Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

the Portuguese hymn to the Virgin Mary in our last volume, p. 36.

3.-SAINT BLASE.

He was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, and suffered martyrdom in 316, under the persecution of Licinius, by command of Agricolaus, governor of Cappadocia and the Lesser Armenia. No other reason than the great devotion of the people to this celebrated martyr of the church, seems to have given occasion to the woolcombers to choose him the titular patron of their profession; and his festival is still kept by them at Norwich, and also at Doncaster, with a solemn guild. Perhaps the iron combs, with which he is said to have been tormented, gave rise to this choice. For an account of the anniversaries of the different trades at Montpelier, in France, see T. T. for 1818, p. 29.

*3. 1777.-HUGH KELLY DIED.

He was one of the best writers of sentimental comedy, relieved at the same time by wit and humour. His False Delicacy, School for Wives, and a Word to the Wise, deserve ever to hold a place on the English Stage. As a writer of periodical papers, too, he has considerable merit: there is much valuable matter in his Babbler. 6.-SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. p. 23.

See SEPTUAGESIMA,

*6. 1685.-KING CHARLES II, DIEd. "Thus died King Charles II, of a vigorous and robust constitution, and in all appearance promising a long life. He was a prince of many virtues, and many greate imperfections; debonaire, easy of accesse, not bloudy nor cruel; his countenance fierce, his voice greate, proper of person, every motion became him; a lover of the sea, and skilfull in shipping; not affecting other studies, yet he had a laboratory, and knew of many empyrical medicines, and the easier mechanical mathematics; he loved planting and building, and brought in a politer way

of living, which passed to luxury and intolerable expence. He had a particular talent in telling a story, and facetious passages, of which he had innumerable; this made some buffoons and vitious wretches too presumptuous and familiar, not worthy the favour they abused. He tooke delight in having a number of little spaniels follow him and lie in his bed-chamber.

He frequently and easily changed favorites, to his greate prejudice. As to other publiq transactions and unhappy miscarriages, 'tis not here I intend to number them; but certainly never had king more glorious opportunities to have made himselfe, his people, and all Europe happy, and prevented innumerable mischiefs, had not his too easy nature resigned him to be managed by crafty men, and some abandoned and profane wretches who corrupted his otherwise sufficient parts, disciplined as he had ben by many afflictions during his banishment, which gave him much experience and knowledge of men and things; but those wicked creatures took him off from all application becoming so greate a king.'-Evelyn's Memoirs, vol. i, p.

582.

The same writer attended the proclamation of James II, which gives rise to the following just but melancholy reflections. I can never forget' he observes, 'the inexpressible luxury and prophanenesse, gaming and all dissoluteness, and as it were total forgetfullnesse of God (it being Sunday evening) which this day se'nnight I was witnesse of, the King sitting with about 20 of the greate courtiers and other dissolute persons, who were at basset round a large table, a bank of at least 2000 in gold before them; six days after was all in the dust!

*7. 1802.-MARGATE HOY LOST.

*7. 1807.-WILLIAM STEVENS DIed. He was a hosier by trade, and for many years Treasurer of Queen Anne's Bounty, and a scholar in

Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He was moreover the intimate friend of Bishop Horne, Parkhurst, and Jones of Nayland. His Treatise on the Nature and Constitution of the Christian Church, in the List of Books by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, is a valuable work.

*8. 1750.-EARTHQUAKE IN LONDON. *9. 1665.-STATE OF ST. JAMES'S PARK. Some curious information respecting the state of this agreeable promenade, more than 150 years since, is to be found in Mr. Evelyn's Memoirs. I went,' says he, 'to St. James's Parke, where I saw various animals, and examined the throate of y Onocratylus or Pelican, a fowle betweene a Stork and a Swan, a melancholy water-fowl brought from Astracan by the Russian Ambassador: it was diverting to see how he would toss up and turn a flat fish, plaice or flounder, to get it into its gullet at its lower beak, wch being filmy, stretches to a prodigious wideness when it devours a great fish. Here was also a small water-fowl not bigger than a morehen, that went almost erect like the penguin of America; it would eate as much fish as its whole body weighed, I never saw so unsatiable a devourer, yet ye body did not appear to swell the bigger. The Solan geese here also are greate devourers, and are said soon to exhaust all ye fish in a pond. Here was a curious sort of poultry not much exceeding the size of a tame pidgeon, with legs so short as their crops seemed to touch ye earth; a milk-white raven; a stork which was a rarity at this season, seeing he was loose and could flie loftily; two Balearian cranes, one of which having had one of his leggs broken and cut off above the knee, had a wooden or boxen leg and thigh, with a joynt so accurately made that ye creature could walke and use it as well as if it had ben natural; it was made by a souldier. The Parke was at this time stored with numerous flocks of severall sorts of ordinary and extraordinary wild

E

fowle, breeding about the Decoy, which for being neere so greate a citty, and among such a concourse of souldiers and people, is a singular and diverting thing. There were also deere of severall countries, white; spotted like leopards; antelopes; an elk; red deere; roebucks; staggs; Guinea goates; Arabian sheepe, &c. There were withy-potts or nests for the wild fowle to lay their eggs in, a little above ye surface of ye water. Evelyn's Memoirs, vol. i, p. 373.

[blocks in formation]

*11. 1622.-LONDON BRIDGE BURNT. QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. See SEPTUAGESIMA, p. 23.

14. SAINT VALENTINE.

Valentine was an antient presbyter of the church: after a year's imprisonment at Rome he was beaten with clubs, and then beheaded, in the Via Flaminia, about the year 270, under Claudius II. The modern celebration of this day, with young persons, is well known. See T.T. for 1814, p. 32 and p. 33, note, for an elegant jeu d'esprit on this subject; T.T. for 1815, p. 52; and T.T. for 1817, p. 40.

15. SHROVE TUESDAY.

This is called Fastern's Een' and Pancake Tuesday. Shrove is the preterite of shrive, an antiquated word, which signifies to hear or make confession. See T.T. for 1814, p. 35, and for 1815, p. 45. The Popish Carnival commences from Twelfth-day, and usually holds till Lent. At Rome, the Carnival lasts for nine days, and it is nowhere seen in such perfection as at this place. See it described at length in our volume for 1815, p. 48.

16.-ASH WEDNESDAY.

Formerly Lent began on the Sunday after Quinquagesima, i. e. our first Sunday in Lent, and ended at Easter, containing in all 42 days; and subtracting the six Sundays which are not fasts, there remained only 36 fasting-days, the tenth part of 360, the number of days in the antient year, then considered as a

tythe of the year consecrated to God's service. To these 36 fasting-days, however, of the Old-Lent, Gregory added four days more, to render it equal to the time of our Saviour's fasting, causing it to begin on Ash Wednesday, three days after Quinquagesima; and thus it has remained ever since. Lent is not of apostolic institution, nor was it known in the earlier ages of the Christian church.

*16. 1710.-M. FLECHIER DIED,

The eloquent and benevolent Bishop of Nismes, on whose promotion Louis XIV passed this satirical compliment: I should have rewarded you much sooner, but I was afraid of losing the pleasure of hearing your discourses:' as if Bishops could not preach after their consecration!

*17. 1796.-JAMES MACPHERSON DIED. *17. 1793.-FRENCH INVADED HOLLAND.

*18. 1478.-THE DUKE OF CLARENCE, Brother to Edward IV, being condemned for treason, had the option of selecting the instrument of his death, and chose, therefore, to be drowned in a butt of wine. While we condemn the conduct of Clarence, and the cruelty of Edward, we cannot but lament that so many should have voluntarily inflicted the same death upon themselves by wine and other inebriating liquors.

23.-EMBER WEEK.

There are four Ember Weeks in the year, namely, after the first Sunday in Lent, after the feast of Pentecost, after the 14th of September, and after the 13th of December. It is enjoined by a canon of the church, that Deacons and Ministers be ordained, or made, but only on the Sundays immediately following these Ember feasts.(Nelson.)

[ocr errors]

24. SAINT MATTHIAS.

Matthias was, probably, one of the seventy disciples, and was a constant attendant upon our Lord, from the time of his baptism by St. John, until his

« AnteriorContinuar »