Queen Elizabeth gave the Earl of Essex (Robert Devereux) a ring as a royal talisman. with the message that its return to her was a sign of need and that she would rescue him should he ever fall into trouble. In 1601. the Countess of Nottingham confessed to the queen on her deathbed that the ring had been given to her in error and that she had embezzled it at the instigation of some of Essex's enemies. England. digital reproduction of a historical original.