a little abashed at first, he soon summoned courage, and returned to the charge. John, But the place. Surely it be all the same thing where you say your prayers, yet I observe that for the Litany you always come out of the usual choir and kneel down at a little stool outside. Now that surely be'ant Scripture. A piece of Popery I do believe, and nothing better. Vicar. Stop, my friend, not so fast. You have read the prophet Joel. John. Surely. Vicar. Well; do you remember the second chapter, where the HOLY SPIRIT in describing the destruction awaiting the wicked people, and the call which the prophet makes to repentance? Turn to the 15th verse. ALMIGHTY GOD there says, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly ;" and then, follow on to the 17th verse, in which is described the manner of making the supplication needed for deliverance: "Let the Priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep BETWEEN THE PORCH AND THE ALTAR, and let them say, Spare Thy people O Lord." Now the usual way in which the Temple and Synagogue worship was conducted was not very unlike our own, and naturally so, for we Christians are but fulfillers of the Law. They had their Psalms and Chanting, and Reading of the Scriptures just as we have, but here over and above the usual form of service, (because in a special time of repentance for sin,) a different manner and a different place is pointed out, namely "between the Porch and the Altar." Just so then in our Litany; it is a special form of prayer over and above the ordinary mattins and evensong, to be used as the voice of the Church repenting for sin, and supplicating in a more earnest manner than usual the mercy of GOD. And therefore it is that imitating the prophet Joel, the priest goes forth from his usual place of ordinary prayer and kneels down "between the Porch and the Altar." He kneels among the people no longer in his usual aspect as one set over them, but rather pleading with them and from among them. There is something to me, John, and I should think it must be so to all who have hearts to reflect upon it, inexpressibly touching and beautiful in this humbling of the ministers of GOD and people. Low down, on the ground, on his knees, in the midst of the great congregation, between the Porch and the Altar, he pours forth his voice of earnest entreaty, and the people join in; and to each turn of his suppli cation they answer again and again in the same words, for earnest hearts cannot look about for variety of expression, even as Joel's Litany, "Spare us good LORD," or as David's Litany, "Have mercy upon us O LORD," "Make haste to deliver us O GOD." John was evidently moved by this appeal to the prophet Joel, but there was one more point evidently rankling within him; and so he continued. John. But the Music. Who ever heard of men seeking earnestly for any thing of GoD, doing it in a song? any Vicar. On the subject of music being a fit accompaniment of prayer I have spoken before. spoken before. If it be a fit accompaniment at all, it surely is in a Litany, as well as in other kind of prayer. Taking care only that the musical intonation be suitable, it must of necessity follow that the feelings of the mind may be moved and cherished by music to a great intention of devotion in the Litany, as well as elsewhere. There is music that causes us to weep, and to be sorrowful, and to be intent in supplication, just as much as there is music which kindles us up to praise and triumph, and exultation. The Church has always considered the Litany as a musical service; 1st., because of its penitential character; and 2nd., because of the ease by which it is adapted to a musical cadence. The burden of the people's responses so often recurring-"Good LORD deliver us." "We beseech Thee to hear us, good LORD," and the measured flow of the words, all seem to require, rather than to repel, a musical use. And thus you see, if you will turn to the Rubric, “Here followeth the Litany, or general Supplication, to be SUNG, or said." John. It certainly is directed to be sung. As far as the Prayer Book is concerned there is no denying it. Vicar. And in practice, even until the very late innovations of the Puritans, it always was sung as a matter of course. Heylin, one of our Church historians, relates that on the 18th of September, 1517, "The Litany was sung in English at S. Paul's, between the Choir and High Still I Why Altar, the singers kneeling half on one side, and half on the other."'* At the consecration of Archbishop Parker, "The elect of Chichester having exhorted the people to prayer, betook himself to sing the Litany, the Choir answering." "At the coronation of George III. the Litany was sung by two Bishops; the Choir making the responses to the organ."+ And still to this day, though a few cathedrals may have become so lax and careless as to leave it off, certainly in most of the cathedrals the singing of the Litany has been faithfully retained. John. Well, it may be so. don't see the object of Litanies. wouldn't the other prayers do as well? Vicar. Other such as mattins prayers, and evensong are daily offerings of praise, and daily requests to GOD, on common things. Litanies are special intercessory services; services, which the Church would use in times of danger, such as war, famine, and pestilence, and even in ordinary times, providing against such general calamities as the human race is liable to suffer. They certainly began from this idea, and were always associated with that particular passage which I have already quoted to you from the prophet Joel. Eusebius, the ecclesiastical historian, in speaking of Constantine the Great, tells us that it was his custom before any great battle, to retire to his tent, and supplicate GOD in Litanies. The Arians in the time of S. Chrysostom had a custom to sing Litanies, by which they attracted the orthodox Christians to join in their worship, and he therefore commanded them to be used in his own church. The Emperor Theodosius in the fourth century, prepared for battle, by fasting and prayer the whole night, deprecating the wrath of GOD in Litanies. S. Basil, in a homily, during a great drought, complains of the people that they did not come in sufficient numbers to make their Litany. At Rome, in the time of Gregory the Great, these Litanies became very common, and in one instance we find them as describing different companies of people all praying in different places, but with the same object. The several companies were called Litanies. There was a great pestilence in Rome, and Gregory *Heylin. Hist. of Reform: p. 42. gave the following order for the celebration of a sevenfold Litany : "Let the Litany of Clergy depart from the church of S. John Baptist; the Litany of men from the church of S. Marcellus; the Litany of monks from the church of S. John and S. Paul; the Litany of virgins from the church of Cosmas and Damian; the Litany of married women from the church of S. Stephen; the Litany of widows from the church of S. Vitale; the Litany of the poor and the children from the church of S. Cecilia." The different Litanies were all to go in procession to the same spot, chanting their supplicatory prayers, to avert the wrath of GOD. John. They were in procession then, not common prayers in a church? Vicar. Yes. In procession through the streets. And one more instance I must tell you of; for it affects ourselves in the life of S. Augustine. I mean that S. Augustine who came from this same Gregory the Great, to convert the Anglo Saxons. You remember how he is described. (See Old Church Porch Vol. III. p. 163). "As they drew near the city, after their manner, with the holy cross, and the image of our sovereign Lord and King JESUS CHRIST, they, in concert, sang this Litany: 'We beseech Thee, O LORD, in all Thy mercy, that Thy anger and Thy wrath be turned away from this city, and from Thy holy house, because we have sinned. Hallelujah." " But now we must stop. From all these instances you will observe both the antiquity and the meaning of Litanies. The Processional part formerly in use has ceased in the Church of England, but the idea and the custom still remains, and to this day, in most cathedrals, and in some parish churches, our own old church among the number, you still see the Priest at his fald-stool in the middle of the congregation, offering up the Litany, and praying ALMIGHTY GOD to spare those whom He has Redeemed with His most precious Blood. In the next number I shall hope to give you some specimens of the Litanies which were in use in former times, and show you how our own present Litany is derived from them, and then explain the meaning of the different parts, so that you may more fully enjoy the beauty of their devotion. * Vita Gregorii. See Bingham's Antiquities. Book xiii. c. 1. Bedæ. Hist: Eceles: Lib. I. c. xxv. SKETCHES OF NATURAL HISTORY. No. VIII (continued.)-THE SWALLOW. (Hirundo.) There was another point upon which we were to speak affecting our summer friend, the Swallow. But why is he only a summer friend? How is it that we never see him, like the Robin, round about our dwellings in the cold winter? His cheerful skimmings and whirlings up and down in the winter sky would diminish much of our weariness in the long dark seasons of December and January; but alas! he never vouchsafes to abide with us then. He is gone! he has fled! we hear nothing of him after September. Buffon, when he describes the Swallow as equally belonging to all the countries of either continent, and that no region is inaccessible to their long and swift course, being found equally in Norway, and in Japan, on the coasts of Egypt, and those of Guinea and the Cape of Good Hope, also tells us that they seldom remain the whole year in the same climate. Now the question is, what becomes of them? The ancient theory was, according to Aristotle and Pliny, that the Swallow in general passed over into milder climates when winter set in; but that many also sought shelter by concealment. Other writers, following up this latter idea, have asserted that they do not migrate at all, but lie buried under water during the winter. And this theory is put forth on the ground that fishermen often find in their nets heaps of Swallows entangled with each other, bill to bill, feet to feet, and wing to wing; and they have said that such birds being placed near artificial heat recover from their torpor; though they die soon after, yet they say that this will sufficiently account for their winter absence. Upon this they assert that the birds, after their winter bath, rise slowly from the bottom of the lakes according to the increase of the temperature, and being restored to their true element are beheld again on the wing. Many also that at the beginning of autumn they plunge in crowds into wells and cisterns. Linnaeus himself has given a sanction to this wonder, only confining his observations to the Chimney Swallow. say and Now there is no doubt whatever but that there is a vast class of animals, lively and brisk as the Swallow in the summer, who yet pass their winter in a state of torpor, or sleep, such as marmots, dormice, and hedgehogs. The bats also creep into old roofs of buildings and sleep away their winter, muffled up in their wings. But none of these creatures submerge themselves in water, as it is said of the Swallow. No naturalists are found to assert that they have ever themselves witnessed it; and when pressed, as related by Buffon, are compelled to acknowledge that they have no instance on record of a Swallow Klein actually rising out of the water. himself, who is the principal advocate of this theory, confesses that he was never fortunate enough to catch one in the fact. It may be proved in the first instance on the mere principles of anatomy, that birds could not by any possibility live under water. Their respiratory organs are unlike those of the fish, or the amphibious animals such as the frog. They require the air as a natural ingredient in respiration. This would be one proof as by analogy; but a practical demonstration has been given us by Frisch, which would seem to settle the question. He tied several threads dyed in water-colours round the legs of a great number of Swallows that were preparing for their departure. These, upon their return the ensuing summer (for they always return to the same place), brought their threads back with them, no way damaged in colour. This is a clear proof that the place whither they had gone, was not the bottom of the lakes or pools of water; for if it had been so, the colour of the threads would not have been preserved. The opinion that Swallows pass the winter under water seems to have origi nated in this way. Many flock together at night, just before their time of departing, among the rushes and aquatic plants near marshy places, and among them some are old, and weak, and unable to join the rest in their flight; being thus left behind, they perish, and are thus found by the fishermen. There are indeed instances of Chimney-Swallows and Sand-Martins being seen in mild winters. Buffon describes this as happening in the year 1775 in a very mild winter, and says; "These had been detained no doubt by late hatch ing, and were unable to perform their migration, but were fortunate enough to obtain a convenient retreat, a warm season, and proper food." There is no doubt then but that we must place the Swallow among the birds of passage. They wander to and fro as the seasons direct them from the colder to the warmer regions of the earth, thus enjoying a perpetual summer. The whole theory of the migration of birds rests not so much upon the climate, as their food. Birds are always found upon such spots as will furnish the food required for their support. Those who live upon the same provisions as man, or depend upon him for their nurture reside constantly in his vicinity. They never migrate. When a new species of culture is introduced into a country, and therefore new food, then new birds arrive whose lives are supported by that culture. When barley and rice were first cultivated in Carolina, the colonists observed flocks of birds for whom they had no name. They called them therefore Rice-birds. So it is with those who favor us with their summer presence in this country. Those which feed upon winged insects are the first to retire, because with the departing sun winged insects are the first to fail. Those who feed upon the larvæ of ants and insects of the ground remain longer, because those insects furnish a more lasting supply. Some birds again flock to us when winter approaches, such as feed upon berries, and small seeds, and fruits that ripen in autumn. Thus then it is clearly seen that it is not the climate nor the season, but the supply of food, which regulates the presence or absence of birds. According to this theory, pursue the Swallow from country to country, and you will find him wheresoever the warmth of the sun produces insect life sufficient for him to feed upon. Adamson tells us that Chimney Swallows arrive at Senegal about the ninth of October, and retire again in the spring; that when he was fifty leagues off the coast between the island of Goree and Senegal there alighted on his vessel four birds which were found to be European Swallows. They were fatigued that they suffered themselves to be caught. In the year 1765, the East India Company's ship "Penthievre," between Africa and the Cape SO ner. de Verd islands, was covered with a flight of Swallows coming, probably, from Europe. Other navigators have met with them between the Canaries and the Cape of Good Hope. "We may expect," says Buffon," that when Asia and some parts of Africa is better known, we shall discover the different stations not only of Swallows, but of most of those birds which the inhabitants of the Mediterranean perceive every year advancing or retiring. Their method of departure is very singular, and every year repeated in the same manThey assemble on the roof of some large building, or of some lofty tree, to the amount of thousands, generally starting off in the night, to avoid the birds of prey. Frisch has seen them set out in broad day, and Herbert more than once has seen parties of forty or fifty gliding aloft in the air, not only much higher than ordinary but in a more uniform and steady flight. They stretch towards the south, taking advantage of favorable winds, and when no obstacle interferes arrive in Africa about the first week in October. If they are checked by a south-east wind they halt on some of the islands that lie on their track. Adamson has seen them arrive on the coast of Senegal on the 6th of October, at half-past six in the evening. There is a pretty story of a shoemaker in Basle. He had caught a Swallow, and made a little collar for him with this inscription: HIRONDELLE QUI ES SI BELLE DIS MOI, L'HIVER OU VAS TU? [Pretty Swallow! Tell me wither goest thou in winter.] He then let him go. In the spring following he received by the same courier this answer : A ATHENES CHEZ ANTOINE POURQUOI T'EN INFORMES TU. [To Anthony at Athens. Why dost thou enquire?] They generally return to the same place, as this little anecdote would prove, and most frequently to the same nest. The Sparrow will sometimes occupy a Martin's nest, and when the Martins are thrust out they return with friends to help them, and close up the aperture of the nest, thus taking vengeance on the usurpers. Martins are sometimes tamed but not very often. They must be supplied with proper food, and continually, or they die. A tame Martin was known to grow ANCIENT HISTORY. extremely fond of its mistress, sitting whole days upon her knee, and when she appeared after some hours absence, it uttered joyous cries, clapping its wings, and showing every sign of lively feeling. It began to feed out of the hand, and its education would probably have been complete had it not escaped. It did not fly far, but alighting on a young child, fell a prey to a cat. But now we must take leave of our summer friend. At present he is enjoying himself in the fulness of his delight, but his time of departure will soon come round again. And will he be ready? Yes. Isaiah notices his cry morning and evening. "Like a Crane or a Swallow so did I chatter." And Jeremiah notices his periodical migration. "The Stork in the Heaven knoweth his appointed times, the Turtle and the Crane, and the SWALLOW observe the time of their coming. (Jeremiah viii. 7). Yes; they all know it; each bird that flies knows it. Shall men alone not know it? There are appointed seasons marked for us all clearly enough, and each month has its several warnings. Shall we not give heed? Forethought; Anticipation; flight from places where there is no food. So teaches the Swallow. And yet men abide with sluggish indifference where the Bread of Life is not provided, and where cold hearts are frozen in the winter of sin. Yes. They will perish rather than move, while the Swallow takes his flight. Here we dwell with no certain resting place. Death will soon be at hand. Why not prepare our flight? Why not be ready with the Swallow, and rejoice with him to wing our airy course above, far away to some happier, warmer, more congenial resting place, where the holy angels dwell, and the "spirits of just men made perfect" will welcome us, and where is no more crying or tears, but peace for evermore. THE ALTAR. On! teach us rightly to receive What we are bound to know; No. VII. NATIONS CONNECTED WITH HOLY SCRIPTURE. (Continued from Vol. III., page 364.) HAVING traced the history of the great King Cyrus from his early youth up to the period when his long cherished plans and contrivances were crowned with success, you would hardly feel satisfied Martha, not to hear something of his latter days, and so I will now go on and tell you what was the end. Having conquered Babylon and firmly established his uncle Cyaxares in his new dominions, he returnd to India, but in the course of two years his father Cambyses, King of Persia, and Cyaxares both died, and the two great empires of Persia and Media, with the recently annexed kingdom of Babylon, were united under one head. It is true that virtually Cyrus had long governed in India, and some historians count the years of his reign from the time that he came into that country to assist Cyaxares in his wars, which was three and twenty years before the time of which I am now speaking. Be that as it may, for the remaining seven years of his life Cyrus ruled alone over his vast dominions in peace and tranquillity. He left India immediately on the death of Cyaxares and came to Babylon. It was at this time that the term of punishment allotted to the Jews by their Almighty Judge was fulfilled; seventy years were accomplished; seventy years of wearisome captivity in the midst of a nation of idolators who despised all they reverenced and loved. You will see it, These nations shall serve the King of Martha, if you will turn to Jer. XXV. II. Babylon seventy years." Yet it pleased bright ray of light and hope just before their merciful and just GoD to send a the termination of their sufferings. The passage is too long for me to read now, but you must look Sarah to the ninth chapter of the book of Daniel, you will there find one of the humble and deeply penitent and earnest prayers which that faithful servant used to pour forth as he knelt at his window looking towards his beloved Jerusalem, and you will see that See Old Church Porch, Vol. III. p. 203. |