changes the curse into a blessing, throwing down his taper among the people.

EASTER.

Easter-day is distinguished by its peculiar name through our Saxon ancestors, who at this season of the year held a great festival, in honour of the goddess Eastor, probably the astarte of the Eastern nations. Others think it is so called from the Saxon Oster, to rise, being the day of Christ's resurrection. The French call this festival paques, derived from the Greek pascha, and Hebrew pesech, i. e., passover, and whence we have the English paschal, as applied to the Lamb in the last supper.

The earliest possible day whereon Easter can happen is the 22nd of March. It fell on that day in 1818, and cannot happen on that day till the year 2285. The latest possible day whereon Easter can happen is the 25th of April.

"Going a mothering," is from the Roman Catholic custom of going to the mother church on Midlent Sunday, to make offerings at the high altar; and that custom of the Roman church is derived from the hilaria, or heathen festival, celebrated by the ancient Romans, in honour of the mother of the gods, on the ides of March. -The offerings at the altars were in their origin voluntary, and became church property. At length the parish priests compounded with the church at a certain sum, and these voluntary donations of the people have become the dues known by the name of Easter offerings.

TANSEY PUDDING ON EASTER DAY.

The eating of tansey pudding at Easter, and particularly on Easter Sunday, is derived from the Romish church. Tansey symbolized the bitter herbs used by the Jews at their paschal; but that the people might show a proper abhorrence of the Jews, they ate also from a gammon of bacon at Easter, as many still do in several country places at this season, without knowing from whence this practice is derived.

CHANTING IN CATHEDRALS.

The practice of Singing in Antiphony, i. e., by change or course, now on one side and now on the other, which is still preserved in cathedrals, was the practice of the churches in the earliest ages of Christianity, and was no doubt derived from the usages of the Jewish ritual.* In the reign of Theodosius, towards the latter end of the fourth century, St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan,

*St. Ignatius, who was a disciple of St. John, is generally said to be the first who suggested to the Jewish Christians the method of singing psalms and hymns alternately; dividing the singers into two bands or choirs placed on opposite sides.

introduced into the churches at that place what is called the Ambrosian chant, in order to rectify the practice of ecclesiastical chanting, which was then falling into great confusion; and St. Augustine, when speaking of his first entrance into the church there after his conversion, says "The voices flowed in at my ears, truth was distilled in my heart, and the affection of piety overflowed in sweet tears of joy." That splendidly sublime composition, the Te Deum, is generally attributed to St. Ambrose, though the Benedictine editors of his works do not describe it as his; whilst by Cave and Stillingfleet it is said to have been composed by him in conjunction with St. Augustine; and Usher ascribes it to Nicentius. The method of singing and chanting was, according to Eusebius, first established by St. Ambrose at Antioch, where he had long resided.

SALIQUE LAW IN FRANCE.

The Salique law, or the ancient and fundamental law of the kingdom of France, usually supposed to have been made by Pharamond, or at least by Clovis, in virtue whereof males are only to inherit. Du Haillan, after a critical examination, declares it to have been an expedient of Philip the Long, in 1316, for the exclusion of the daughter of Lewis Hutin from inheriting the

crown.

Father Daniel, on the other hand, maintains, that it is quoted by authors more ancient than Philip the Long, and that Clovis is the real author of it. This law has not any particular regard to the crown of France: it only imports, in general, that in Salic land no part of the inheritance shall fall to any female, but the whole to the male sex. By Salic lands, or inheritances, were anciently denoted among us, all lands, by whatever tenure held, whether noble or base, from the succession whereto women were excluded by the Salic law; for they were by it admitted to inherit nothing but movables and purchases wherever there were any males.

COIN OF DORT.

Upon the coin of Dort, or Dordrecht, in Holland, is a cow, under which is sitting a milkmaid. The same representation is in relievo on the pyramid of an elegant fountain in that beautiful town. Its origin is from the following historical fact:-When the united provinces were struggling for their liberty, two beautiful daughters of a rich farmer, on their way to the town with milk, observed, not far from their path, several Spanish soldiers concealed behind some hedges. The patriotic maidens pretended not to have seen any thing, pursued their journey, and, as soon as they arrived in the city, insisted upon an admission to the burgomaster, who had not yet left his bed; they were admitted,

and related what they had discovered. He assembled the council, measures were immediately taken, the sluices were opened, and a number of the enemy lost their lives in the water. The magistrates, in a body, honoured the farmer with a visit, where they thanked his daughters for the act of patriotism which saved the town; they afterwards indemnified him fully for the loss he sustained from the inundation, and the most distinguished young citizens, vied with each other, who should be honoured with the hands of those virtuous Milkmaids.

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ARMS OF THE COBBLERS OF FLANDERS.

The emperor Charles V., being curious to know the sentiments of his meanest subjects concerning himself and his administration, often went incog., and mixed himself in such companies and conversations as he thought proper. One night, at Brussels, his boot requiring immediate mending, he was directed to a cobbler. Unluckily, it happened to be St. Crispin's Day, or holiday, and, instead of finding the cobbler inclined for work, he was in the height of his jollity among his acquaintances. The emperor acquainted him with what he wanted, and offered him a handsome gratuity. What, friend?" says the fellow, "do you know no better than to ask one of our craft to work on St. Crispin? Was it Charles himself, I'd not do a stitch for him now; but if you'll come in and drink St. Crispin, do, and welcome: we are as merry as the emperor can be." The emperor accepted the offer: but while he was contemplating their rude pleasure, instead of joining in it, the jovial host thus accosts him. What, I suppose you are some courtier politician or other, by that contemplative phiz; but be you who, or what you will, you are heartily welcome: drink about, here's Charles the Fifth's health." "Then you love Charles the Fifth?" replied the emperor. "Love him!" says the son of Crispin; "ay, ay, I love his long-noseship well enough; but I should love him much better, would he but tax us a little less; but what have we to do with politics? round with the glasses, and merry be our hearts." After a short stay, the emperor took his leave, and thanked the cobbler for his hospitable reception. "That," cried he, "you are welcome to; but I would not have dishonoured St. Crispin to-day, to have worked for the emperor." Charles, pleased with the good-nature and humour of the man, sent for him next morning to court. You must imagine his surprise to see and hear his late guest was his sovereign: he feared his joke upon his long nose must be punished with death. The emperor, however, thanked him for his hospitality, and, as a reward for it, bade him ask for what he most desired, and take the whole night to settle his surprise and his ambition. Next day he appeared, and requested that, for the future, the cobblers of Flanders might bear for their arms, a boot

with the emperor's crown upon it. That request was granted, and, as his ambition was so moderate, the emperor bade him make another. If," says he, "I am to have my utmost wishes, command that, for the future, the Company of Cobblers shall take place of the Company of Shoemakers." It was, accordingly, so ordained; and, to this day, there is to be seen a chapel in Flanders adorned with a boot and imperial crown on it: and in all processions, the Company of Cobblers take precedence of the Company of Shoemakers.

SELKIRK ARMS.

A singular custom is observed at Selkirk, on the conferring of the freedom of that borough. Four or five bristles, such as are used by shoemakers, are attached to the seal of the burgesses' tickets. These the new-made burgess must dip in his wine, in token of respect for the "Soulters of Selkirk." This ceremony is on no account dispensed with. The ancient and received tradition affirms, that the Soulters of Selkirk distinguished themselves in the battle of Flodden, eighty in number, and, headed by the town-clerk, they joined their monarch on his entry into England. James, pleased with the appearance of this gallant troop, knighted the leader, William Brydom, upon the field of battle, from which few of the men of Selkirk were destined to return. They distinguished themselves in the conflict, and were almost all slain. The few survivors, on their return home, found by the side of Lady-Wood-Edge the corpse of a female, wife to one of their fellow comrades, with a child sucking at her breast. In memory of this last event, continues the tradition, the present arms of the burgh bear a female with a child in her arms, and seated on a sarcophagus, decorated with the Scottish lion.

LONDON ARMS.

The dagger which is quartered in the London arms, was granted by Richard II., in commemoration of Sir William Walworth, who, having felled Wat Tyler to the ground with his mace, dispatched him afterwards with his dagger. The original weapon may be seen in the hand of the statue of Sir William Walworth, in Fishmongers' Hall.

ABLUTIONS OF THE ROMANS ON THE FIRST OF APRIL.

The Romans on the first of April abstained from pleading causes, and the ladies, in particular, performed ablutions under myrtle trees, crowned themselves with its leaves, and offered sacrifices to Venus. This custom originated in a mythological story, that, as Venus was drying her wetted hair by a river side, she was perceived by Satyrs, whose gaze confused her:

"But soon with myrtles she her beauties veil'd,

From whence this annual custom was entail'd."-Ovid.

ORIGIN OF FAIRS.

A fair is a solemn or greater sort of market, granted to any town or city by privilege, for the more speedy and commodious providing of such things as the subject needeth. Both the English and the French word for fairs seem to come from feria, because it is incident to a fair, that persons shall be privileged from being arrested or molested in it from any other debt than that contracted in the fair, or at least was promised to be paid there.

Fairs were first occasioned by the resort of people to the Feast of Dedication; and therefore, in most places, the fairs by old custom were held on the same day with the wake or festival of the saint to whom the church was dedicated, and for the same reason kept it in the churchyard.

When bishops and abbots observed that crowds of people assembled to celebrate the festivities of their patron saints, they applied to the crown for charters to hold fairs at those times, for the accommodation of strangers, and with a view to increase their own revenues by the tolls which their charters authorized them to levy at these fairs. Hence the multitude of attendants increased, some of whom were actuated by religious, and others by commercial views.

Our ancestors were particularly anxious to make fairs useful to the public, and not, as many suppose, a public nuisance. Fairs are not to be kept longer than the time allowed, on pain of being seized into the king's hands. No merchant is to sell goods and merchandise in a fair after it is ended, under the penalty of forfeiting double the value of the goods so sold. One-fourth goes to the prosecutor, and the rest to the king: 5 Edw. III., cap. 13. The citizens of London could not carry their goods to any fair or market out of London before 3 Henry VII., cap. 9, but by that statute they can take their merchandise to any market or fair in England.

BARTHOLOMEW FAIR.

Stow says, that "to the priory of St. Bartholomew, king Henry II. granted the privilege of a faire, to bee kept yeerly at Bartholomew tide for three daies, to wit, the eve, the day, and the next morrow, to which the clothiers of England and drapers of London repaired, and had their boothes and standings within the churchyard of this priory, closed in with walls and gates, locked every night, and watched for safety of men's goods and wares; a court of piepoudres was daily during the faire holden, for debts and contracts. But," continues Stow," notwithstanding all proclamations of the prince, and also the act of parliament, in place of boothes within this churchyard (only letten out in the faire time, and closed up all the yeere after), bee many large