--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I put my hands over Saint Cuthbert's…" description: "\"“I put my hands over Saint Cuthbert's fingers and I could feel the big ruby ring under my own fingers, and I gave the jewel a twitch just to see whethe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/bernard-cornwell-1849_quote_i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fin_852565.jpg" --- # I put my hands over Saint Cuthbert's fingers and I could… ![“I put my hands over Saint Cuthbert's fingers and I could feel the big ruby ring under my own fingers, and I gave the jewel a twitch just to see whether the stone was loose and would come free, but it seemed well fixed in its setting. "I swear to be your man," I said to the corpse, "and to serve…” quote by Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/bernard-cornwell-1849_quote_i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fin_852565.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/bernard-cornwell-1849_quote_i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fin_852565.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/bernard-cornwell-1849_quote_i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fin_852565.jpg) > ““I put my hands over Saint Cuthbert's fingers and I could feel the big ruby ring under my own fingers, and I gave the jewel a twitch just to see whether the stone was loose and would come free, but it seemed well fixed in its setting. "I swear to be your man," I said to the corpse, "and to serve you faithfully." I tried to shift the ring again, but the dead fingers were stiff and the ruby did not move.”” [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character tests a dead man's ring, swearing loyalty, showing desperation and reverence for symbols of power. **In simple terms:** He checks a dead man's ring and vows loyalty, hoping it will work. Key Takeaway Respect symbols, but beware false security. Themes loyalty power ritual death trust Mood tense reflective Type literary dramatic When to use this quote - medieval battle - political alliance - personal oath - artifact verification Key Concepts symbolic binding faithful service superstition Questions to Reflect On - Do symbols truly bind loyalty? - Can a dead man's token inspire living commitment? A Different Perspective The ring may be fixed, but loyalty cannot be forced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“Her gaze dropped to the right side of his mouth, to the corner of his lip that was permanently pulled into a slight snarl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/her-gaze-dropped-to-the-right-side-of-his-mouth-to-the-corner-of-his/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [God gave me 5 fingers and on those 5 fingers he gave me promises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-johnson/god-gave-me-5-fingers-and-on-those-5-fingers-he-gave-me-promises/) [Natalya Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-johnson/) > [“Ned stuck out his calloused fingers and gave my hand a surprisingly gentle shake. It was like shaking hands with a pineapple.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/ned-stuck-out-his-calloused-fingers-and-gave-my-hand-a-surprisingly/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) ## More by Bernard Cornwell > [“They laughed, but I was melancholy. The remnants of Rome always make me sad, simply because they are proof that we slide inexorably towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/they-laughed-but-i-was-melancholy-the-remnants-of-rome-always-make-me/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“Some mothers soften their sons, but Osbert was motherless and I had raised him hard because a man must be hard. The world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/some-mothers-soften-their-sons-but-osbert-was-motherless-and-i-had/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“Enemies come soon enough in a mans life,' he told me, 'you don't need to seek them out”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/enemies-come-soon-enough-in-a-mans-life-he-told-me-you-don-t-need-to/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“Wyrd bi ful aræd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/wyrd-bi-ful-ar-d/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“‎"He sang the song of the sword, keening as he fed his blade, and Rollo, standing thigh-deep in the creek, ax swinging in murderous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/he-sang-the-song-of-the-sword-keening-as-he-fed-his-blade-and-rollo/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“A battle in the shield wall. It's smelling your enemy's breath while he tries to disembowel you with an axe, it's blood and shit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/a-battle-in-the-shield-wall-it-s-smelling-your-enemy-s-breath-while/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [I'll happily mentor anyone who wants mentoring, and most of that goes on by internet rather than face to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/i-ll-happily-mentor-anyone-who-wants-mentoring-and-most-of-that-goes/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“Nor did he care about his childhood, for certainly I never heard him speak of it. I once questioned him about his early days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/nor-did-he-care-about-his-childhood-for-certainly-i-never-heard-him/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“Calix meus inebrians.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/calix-meus-inebrians/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“And we screamed. We screamed our war cry, our shout of slaughter, our joy of being men in battle who are driven by terror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/and-we-screamed-we-screamed-our-war-cry-our-shout-of-slaughter-our/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [It's fun. I sit down every day and tell stories. Some folk would kill to get that chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/it-s-fun-i-sit-down-every-day-and-tell-stories-some-folk-would-kill/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“You will tell him that Uhtred of Bebbanburg is in a mood to kill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/you-will-tell-him-that-uhtred-of-bebbanburg-is-in-a-mood-to-kill/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“Priests come to my home beside the northern sea where they find an old man, and they tell me I am just a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/priests-come-to-my-home-beside-the-northern-sea-where-they-find-an/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“An English man-at-arms had his helmet split open and his skull with it, so that he rode wavering from the fight, blood pouring down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/an-english-man-at-arms-had-his-helmet-split-open-and-his-skull-with/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“Instinct is everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/instinct-is-everything/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) [Explore all 171 Bernard Cornwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) ## More Ruby Ring quotes > [“Her gaze dropped to the right side of his mouth, to the corner of his lip that was permanently pulled into a slight snarl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/her-gaze-dropped-to-the-right-side-of-his-mouth-to-the-corner-of-his/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) Browse all 2 Ruby Ring quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I put my hands over Saint Cuthbert's fingers and I could feel the big ruby ring under my own fingers, and I gave the jewel a twitch just to see whether the stone was loose and would come free, but it seemed well fixed in its setting. \"I swear to be your man,\" I said to the corpse, \"and to serve you faithfully.\" I tried to shift the ring again, but the dead fingers were stiff and the ruby did not move.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bernard Cornwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fingers-and-i-could-feel-the-big/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ruby Ring" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fingers-and-i-could-feel-the-big/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/bernard-cornwell-1849_quote_i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fin_852565.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/bernard-cornwell-1849_quote_i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fin_852565.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/bernard-cornwell-1849_quote_i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fin_852565.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I put my hands over Saint Cuthbert's fingers and I could feel the big ruby ring under my own fingers, and I…” — Bernard Cornwell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bernard Cornwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I put my hands over Saint...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fingers-and-i-could-feel-the-big/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/i-put-my-hands-over-saint-cuthbert-s-fingers-and-i-could-feel-the-big/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```