. Sun dials and roses of yesterday; garden delights which are here displayed in every truth and are moreover regarded as emblems . s ; for through his generosity I amenabled to make this chapter the most fully illus- Portable Sun-dials 137 trated chapter on portable dials ever printed in Eng-lish, or I believe in any language ; and illustrated,too, with the rarest and most beautiful examples oftheir kind. Many are unique ; and all would bebeyond any possi-bility of examina-tion and compari-son, save for histhoughtfulness andkindness. An ancient formof portable dial wascalled the ring-dial;it i
. Sun dials and roses of yesterday; garden delights which are here displayed in every truth and are moreover regarded as emblems . s ; for through his generosity I amenabled to make this chapter the most fully illus- Portable Sun-dials 137 trated chapter on portable dials ever printed in Eng-lish, or I believe in any language ; and illustrated,too, with the rarest and most beautiful examples oftheir kind. Many are unique ; and all would bebeyond any possi-bility of examina-tion and compari-son, save for histhoughtfulness andkindness. An ancient formof portable dial wascalled the ring-dial;it is old as Shake-speares day. Thesevaried greatly insize. Mr. Evanshas seen but oneEnglish ring-dialsmall enough fora finger ring;though he has themof the size properto use on a watchfob or as a seal. These were from2^ inches in diameter and were made in large numbersin Sheffield throughout the eighteenth century. Inthis form they were simply a flat ring with the hourlines drawn diagonally across the narrow surface ofthe ring. Through a tiny hole drilled in one side thesuns rays sent a shining spot of light upon the Brass Universal Ring-dial, Flat forcarrying; owned by Author. li inches to 138 Sun-dials and Roses of Yesterday On page 136 is shown, full size, a universal ring-dial, owned by the author. This is a very goodexample of a common form of this dial, which wasgreatly used in England in the seventeenth and eigh-teenth centuries. It is, as may be seen in the illus-tration, a kind of armillarysphere showing the circlesof the equator and themeridian together withthe polar axis (the baracross the centre), which ismarked with the namesof the months and has onit a sliding gnomon witha tiny hole in the whole is pivoted to-gether in such a mannerthat it can be flattened out(and is thus shown onpage 137) and can be car-ried conveniently in thepocket. The meridianring is marked with de-grees, and the suspending clip is movable so itcan be placed in proper posi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectsundial, bookyear1902
