nected with the invasion of the Danes. Another explanation is, that by the Druids it was esteemed to be the King of Birds, and it was the favourite bird of the augurs of old. The superstitious respect thus paid to it gave offence, it is said, "to our first Christian missionaries, and by their command, the wren is still hunted and killed by the peasants on Christmas Day; and on the following (St. Stephen's Day), he is carried about, hung by the leg in the centre of two hoops crossing each other at right angles; and a procession is made in every village, of men, women, and children, singing an Irish catch, importing him to be the king of all birds." (Col. Vallancey's Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis.)

To the hunt formerly succeeded the “Wren Bush," in which the dead bird was borne from door to door. The bush was composed of the Christmas holly and ivy, bedecked with ribbons; and the royal bird was of old carried aloft in a fantastic processional group of hobby-horses, fiery dragons, and rampant serpents. But of these ancient honours the ceremony is now shorn: for it has dwindled to a gay affair, in which figure a few of the costumes of the last century; and we have the still unextinguished wit of the peasantry, with Irish fun and frolic, dancing and lovemaking. Of old, we had the dancing squireen with his creaking whip, and the hurrahing multitude; and the Drolleen held forth his stocking to receive contributions, as he sang a ditty, commencing—

The Wren, the Wren,

The King of all Birds,

St. Stephen's Day,

He was caught in the furze,

And though he is little,

His family's great,
So arise, landlady,

And give us a treat.

In the Isle of Man the wren is hunted on New Year's Day, and the dead bird is carried with its wings extended, on the top of a pole, and those in the procession sing an old Manx chant, commencing—

We hunted the Wren for Robbin the Bobbin,

We hunted the Wren for Jack of the Can.

Having collected all the money they can, they lay the wren on a bier, and bear it to the churchyard, and there make a grave and bury the bird, singing over it a Manx dirge, or knell. The crowd outside the churchyard wall then dance in a circle to music for the occasion.

A tradition lies at the root of this ceremony. Once upon a time, a fairy of uncommon beauty, by her sweet voice fascinated the men of the Isle of Man to follow her footsteps, till by degrees she led them into the sea, where they perished. At length, a knight-errant resolved on counteracting the charms of the syren; almost in the moment of success, she took the form of a wren, and escaped; but she was condemned on every succeeding New Year's Day, to re-animate the same form, with the destiny that she must ultimately perish by human hands.

St. John the Evangelist's Day.

The festival of this saint, the younger brother of James, and son to Zebedee and Salome, is celebrated the second day (December 27th) from

the Nativity, on account of the pre-eminent love of our Saviour towards him. He is described as "leaning on Jesus's bosom" at the Last Supper. He alone was present at the Crucifixion, and to his care did our Saviour consign his mother. At her death, St. John travelled into Asia, where he preached the Gospel with great success. He was banished to the Isle of Patmos by Domitian, and there beheld the heavenly vision revealed in the Apocalypse. On the death of Domitian, St. John returned to Ephesus, where he died, about the year 100, having survived all the other Apostles. His Gospel contains fewer facts, and is more diffuse in relating the conversation and doctrine of Christ, than the others, on which account Clement of Alexandria calls it the spiritual Gospel. We are told by Nao-Georgos that it was formerly customary for the clergy to give hallowed wine on this day to their parishioners :

And after with the self-same wine are little manchets made,
Against the boisterous winter storms, and sundry such-like trades:
The men upon this solemn day do take this holy wine

To make them strong; so do the maids to make them fair and fine.

A Lamb bearing a Cross is the emblem of St. John; which a Corre-. spondent records having seen in Egypt, sculptured on one of the old temples (at Thebes ?). Did the Christians borrow this from the Egyptians? The Christian Cross was very common, and is to be found on many of the temples: was it not the emblem of life? All these temples date many centuries before the Christian era.-(Notes and Queries, 2 S., No. 74.)

St. John is always, in Western Art, young, or in the prime of life, with little or no beard, flowing or curling hair, generally of a pale brown or golden hue, to express the delicacy of his nature; and in his countenance an expression of benignity and candour. His drapery is or ought to be red, with a blue or green tunic. He bears in his hand the sacramental cup, from which a serpent is seen to issue. St. Isidore relates that, at Rome, an attempt was made to poison St. John in the cup of the sacrament; he drank of the same, and administered it to the communicants, without injury, the poison having, by a miracle, issued from the cup in the form of a serpent, while the hired assassin fell down dead at his feet. According to another version of this story, the poisoned cup was administered by order of the Emperor Domitian. According to a third version, Aristodemus, the high-priest of Diana at Ephesus, defied him to drink of the poisoned chalice, as a test of the truth of his mission; St. John drank unharmed-the priest fell dead. Others say, and this seems the more probable interpretation, that the cup in the hand of St. John alludes to the reply given by our Saviour, when the mother of James and John requested for her sons the place of honour in heaven, "Ye shall drink indeed of my cup." As in other instances, the legend was invented to explain the symbol. When the cup has the consecrated wafer instead of the serpent, it signifies the institution of the Eucharist.-Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art.

Holy Innocents' Day.

The Festival of the Holy Innocents, or Childermas Day, is intended to commemorate the slaughter of the Jewish children by Herod; and formerly, the learned Gregory tells us, there was a custom among thrifty housewives to whip the children early on Childermas-morning.

In Northamptonshire, this was also called Dyzemas Day, a festival of

great antiquity, though the observance and the name are now obsolete. Miss Baker was told by a sexagenarian on the southern side of Northamptonshire, that within his remembrance this day was kept as sacred as the Sabbath, and it was considered particularly unlucky to commence any undertaking, or even to wash, on the same day of the week, throughout the year, on which the anniversary of this day last fell; and it was commonly said, What is begun on Dyzemas Day will never be finished."-(Glossary of Northamptonshire Words.)

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The source of the ill-omened Dyzemas has not been settled: its origin has been suggested from Greek Dus and Mass; as being expressive of misfortune, evil, peril, in allusion to the massacre of the Innocents. A Correspondent of Notes and Queries asks if it has not reference to the name Desmas, given to one of the thieves crucified with our Lord; universal tradition seeming to attach Desmas to the penitent, and Gestas (or Yesmas), to the impenitent thief? And if the local tradition has any reference to these names, it would seem as if Desmas was the name of ill-omen. It has also been suggested that Dyzemas Day is tithe .day: in Portuguese, dizimas, dizimos, tenths, tithes, in law Latin, decimæ, the same. We rather incline to think it referable to the old North Country word disen, i.e. to dress out in holiday finery, especially at this festive season.

In the Golden Legend the emblem of this day is Herod seated on a throne, two or three persons standing by, one of whom holds an infant, which he is piercing with a sword.

New Year's Eve.

The last day of the year was spent by our "labouring ancestors" in festivity and frolic among the men; and the young women carried from door to door the wassail-bowl, which they offered to the inmates, and singing congratulatory verses, they hoped for small presents. There was also much mumming abroad. In Cumberland, children craved the bounty "they were wont to have in old King Edward's days."

In Scotland, the last day of the year is styled Hogmanay; in retired and primitive towns, says Mr. R. Chambers, in his Traditions of Edinburgh, the poor children swaddled in a sheet, doubled up in front, so as to form a vast pocket, go about the streets in little bands, calling at the doors of the wealthier classes for an expected dole of oaten bread. Each child gets one quadrant" section of oat-cake (sometimes with cheese), and this is called hogmanay. The cries of the children areHogmanay, trollolay, give us of your white bread, and none of your gray. My feet's cauld, my shoon's thin,

Give's a piece and let's rin.

Mr. Chambers concludes appropriately enough:

It is no unpleasant scene during the forenoon to see the children going laden home, each with his large apron bellying out before him, stuffed full of cakes, and, perhaps, scarcely able to waddle under the load. Such a mass of oaten alms is no inconsiderable addition to the comfort of the poor man's household, and tends to make the season still more worthy of its jocular title.

This Eve is called by the Wesleyan Methodists Watch Night, because at their principal chapels the ministers and congregations hold a service to watch out the old year, i.e., they pray fervently until about five minutes to twelve o'clock, and then observe a profound silence until the clock strikes, when they exultingly burst forth with a hymn of praise and joy: latterly, this service has been observed by Evangelical churchmen.

Notes.

St. Anthony (page 14). St. Anthony's Hospital stood in Threadneedle-street, where the Bank of London, formerly the Hall of Commerce, now stands. The swine of this hospital were privileged: hence the old saying, "Like a Tantony pig." In the Liber Albus of the City of London, 1419,* we find these swine mentioned in the following ordinance: "The Renter of St. Anthony's sworn that he will not avow any swine going about the City, nor will hang bells about their necks, but only about those which shall have been given unto them in pure alms."

St. Anthony's was some time a cell to St. Anthony's of Venice, afterwards an hospital "for a master, two priests, one schoolmaster, and twelve poor men." Sir Thomas More and Archbishop Whitgift were educated at this school, which, in Stow's remembrance, presented the best scholars for prizes of all the schools of London.

Morris Dancers (page 68). On January 27th, 1859, Mr. F. A. Carrington stated to the Society of Antiquaries that about the year 1809, he had seen Morris Dancers in the southern part of Gloucestershire; they had crossed the Severn, and were what were called " auver Zevern men." They were eight in number, who danced in a circle exactly the same as the chain figure of the Lancers is danced now. They wore neither coats nor waistcoats, but their shirts and hats were very profusely decorated with loops of ribbon of various colours; they had white knee-breeches, white stockings, and shoes, and round the knees three bands of narrow fringe, in which were little bells, nearly as small as those of a child's coral. One of these men had two couteaux-de-chasse, which he flourished before his face while he danced. In addition to these were two other dancers who danced alone; the one wore a tight yellow dress and a narrow leathern girdle, on which, in the middle of his back, was fixed a bell as large as a sheep-bell, and he carried the long hair of a cart-horse's tail fixed to a short handle; the other was a man in female attire, with a brass ladle in his hand: one of these was called "Tom Fool," the other, "Mad Moll." In addition to their bells, they danced to the music of a violin. Mr. Akerman stated that he had seen Morris Dancers in Wiltshire about forty years ago nearly as above described.

Blossoming of Plants.

The piety of our forefathers connected the Blossoming of Plants with festivals and saints' days; and the practice which was common all over Christendom, is thus described in the Circle of the Seasons.

Thus, the Snowdrop was called the Fair Maid of February, or Purification Flower, from its blossoming about the Feast of the Purification. The Crocus was dedicated to St. Valentine, from its appearing about that saint's day. The flower of St. Margaret's day was the Herb Margaret, not La Belle Marguérite, which is a modern misnomer. The

*We take this opportunity of mentioning how greatly antiquarian students are indebted to Mr. Riley's excellent translation of the Liber Albus from the original Latin and AngloNorman; which Messrs. Griffin, Bohn, and Co. have most liberally published at an economical price.

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Crown Imperial blossoms about the 18th of March, the day of St. Edward, King of the West Saxons; nature thus, as was imagined, honouring the day with a flower, "imperial crown." There was also the Lent Lily, or Daffodil; the Pasque Flower, or Anemone; Herb Trinity, Herb Christopher, St. Barnaby's Thistle, Canterbury Bell in honour of St. Augustine of England; Herb St. Robert, and many more. The Cardamine, or Lady's Smock, with its milk-white flowers, is dedicated to Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and appears about Lady Day. The St. John's Wort blossoms near that saint's day; and the Scarlet Lychnis, which was called the Candle Plant, was supposed to be lighted up for that saint's honour, who was also "a burning and shining light." The White Lily expands near to Visitation, July 2nd, affording another coincidence of the blossoming of well-known white flowers at the festivals consecrated to the Mother of Our Lord. The Roses of summer were said to fade about St. Mary Magdalene's Day.

The Passion Flower blossomed about Holy Rood Day. According to the Roman Catholic tradition, the cross on which our Saviour was crucified was discovered in the year 326, and the day of discovery was celebrated afterwards as Holy Rood Day. Hence the plant was connected with the Passion or sufferings of Christ, and more especially from the fact of the resemblance borne in its flower to the cross, the nails, crown of thorns, &c.

Dirge for the Year."

Orphan hours, the year is dead,
Come and sigh, come and weep!
Merry hours smile instead,

For the year is but asleep.
See it smiles as it is sleeping,
Mocking your untimely weeping.

As an earthquake rocks a corse
In its coffin in the clay,
So White Winter, that rough nurse,
Rocks the death-cold year to-day;
Solemn hours! wail aloud
For your mother in her shroud.

As the wild air stirs and sways,

The tree-swing cradle of a child,

So the breath of these rude days

Rocks the year: be calm and mild,

Trembling hours, she will arise

With new love within her eyes.

January, grey, is here,

Like a sexton by her grave;

February bears the bier,

March with grief doth howl and rave,

And April weeps-but O, ye hours,

Follow with May's fairest flowers.-Percy Bysshe Shelley.