lent, though in season but for a day, may produce most lasting effects; and that a friend may be lost, and an enemy created, by these momentary triumphs.' 3.-RICHARD, Bishop. Richard, surnamed de Wiche, from a place in Worcestershire where he was born, was educated at the Universities of Oxford and Paris. He was as remarkable for his learning and diligence in preaching, as he was for integrity. *3. A.D. 33.-CRUCIFIXION OF OUR SAVIOUR. Two extraordinary instances of voluntary crucifixion occurred at Paris, in August 1759, which are authenticated by the Baron Grimm, in his 'Memoirs.' The Soeur Rachel and the Soeur Felicité, two women from 30 to 40 years of age, belonging to the sect called Convulsionaires, being inwardly moved, as they pretended, to exhibit the passion of our Saviour, were actually nailed to two wooden crosses, through their hands and their feet, and continued fastened to them for upwards of three hours; during which they sometimes pretended to slumber in a beatific trance, and, at other times, uttered a quantity of infantine nonsense and gibberish, asking for sweetmeats, and threatening and fondling the spectators, in lisping accents, and all the babyish diminutives of the nursery. The nails were at length drawn out, and a considerable quantity of blood flowed from all the wounds; after washing and bandaging which, the patients sat down quietly to a little repast in the midst of the apartment. Although their votaries and ghostly advisers maintained that they experienced no pain, but, on the contrary, the most exquisite delight from these operations, the respectable reporters concur in testifying, that it was easy to see throughout that they were frequently in the utmost agony; and that, in driving in and drawing out the nails in particular, they could not refrain from all the contortions and writhings of the most dreadful suffering;-though they had the incredible fortitude and self-command to suppress any audible indications of their misery, and not to utter the least murmur or groan in the midst of their torments. *5. A.D. 33.-RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD. Oh! who shall then survive? Oh! who shall stand and live? In the sky's azure canopy; When for the breathing Earth, and sparkling Sea, Lord of all power, when THOU art there alone That in its high meridian noon Needs not the perished sun nor moon; When THOU art there in thy presiding state, The dead of all the ages round THEE wait: And when the tribes of wickedness are strewn Like forest leaves in th' autumn of thine ire : Milman's Fall of Jerusalem. 4.-SAINT AMBROSE. Our saint was born about the year 340, and was educated in his father's palace, who was Prætorian Præfect of Gaul. He ruled over the see of Milan with great piety and vigilance for more than twenty years; during which time, he gave all his money to pious uses, and settled the reversion of his estate upon the church. He converted the celebrated St. Augustine to the faith, and, at his baptism, composed that divine hymn, so well known in the church by the name of Te Deum. He died, aged fifty-seven, A.D. 396. *5. 1811.-ROBERT RAIKES DIED, ÆT. 75. Having prospered in the course of trade (that of a printer, in Gloucester), he began early to look round for objects of benevolence, and first found them in the prisons. To relieve such, he employed his pen, his influence, and his property; and discovering that ignorance was the principal cause of those offences which render imprisonment necessary, he formed a plan of giving these unfortunate men moral and religious instruction, and regular employment, which proved highly beneficial and consolatory. But that for which he has been most highly and deservedly praised, is the institution of SUNDAY SCHOOLS; where, in the language of a poet of the day, Silent, attentive, are the little band; Mute is the tongue, and still the restless hand: CROMWELL'S POEMS. The first Sunday school, it is believed, was planned and opened in Gloucester by Mr. Raikes, in 1781. *6. 1743.-WILLIAM MELMOTH DIED, Author of the 'Great Importance of a Religious Life considered,' of which more than 100,000 copies have been sold since his death. As a further recommendation of this justly popular work, it may be proper to observe, that the author's life was one uniform exemplar of those precepts which, with so benevolent a zeal, and so pathetic a simplicity of style, he endeavours to recommend to general practice. He left others to contend for modes of faith, and inflame themselves and the world with endless controversy: it was the wiser purpose of his more ennobled aim, to act up to those clear rules of conduct which reve lation hath graciously prescribed. He possessed by temper every moral virtue; by religion every christian grace. He had a humanity that melted at every distress; a charity, which not only thought no evil, but suspected none: and he exercised his profession with a skill and integrity, which nothing could equal, but the disinterested motive that animated his labours, or the amiable modesty which accompanied all his virtues. He employed his industry, not to gratify his own desires; no man indulged himself less: not to accumulate useless wealth; no man more disdained so unworthy a pursuit: it was for the decent advancement of his family, for the generous assistance of his friends, for the ready relief of the indigent. How often did he exert his distinguished abilities, yet refuse the reward of them, in defence of the widow, the fatherless, and of him that had none to help him! In a word, few have ever passed a more useful, not one a more blameless, life; and his whole time was employed either in doing good, or in meditating it. See an account of his son, the elegant translator of Cicero and Pliny, in pp. 64, 65. 8.-FIFTH SUNDAY IN Lent. Dominica in Passione, or Passion Sunday, was the name given to this day in missals; as the church now began to advert to the sufferings of Christ. In the north, it is called Carling Sunday, and grey peas, first steeped a night in water, and fried with butter, form the usual repast. 15.-PALM SUNDAY. In the missals, this day is denominated Dominica in ramis Palmarum, or Palm Sunday, and was so called from the palm branches and green boughs formerly distributed on that day, in commemoration of our Lord's riding to Jerusalem. Sprigs of boxwood are still used as a substitute for palms in Roman Catholic countries.-See also T. T. for 1815, p. 84. As illustrative of customs on Palm Sunday, we add the following:-The manor of Broughton in Lindsay, in Lincolnshire, is held under that of Castor by this strange service, viz. that annually upon Palm Sunday, the Deputy of the Lord of the Manor of Broughton attends at the church of Castor, with a new cart-whip in his hand, which he cracks thrice in the church porch, passes with it on his shoulder up the nave into the chancel, and seats himself in the pew of the Lord of the Manor, where he remains until the officiating minister is about to read the second lesson. He then proceeds with his whip, to the lash of which he has, in the interim, affixed a purse, which ought to contain thirty silver pennies (instead of which a single half-crown is substituted); and, kneeling down on a cushion, or mat, before the reading desk, holds the purse suspended over the minister's head all the time he is reading the lesson; after which he returns to his seat, and when divine service is over, leaves the whip and purse at the manor house '. 19.-MAUNDY THURSDAY. This day is called, in Latin, dies Mandati, the day of the command, being the day on which our Lord washed the feet of his disciples, as recorded in the second lesson. This practice was long kept up in the monasteries. After the ceremony, liberal donations were made to the poor, of clothing and of silver money; and refreshment was given them to mitigate the severity of the fast. A relic of this custom is still preserved in the donations dispensed at St. James's on this day. The following description of the ceremony as practised two or three years since, will be interesting to our provincial readers. The numbers partaking of the king's bounty this time amounted to eighty. The distribution, as usual, took place at Whitehall Chapel; but on account of an extra staircase being built from the anti-chapel 1 Gentleman's Magazine, June 1820, p. 496. |