ter and Bristol, dated July 19, 1837.The parish of Widford, in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol and archdeaconry of Gloucester, but insulated in the county of Oxford, transferred to the diocese and archdeaconry of Oxford and deanery of Witney. The archdeaconry of Berks having been annexed to the diocese of Oxford, with the consent of the Bishop of Oxford (vide No. 1. antea), the fixed annual sum of 7501., to be paid to him by the Commissioners, during his incumbency of the See of Oxford. With the consent of the Bishop of Lincoln, already signified, and upon the first avoidance of the See of Oxford, or before such avoidance, with the consent of the Bishop of Oxford, the county and archdeaconry of Buckingham, in the diocese of Lincoln, to be transferred to the diocese of Oxford. On the next avoidance of the See of Oxford, in order to raise the average annual income of the bishop thereof to 5000l. the fixed annual sum of 35007. to be paid to him. After the archdeaconry of Buckingham shall have become part of the diocese of Oxford, the right of appointing the archdeacon to be vested in the Bishop of Oxford. No. 15. Durham Castle, dated July 18, 1837.-The Bishop of Durham to hold the castle of Durham in trust for the University of Durham, subject to such right of access as the clergy of the diocese then had to Bishop Cosin's library within the precincts, and to all right of way to which the same premises had been theretofore legally subject to the right of all such officers of the see or diocese or of the palatinate as had performed for thirty years then last past and still perform the duties of their respective offices in any building within the precincts, and to the enjoyment, by the bedesmen of the cathedral, of the almshouses wherein they reside, until the warden, masters, and scholars, shall have provided, to the satisfaction of the bishop, sufficient buildings elsewhere; and as to the offices of the palatinate, so long as any of those duties remain to be performed by officers who held their offices at the time of passing the act for separating the palatine jurisdiction from the bishopric of Durham. Certain apartments described, with coach-house and stables, to be reserved for the accommodation of the Bishop of Durham, as visitor of the University; and to be at all times ready for his use, on three days' notice of his wish to occupy them. The warden, mas ters, and scholars, to maintain and repair all parts within the precincts, and to indemnify the bishop and his successors against repairs and dilapidations. No. 16. Hereford See Augmentation, dated Aug. 21, 1837.-In order to raise the average annual income of the Bishop of Hereford to 42007., the fixed annual sum of 14007. to be paid to him. No. 17. York, Lincoln, and Peterborough, and Augmentation of the latter See, dated Aug. 21, 1837.-With the consent of the Bishop of Lincoln, already signified, and upon the next avoidance of the see of Peterborough, the county and archdeaconry of Leicester, in the diocese of Lincoln, to be transferred therefrom to the diocese of Peterborough. And after such avoidance, in order to raise the average annual income of the see of Peterborough to 45007., the fixed annual sum of 1150l. to be paid to him. At the time of such avoidance, with the consent of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishop of Lincoln, already signified, the county and archdeaconry of Nottingham, in the province and diocese of York, to be transferred to the province of Canterbury and diocese of Lincoln, and the right of appointing the Archdeacon of Nottingham to be vested in the Bishop of Lincoln. No. 18. Carlisle and Chester Sees Augmentation, dated Aug. 21, 1837.-În order to raise the average annual income of the Bishops of Carlisle and Chester to 45001. each, the fixed annual sum of 20007. to be paid to the Bishop of Carlisle, and 14507. to the Bishop of Chester. No. 19. Palace for the See of Ripon, dated Dec. 11, 1837.-Lands containing 109 acres, of the annual value of 801., part of Bramley Grange Farm, held by Miss Lawrence of Studley Royal, under the Archbishop of York, transferred to the Bishop of Ripon, as a site for an episcopal house and demesne. The sum of 11117. 58. 6d. granted for the purchase of Miss Lawrence's lease. No. 20. Lincoln See Augmentation, dated April 3, 1838.-In order to raise the average annual income of the Bishop of Lincoln to 50007., the fixed annual sum of 12507. to be paid to him. The episcopal house at Buckden, which is not now within the limits of the diocese, to be partly pulled down, and the materials sold; and a fixed annual sum of 500l. to be paid to procure a temporary residence within such limits. ON A TRUMPET FOR DEAFNESS, Recommended by Mr. Southey, who said "You will again hear the birds sing, the bees hum, and the waters flow." FAITHFUL interpreter of sounds-to me How faithful! for I hear, indeed, the birds Nor let me hear that song,-those chords that bring Lest, rapt in tenderness by the sweet air That charm'd my youth, of my great MASTER'S HEST Age's cold hand has character'd my brow :- That swells his heart and fills his eyes Bremhill, 1838. with tears. ON THE PRESUMED INTERCOURSE OF DUCKS AND TOADS. AN ingenious and friendly reader of our Magazine has sent us the following very curious remarks on a circumstance mentioned by us in our review of Mr. Bucke's work on "The Beauties and Sublimities of Nature," (Feb. p. 55), of the presumed hymeneal union of the toad and the duck. It is more authentic than anything we have before read on the subject; and is worthy of preservation. "I remember a farmer bringing from his residence of Thomas Lane, in the borough of Wakefield, to Mr. Renhardt, druggist of Wakefield, a dead toad with part of a duck shell adhering to its back, and so hatched by one of his ducks, as he averred; Renhardt kept the toad many years in spirits in his window. I once set a hen on thirteen ducks' eggs. When the time of incubation had expired, myself and servants frequented the nest. One morning we found a broken shell and a young toad dead lying near it. The next morning another broken shell, and another dead toad; both toads somewhat shrunk and dried. I now took the eleven eggs and broke them one by one before my servants. Not one contained the rudiments of either toad or duck, nor yolk-nor white; but a blackish matter resembling toad spawn. I will not aver that the two toads found by the broken shells, and evidently broken by the hen, were hatched in these shells, though the contents of the eleven which I broke seemed to support that opinion. My theory is, that the toad has no intercourse with the duck; the idea is ridiculous, but, as the drake carries on his flirtation in the water, which may, at the time, contain a great quantity of toad spawn, some of that spawn may find admittance in utero anatis. If my recollection serves, a small snake found in a duck's egg was taken to the Newspaper Office of Mr. E. Baines at Leeds." With regard to what the same correspondent says on the 'rook,' if he does not believe us, let him order some rooks to be shot, and look into the crops. This will be much more reasonable than continuing this apparently endless argument; if he finds nothing but grubs-why then, “det veniam corvis." As for the mermaid, we beg to add to what we observed, that the invention of this fabulous animal has been owing to the desire we possess of finding analogies and correspondences in the works of Nature, and thus, as it were, simplifying and generalising our knowledge. The animals on the earth being known first, and most familiar to men, received their names; and then the creatures of the watery element took similar ones, whenever a fancied resemblance would appear to warrant the application. Thus we have a sealion, a sea-horse, a sea-cow, a sea-calf, a sea dog-fish, a sea-hog (porpoise), a seaunicorn, a sea-otter; and many more which we do not recollect off-hand what wonder we should have a sea-man and a sea-woman (a merman and mer maid)? But why is not the merman seen as often as the mermaid?-simply because, that those who believe they see them, are males,-the sailors and fishermen. Were those who live on "the great sea," women instead of men, we should hear far less of mermaids, and more of mermen; the sexual feeling affecting even this question. Our correspondent, whom we thank, is T. T. L. L. of West Yorkshire. RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW. Old French Literature.-Mysteries of St. Geneviève-Romances of Robert the Devil, and King Flore, &c.* We have been hindered during several months from continuing our notices of the various foreign publications on Middle Age literature, by a press of other matter, and in the mean time they have been collecting on our table until they are become rather numerous. On the whole, in France the publication of early French and Anglo-Norman poetry has not been so brisk as it was some months ago; but we are happy to say that there are several important works now nearly ready, among which may be enumerated the Romance of Witichind, or the Conquest of the Saxons by Charlemagne, edited by M. Francisque Michel, and the works of the trouvère Rutebeuf, as well as a new Collection of Fabliaux (supplementary to the volumes by Barbazan and Méon), both by M. Jubinal. We have the two first volumes of the Chronicle of Benoît, by Michel; the Brut of Wace, by Le Roux de Lincy; and two volumes of Paulin Paris's useful Catalogue of the French MSS. of the Bibliothèque du Roi; to each of which works we intend successively to devote a separate article. The Collection of Mysteries edited by M. Jubinal from the MS. of the library of St. Geneviève, is a very important addition to our materials for the early history of the stage. On a former occasion we noticed at some length the first volume of this work, whose contents came more properly under the title of Miracle Plays: the present volume contains four rather long mysteries founded on subjects taken from the New Testament, viz.-The Nativity of Christ The Play of the Three Kings-The Passion of our Lord-and The Resurrection of our Lord. In their general style these dramas, which are printed from a MS. of the 15th century, are similar to the ordinary run of our English Mysteries, and they are not embellished with any episodical scenes. The clownish conversation of the shepherds in the play of the Nativity, the swaggering of Herod and his soldiers, with the wrangling between the former and the women whose infants they come to kill, in that of * Mystères inédits du Quinzième Siècle, publiés pour la première fois, par Achille Jubinal, d'après le MS. unique de la Bibliothèque Ste. Geneviève. Tom. 2, 8vo. Paris, Techener, 1837. Le Roman de Robert le Diable, en Vers, du xiiie Siècle, publié pour la première fois par G. S. Trebutien. Paris, Silvestre, 4to. 1837. Le Roman du Roi Flore et de la belle Jeanne, publié pour la première fois . . . par Francisque Michel. Paris, Techener, 12mo. 1838. Lettre au Directeur de l'Artiste, touchant le MS. de la Bibliothèque de Berne, No. 354, perdu pendant vingt-huit ans, suivie de quelques pièces inédites du 13¢ siècle relatives à divers métiers du moyen âge tirées de ce manuscrit, publiées par Achille Jubinal. Paris, 8vo. 1838. All these publications may be had in London of Mr. Pickering. the Three Kings, the bullying behaviour of the soldiers in the play of the Passion, with their cowardice at the tomb which they are put to guard, are a relief to the otherwise serious character of the dialogue. The play of the Nativity, as well as that of the Resurrection, commences with the Creation. The Creator is introduced reflecting on his works, and in conclusion resolves to make man, in order to occupy the Paradise which Lucifer, by his pride, had forfeited "Pour recovrer de Paradis Les siéges dont jay jadis* Lucifer, par son grant orgueil." "To recover of Paradise The seats from which fell formerly The process of creating Adam and Eve is managed in a very ingenious manner, and is a curious specimen of old stage machinery. While the Creator is making the introductory speech, Adam and Eve are lying down on the stage, each of them covered with a blanket. After the speech is ended, "God takes some mud and pretends to make Adam" (Cy preingne Dieu du limon et face semblant de faire Adam), who thereupon jumps up from under his blanket, and praises his Maker. Soon Adam becomes sleepy, and goes to lay himself down by the side of Eve's blanket; God approaches him, takes him by the ribs, and Eve rises from under her covering behind him. Eve, from the moment God leaves her with her husband, begins to wish to eat of the forbidden apple tree, and to wonder why it is forbidden. A devil, called Belgibus, appears beside the tree and tempts her. She eats of the fruit, and, after some conversation, persuades Adam to do the same. The apple sticks in Adam's throat (a circumstance from which is derived a popular name for the protuberance of the throat, Adam's apple, pomme d'Adam), and he cries out "Ha hay! je suy mal avoiez: Ce morcel ne puis avaler. Nostre Seigneur quant il [me] "Oh me! I am in a scrape: This morsel I cannot swallow. Alas! I bethink me too late Of the speech which made to me Then God comes forward, and causes Adam and Eve to be turned out of Paradise. Adam asks what they are to do, to keep themselves— supposing the word jeté to have been overlooked by the scribe. The addition of this word, however, clearly spoils the rithm of the line, and we venture to suggest that the line needed no alteration, but that jay is only a variation of chaï, fell. The sentence would certainly be better thus interpreted. Et filler tantost ma queloigne And so "Adam delves, and Eve spins." And to spin immediately my distaff, There were innumerable legends abroad, in the Middle Ages, concerning the holy cross, one of which appears in this Mystery. Time has passed on, and Adam, in his advanced age, is dying. He sends his son Seph (Cep) to Paradise, to pray to God for him. God orders Raphael to give him a branch of the apple-tree. Cy vois Raphael à Cep, et ly baille Cep, beaus amis, entens à moy: "Here let Raphael come to Seph, and give him the branch, and say: And when thy father shall be dead, At present ask nothing more of him, Seph plants the branch, as he is ordered, and in course of ages out of it grew the tree which furnished the wood to make the cross on which Christ was crucified. Before we leave Jubinal's book, we will observe that it contains an interesting preface and notes, in the latter of which he has printed the Songe d'Enfer of Raoul de Houdaing, and another ancient poem entitled A dispute between the Synagogue and the Church. The curious old Romance of Robert the Devil (a name which has been rendered so famous by the opera of Meyerbeer) is printed very elegantly in quarto, double columns, with the beautiful fac-simile of the old gothic type which was cast at the expense of the Prince d'Essling. To produce a still more close resemblance to the ancient MS. the ten illuminations which adorned it have been re-produced in so many wood-cuts which are given in their several places in the poem. It is altogether a very beautiful book. The English reader has become well acquainted with the legend of Robert the Devil by the re-print of the Old English prose translation in the three volumes of Early English Prose Romances by Mr. Thoms. M. Trébutien has prefaced his edition of the French Metrical Romance, which is of the thirteenth century, by a long and curious introduction, in which he examines the historical allusions which it is supposed to contain, collects the popular traditions concerning it, and gives a list of the different forms in which the romance has, from time to time, appeared. The name of Robert the Devil is still preserved in traditions and names of places in different parts of Normandy. One of the towers of the Tower of London, now called Devereux's Tower, was, in the reign of Henry VIII. known by the name of Robin the Devyll's Tower. We think that M. Trébutien has misunderstood the words of Britton and Brayley, who confess themselves ignorant of the origin of this name. They could scarcely be ignorant of the Legend of Robert the Devil, but they might be uncertain why his name came See the proverb illustrated both by a picture and a song, in our Review of Wright's Early English Poetry, Gent. Mag. May, 1837, p. 518. † Rain, a branch, from the Latin Ramus. |