Black Rod 1350 by royal letters patent, though the current title dates from 1522. The position was adopted by other members of the Commonwealth when they adopted the British Westminster system. The title is derived from the staff of office, an ebony staff topped with a golden lion, which is the main symbol of the office's authority. A ceremonial rod or staff is a common type of symbol indicating the authority of the office-holder. Depictions of ancient authority figures in many cultures include such a rod (alternatively called a sceptre). Another early example was the fasces (literally a bound bundle of rods)
The Rulers members realize what he is implying too late; as they rush to trigger a weapon to kill him, Latham orders the guards to shoot the device. The Rulers has not been widely reviewed. One of the few to mention it was a 1952 review of "Destination: Universe" in Galaxy Science Fiction which mentions the "coldness of his writing and the woodenness of his characterizations" and calling the story as one "from his Complicated Periods". The Rulers The Rulers is a golden age science fiction short story by A. E. van Vogt, originally published in "Astounding" in March 1946. It was