The vertu of the ryng, if ye wol heere,
Is this: that if hire lust it for to were
Upon hir thombe or in hir purs it bere,
Ther is no fowel that fleeth under the hevene
That she ne shal wel understonde his stevene,
And knowe his menyng openly and pleyn,
And answere hym in his langage ageyn;
And every gras that groweth upon roote
She shal eek knowe, and whom it wol do boote,
Al be his woundes never so depe and wyde.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Squire’s Tale. The visiting knight describes the ring which he has brought for Tartar king Cambuskan’s daughter Canace. The ring enables the wearer to understand the language of any bird, and the healing properties of all herbs. It is a gift from the king of Araby.