RINFORZAN DO (Ital., strengthening), in music, a direction to the performer indicating increased tone and emphasis.
RING (Sax. ring or laving, a circle or circular line), a circle of gold or other material. The practice of wearing rings has been widely prevalent in different countries, and 3s different periods. Rings have been used to decorate the legs, arms, feet, toes, neck, fin gers, nose; and ears. The practice of wearing rings suspended from the nose, which it bored for that purpose, has been found among various savage tribes, more particularly the South-sea islanders. Bracelets, necklaces, and ear rings have been worn among nations both savage and civilized; but the most universal and most famous use of rings is on the finger. Finger-rings are alluded to in the books of Genesis and Exodus; Herod otus mentions that the Babylonians wore them; and from Asia they were probably intro duced into Greece. The rings worn in early times were not purely ornamental, but had their use as signet-rings. The Homeric poems make no mention of rings, except ear rings; but in the later Greek legends, the ancient heroes are described as wearing finger rings; and every freeman throughout Greece seems afterwards to have had one. The practice of counterfeiting signet-rings is alluded to as existing in Solon's time. The devices on the earlier rings were probably cut in the gold; but at a later period, the Greeks came to have rings set with precious stones, which by and by passed from articles of use into the category of ormunent. Persons were no longer satisfied with one ring, but wore two or three—and their use was extended to women. The Lacedremonians wore iron rings. The Honans are said to have derived the use of rings from the Sabines; their rings were at first, as those of the Greeks, signet-rings, but made of iron. Every free Roman had a right to wear one; and down to the close of the republic, the iron ring was worn by those who affected the simplicity of old times. Ambassadors, in the early age of the republic, wore gold rings as a part of their official dress—a custom afterward extended to senators, chief magistrates, and in later times to the equites, who were said to enjoy thejits w aura, from which other persons were excluded. It became cus tomary for the emperors to confer the jus annuli, aurei on whom they pleased, and the privilege grew gradually more and more extensive, till Justinian embraced within it all citizens of the empire, whether ingenui or liberlini. The signs engraved rings were very various, including portraits of friends or ancestors, and subjects connected with mythology or religion; and in the art of engraving figures on gems, the ancients far sur passed artists of modern times. The later Romans, like the Greeks, crowded their fin
gers with rings, and the more effeminate among them sometimes had a different ring for summer and winter. Rings entered into the groundwork of many oriental superstitions, as the legend of Salomon's ring, which. among its other marvels, scaled up the refrac tory Bus in jars and cast them into the Red sea. The Greeks mention various rings endowed with magic power, as that of Gyges. which rendered him invisible when its stone was turned inward; and the ring of Polyerates, which was flung into the sea to propitiate Nemesis, and found by its owner inside a fish; and there were persons who made a lucrative traffic of selling charmed rings, worn for the most part by the lower classes.
Various explanations have been given of the connection of the ring with marriage. It would rather appear that wedding-rings were worn by the Jews prior to Christian times. It has been said that as the delivery of the signet-ring to any one was a sign of confidence, so the delivery of a ring by the husband to the wife indicated that she was admitted into his confidence. Another explanation is, that the form of the ring symbol izes eternity and constancy; and it has been alleged that the left hand was chosen to denote the wife's subjection to her husband, and the third finger, because it thereby pressed a vein which was supposed to communicate directly with the heart. The third finger has always been selected as the finger on which official ring are to be worn. Bishops on their consecration receive a ring to be worn on the third finger of the right hand, in order to indicate ecclesiastical authority, and doctors were formerly in use, for a similar reason, to wear a ring ou the same finger. A ring has been much used at betrothal as well as marriage, and in many parts of the continent of Europe a is worn by the husband as well as the wife. In Britain rings are occasionally worn on all the fingers except the first finger and thumb; the Germans usually wear a signet-ring ou the first finger. During the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries it was a very common practice to have mottoes inscribed on rings, including wedding-rings, and the motto was called the posy or chanson. The ring was the symbol of the dominion of Venice over the Adriatic: and yearly, on ascension day, a ring was thrown by the doge from the ship Bucentaur into the sea, to denote that as the wife is subject to her husband, so is the Adriatic sea to the republic of Venice.