the 
cities of Ithome and Acrocorinthus, as a 
neceflary ftep to the conquelt of the Pe- 
loponnefus, he faid, ‘* Having caught 
hold of both horns, you will poflels the ox 
Aufele | 
af 
Na Bat 
