berland, on the death of Tonbert, in 671, but persisted in her vow, and died abbess of her convent on the 23d of June, 679. On the 17th of October, sixteen years afterwards, her relics were translated, and therefore on this day her festival is commemorated. In 870, the Danes made a descent on the isle of Ely, destroyed the convent and slaughtered the inhabitants, By abbreviation her name became corrupted to Auldrey and Audrey. Tawdry-St Audrey. As at the annual fair in the isle of Ely, called St. Audrey's fair, “much ordinary but showy lace was usually sold to the country lasses, St. Audrey's lace soon became proverbial, and from that cause Taudry, a corruption of St. Audrey, was established as a common expression to denote not only lace, but any other part of female dress, which was much more gaudy in appearance than warranted by its real quality and value." This is the assertion of Mr. Brady, in his "Clavis Calendaria," who, for aught that appears to the contrary, gives the derivation of the word as his own conjecture, but Mr. Archdeacon Nares, in his admi. rable "Glossary," shows the meaning to nave been derived from Harpsfield, an old English historian," who refers to the appellation, and "makes St. Audrey die of a swelling in her throat, which she considered as a particular judgment, for having been in her youth much addicted to wearing fine necklaces." There is not now any grounds to doubt that tawdry comes from St. Audrey. It was so derived in Dr. Johnson's "Dictionary" before Mr. Todd's edition. Dr. Ash deemed the word of uncertain etymology." 66 Idipped a cabbage-leaf in honey, and tempted him to eat the first solid foo ever tasted. I beg leave to add to Cowper's bill of fare, nuts, walnuts, pea sweet cakes of all kinds, sea biscuits sugar, and, above all, apple-pie. Every thing which is hard and crisp seems to be particularly relished.-The iris of the hare is very beautiful; it has the appearance of the gills of a young mushroom, seeming to consist of very delicate fibres, disposed like radii issuing from a common centre. I shall be glad to be informed by any person, skilled in anatomy, whether this structure of the iris be not of use to enable the eye to bear the constant action of the light; as it is a common opinion that this animal sleeps, even in the day-time, with its eyes open. I have observed, likewise, that the fur of the hare is more strongly electrical than the hair of any other animal. If you apply the point of a finger to his side in frosty weather, the hairs are immediately strongly attracted towards it from all points, and closely embrace the finger on every side." It should be added from this agreeable writer, as regards the squirrel, that he was much surprised at the great advantage the little animal derives from his extended tail, which brings his body so nearly to an equipoise with the air, as to render a leap or fall from the greatest height perfectly safe to him. "My squirrel has more than once leaped from the window of the second story, and alighted on stone steps, or on hard gravel, without suffering any inconvenience. But I should be glad to have confirmation, from an eye-witness, of what Mr. Pennaut relates on the credit of Linnæus, Klein, Rzaczinski, and Scheffer, viz. that a squirrel sometimes crosses a river on a piece of bark by way of boat, using his tail as a sail. Not less astonishing is the undaunted courage of these little Urban, whose account of his squirrels conquer as it were, by reflection and forThe pleasant correspondent of Mr. brutes: they seem sometimes resolved to is introduced on the seventh day of the pre- titude, their natural instinctive fears. I sent month, was induced, by Mr. Cow- have often known a squirrel tremble and per's experience in the management of scream at the first sight of a dog or cat, his hares, to procure a hare about three and yet, within a few minutes, after several The little creature," he abortive attempts, summon resolution at first pined for his dam, and his enough to march up and smell at the ver liberty, and refused food. In a few days nose of his gigantic enemy. These 2 I prevailed with him to take some milk proaches he always makes by short abrup from my lips, and this is still his favourite leaps, stamping the ground with his feet method of drinking. Soon after, observ- as loud as he can; his whole mien and ing that he greedily lapped sweet things, countenance most ridiculously expressive of ancient Pistol's affected valour and in trepidity." HARES AND SQUIRRELS. weeks old. says, Audley. Brady. IN RE SQUIRRELS. Be i remembered, that C. L. comes here and represents his relations; that is to say, on behalf of the recollections, being the next of kin, of him, the said C. L, and of sundry persons who are "aye treading" in the manner of squirrels aforesaid; and thus he saith: For the Every-Day Book. What is gone with the Cages with the climbing Squirrel and bells to them, which were formerly the indispensable appendage to the outside of a Tinman's shop, and were in fact the only Live Signs? One, we believe, still hangs out on Holborn; but they are fast vanishing with the good old modes of our ancestors. They seem to have been superseded by that still more ingenious refinement of modern humanity-the Tread-mill; in which human Squirrels still perform a similar round of ceaseless, improgressive clambering; which must be nuts to them. We almost doubt the fact of the teeth of this creature being so purely orange coloured, as Mr. Urban's correspondent gives out. One of our old poets-and they were pretty sharp observers of nature-describes them as brown. But perhaps the naturalist referred to meant of the colour of a Maltese orange," which is rather more obfuscated than your fruit of Seville, or Saint Michael's; and may help to reconcile the difference. We cannot speak from observation, but we remember at school getting our fingers into the orangery of one of these little gentry (not having a due caution of the traps set there), and the result proved sourer than lemons. The Author of the Task somewhere speaks of their anger as being "insignificantly fierce," but we found the demonstration of it on this occasion quite as significant as we desired; and have not been disposed since to look any of these "gift horses" in the mouth. Maiden aunts keep these "small deer" as they do parrots, to bite people's fingers, on purpose to give them good advice "not to venture so near the cage another time." As for their "six quavers divided into three quavers and a dotted crotchet," I suppose, they may go into Jeremy *Fletcher in the "Faithful Shepherdess."-The Satyr offers to Clorin, grapes whose lusty blood The head of Bacchus ; nuts more brown At the pleasant village of Charlton, on the north side of Blackheath, about eight miles from London, a fair is held annually on St. Luke's day. It is called "Horn Fair," from the custom of carrying horns at it formerly, and the frequenters still wearing them. A foreigner travelling in England in the year 1598, mentions horns to have been conspicuously displayed in its neighbourhood at that early period. Upon taking the air down the river (from London), on the left hand lies Ratcliffe, a considerable suburb. On the opposite shore is fixed a long pole with rams-horns upon it, the intention of which was vulgarly said to be a reflection upon wilful and contented cuckolds." ↑ An old newspaper states, that it was formerly a custom for a procession to go from some of the inns in Bishopsgatestreet, in which were, a king, a queen, a miller, a counsellor, &c., and a great number of others, with horns in their hats, to Charlton, where they went round the church three times. This was accompa nied by so many indecencies on Blackheath, such as the whipping of females with furze, &c., that it gave rise to the proverb of "all is fair at Horn Fair." A curious biographical memoir relates the custom of going to Horn Fair in womens' clothes. "I remember being there upon Horn-Fair day, I was dressed in my land-ladie's best gown and other women's attire, and to Horn Fair we went, and as we were coming back by water, all the cloathes were spoiled by dirty water, &c., that was flung on us in an inundation, for which I was obliged to present ner with two guineas to make atonement for the damages sustained."+ Mr. Brand, who cites these notices, and observes that Grose mentions this fair, adds, that "It consists of a riotous mob, who, after a printed summons dispersed through the adjacent towns, meet at Cuckold's Point, near Deptford, and march from thence in procession through that town and Greenvich to Charlton, with horns of different sinds upon their heads; and at the fair there are sold rams' horns, and every sort of toy made of horn: even the gingerbread figures have horns." The same recorder of customs mentions an absurd tradition assigning the origin of this fair to a grant from king John, which, he very properly remarks, is "too ridiculous to merit the smallest attention." the exception of two or three armorial bearings, and a few cherubs' heads, these figures of St. Luke's horned symbol, which escaped destruction, and are carefully placed in the upper part of the windows, are the only painted glass remaining; save also, however, that in the east window, there are the head and shoulders of the saint himself, and the same parts of the figure of Aaron. The procession of horns, customary at Charlton fair, has ceased; but horns still continue to be sold from the lowest to "the best booth in the fair." They are chiefly those of sheep, goats, and smaller animals, and are usually gilt and decorated for their less innocent successors to these ornaments. The fair is still a kind of carnival or masquerade. On St. Luke's-day, 1825, though the weather was unfavourable to the customary humours, most of the visitors wore masks; several were disguised in women's clothes, and some assumed whimsical characters. spacious and celebrated Crown and Anchor booth was the principal scene of their amusements. The fair is now held in a private field: formerly it was on the green opposite the church, and facing the The mansion of sir Thomas Wilson. The late lady Wilson was a great admirer and patroness of the fair; the old lady was accustomed to come down with her "A sermon," says Mr. Brand, "is attendants every morning during the fair, preached at Charlton church on the fair-" and in long order go," from the steps day." This sermon is now discontinued on the festival-day: the practice was created by a bequest of twenty shillings a year to the minister of the parish for preaching it. The horn - bearing at this fair may be conjectured to have originated from the symbol, accompanying the figure of St. Luke: when he is represented by sculpture or painting, he is usually in the act of writing, with an ox or cow by his side, whose horns are conspicuous. These seem to have been seized by the former inhabitants of Charlton on the day of the saint's festival, as a lively mode of sounding forth their rude pleasure for the holiday. Though most of the painted glass in the windows of the church was destroyed during the troubles in the time of Charles I., yet many fragments remain of St. Luke's ox with wings on his back, and goodly horns upon his head: indeed, with • Brand. + Life of Mr. William Fuller, 1703, 12mo. of her ancient hall, to without the gates of her court-yard, when the bands of the different shows hailed her appearance, as a signal to strike up their melody of dis cords: Richardson, always pitched his great booth in front of the house. Latterly, however, the fair has diminished; Richardson was not there in 1825, not were there any shows of consequence, "Horns! horns!" were the customary and chief cry, and the most conspicuous source of frolic: they were in the hal and bonnet of almost every person in the rout. A few years ago, it was usual for neighbouring gentry to proceed thither in their carriages during the morning to se the sports. The fair lasts three days. along by One of the pleasantest walks from the park-wall to Charlton; and from thence after passing through that village, across Woolwich common and Plumstead common, along green lanes, over the foot paths of the fields, to the very retired and rural village of East Wickham, which lies about half a mile on the north side of Welling, through which is the great London road to Dover. There are various pleasant views for the lover of cultivated nature, with occasional fine bursts of the broad flowing Thames. Students in botany and geology will not find it a stroll, barren of objects in their favourite sciences. FLORAL DIRECTORY. Floccose Agaric. Agaricus floccosus. October 19. St. Peter, of Alcantara, A. D. 1562. Sts. The Last Rose of Summer. To reflect back her blushes, I'll not leave thee, thou lone one To pine on the stem, Since the lovely are sleeping, Thus kindly scatter Thy leaves o'er the bed, Sendou, 7th Cent. St. Adian, Bp. or Mayo, A. D. 768. In the Migration of Birds. Woodcocks have now arrived. autumn and setting in of winter they keep dropping in from the Baltic singly, or in pairs, till December. They instinctively land in the night, or in dark misty weather, for they are never seen to arrive, but are frequently discovered the next morning in any ditch which affords them shelter, after the extraordinary fatigue occasioned by the adverse gales which they often have to encounter in their aerial voyage. They do not remain near the shores longer than a day, when they are sufficiently recruited to proceed haunts which they left the preceding seainland, and they visit the very same son. In temperate weather they retire to mossy moors, and high bleak mountainous parts; but as soon as the frost sets in, and the snows begin to fall, they seek lower and warmer situations, with boggy grounds and springs, and little oozing mossy rills, which are rarely frozen, where they shelter in close bushes of holly and furze, and the brakes of woody glens, or in dells which are covered with underwood here they remain cealed during the day, and remove to different haunts and feed only in the night. From the beginning of March to the end of that month, or sometimes to the middle of April, they all keep drawing towards the coasts, and avail themselves of the first fair wind to return to their native woods. The snipe, scolopax gallinago, also comes now, and inhabis similar situations. It is migratory, and met with in all countries: like the woodcock, it shuns the extremes of heat and cold, by keeping upon the bleak moors in summer, and seeking the shelter of the valleys in winter. In unfrozen boggy places, runners from springs, or any open streamlets of water, they are often found in considerable numbers.* con St. Fintan, or Munnu, Abbot, in Ire land, A. D. 634. THE SEASON. After a harvest with a good barley crop, a few minutes may be seasonably amused by a pleasant ballad. John Barleycorn. There went three kings into the east, They took a plough and plough'd him down, Put clods upon his head, And they bae sworn a solemn oath But the cheerful spring came kindly on, John Barleycorn got up again, And sore surpris'd them all. The sultry suns of summer came, And he grew thick and strong, His head weel arm'd wi' pointed spears, That no one should him wrong. The sober autumn enter'd mild, When he grew wan and pale; His colour sicken'd more and more, And then his enemies began To show their deadly rage. They laid him down upon his back, They filled up a darksome pit They laid him out upon the floor, St. Philip, Bp. of Heraclea, and others, A. D. 840. St. Donatus, Bp. of Fiesoli, in Tuscany, A D. 816. St. Mello, or Melanius, 4th Cent. St. Mark, Bp. A. D. 156. St. Mark, Bishop of Jerusalem. The two first bishops of Jerusalem were "the apostle St. James and his bro ther St. Simeon; thirteen bishops who succeeded them were of the Jewish nation.." Upon an edict of the emperor Adrian, prohibiting all Jews from coming to Jerusalem, Mark, being a Gentile Christian, was chosen bishop of the Christians in that city, and was their first Gentile bishop. He is said to have been martyred in 156 THE SEASON. They who think the affections are always in season, may not deem these lines out of season. TRIBUTE OF AFFECTION. In the sweet " days of other years,” And anxious doubts for me; Those happy hours are past away, • Butler. |