Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

I fo much wish to fee repaired in our univerfities. It now wants but a very few weeks ere I fhall have completed the twentieth year of my miniftry, and notwithflanding all my labour, and all my ftudy, to accomplish what I have had fo much at heart, the reading of our Liturgy with propriety and effect, I feel perfuaded, that the advantages to be reaped from the propofed inflitution, would be greater than all I have effected in this long period of time.. Nothing can be more eafy than to account for this. For want of being fet in the right road at firft, men of the firft abilities very frequently get into many bad habits, and when their judgment ripens, they endeavour to correct their errors, though not without inconceivable labour and toil; and after all, may perhaps only exchange one bad habit for another, merely for want of a model which it would be fafe and proper to imitate. Would not all these difficulties and errors be avoided by the propofed inftitution? I am firmly perfuaded they would. Let me hope then, Mr. Editor, that the heads of our univerfities will take this very important fubject into their ferious confideration, and that without delay.

It has been a continual theme of deelamation with the fectaries, and enemies of the established religion, that its offices are administered, and its Liturgy read in our churches, with a degree of liftleffness and indifference which muft neceffarily. create difguft, and contempt of them, in thofe who hear them. Far be it from me, Sir, to join in thefe clamours aginft my brethren, which, in the fenfe intended to be put on them by our adverfaries, I am perfuaded they by no means deferve. Nevertheless, for the reafon which I have just above ftated, it is doubtlefs very defirable that the present deficiency in the education of students intended for the Eftablished Church fhould be done away as foon as poffible. The late Mr Garrick, that complete master of the science of elocution, is the only perfon, as far as my information carries me, that hath done any thing towards forwarding this defirable object, and he, I have been told, inftructed privately a very few candidates for orders, in the proper reading of the church fervices, &c. &c. I have not, however, ever heard that he printed or publifhed any thing for the information of the public on this fubject. It is much to be lamented that he, who was fo capable of doing this, had not turned his mind to it in a regular and methodical manner, and afterwards given the refult of his labours to the public. If your worthy correfpondent fhould be unable to effect the establishment of his propofed Ritual Profeffor

Ship,

hip, which, for the honour of our Universities, I hope they will ere long inftitute, it would furely be a mode of employ ing himself greatly to the advantage of the established religion, (which I think he has always very much at heart,) if he would offer fuch a valuable prefent as this to the world. Wishing every poffible fuccefs to your valuable Mifcellany I am, Mr. Editor,

Your faithful, and obedient

humble Servant,

THOMAS COMBER.

Creech St. Michael, March 18, 1808.

!

[ocr errors]

ACCOUNT OF MR. ALPHERY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S

SIR,

MAGAZINE.

HE circumftance of a Ruffian prince having been a be

dinary, yet certain, that the following account, chiefly extracted from Walker, and the Biographia Britannica, will no doubt be acceptable to many of your readers.

Nikepher, or Nicephorus Alphery, was defcended from a branch of the Imperial line of Ruffia, and with two of his brothers (who both died of the fmall pox at Oxford) was taken to England at the clofe of the fixteenth century, by Mr. John, Bidell, a Ruffian merchant. The occafion of their removal hither, was the revolution which broke out in Ruffia on the death of the czar John Bafilowitz, in confequence of which their lives were in danger. The fubject of this sketch, as well as his brothers, was educated at Oxford, but whether he took any degrees there does not appear. It is moft probable that he did, as he entered into prieft's orders, and in 1618, was inducted to the fmall living of Wooley in Hunt ingdonshire, the value of which is under ten pounds in the King's Book,

It

It is confidently faid by Dr. Walker, and that upon fufficient authority, that he was twice folemnly invited to return to his own country to take the government upon him, which fplendid offers he rejected, and preferred a retired life in England to the magnificence of a powerful throne. About the year 1643, he was difpoffeffed of his vicarage by the Presbyterian faction, in the following manner; "On a Lord's day, as he was preaching, a file of mufqueteers came and pulled him out of the pulpit, turned him out of the church, and his wife and eight children, with their goods, out of the parfonage house. Thé poor man, in this condition, found means to erect a hut, or booth, over against the vicarage, under the trees in the churchyard, and there he lived a week with his family. He had, just after he was ejected, procured some eggs, and gathered a bundle of rotten flicks, and was about to make a fire in the church to boil them; when his mean and mercilefs enemies came, broke his eggs, and kicked away the fire. Afterwards, Mr. Alphery made a small purchase, and built a house, in which, he and his family lived fome years; and then he removed to Hammerfmith, where he refided with his eldeft fon till the restoration, when he recovered his living. But being now very old and infirm, he returned again to Hammersmith, and died there full of years and honour, highly refpected by his parishioners and all his connections. Mrs. Alphery, the Îaft defcendant of this family, married one Mr. Johnson, a cutler at Huntingdon. She was living in 1764, and had eight children. By her, the above facts were confirmed to the late Lord Sandwich, who told Dr. Campbell that fuch was the refpect paid this woman on accout of her illuftrious defcent, that no perfon would fit down in her prefence, on the contrary, they always rofe and remained fo, till she had taken her chair.

I am, &c. HISTORICUS..

RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES OF THE WELSH IN FORMER TIMES.

[From Mr. PENNANT's Tour into Wales.]

'N church, at the name of the Devil, an univerfal spitting feized the congregation, as if in contempt of that evil fpirit; and whenever Judas was mentioned, they expressed their abhorrence of him by smiting their breasts.

Religious Ceremonies of the Welsh in Former Times. 201

If there was a Fynnon Vair, the well of our Lady, or any other faint, the water for baptifm was always brought from thence; and after the ceremony was over, old women were very fond of washing their eyes in the water of the font.

Previous to a funeral, it was cuftomary, when the corpfe was brought out of the house and laid upon the bier, for the next of kin, were it widow, mother, fifter, or daughter (for it must be a female) to give over the coffin, a quantity of white loaves in a great difh, and fometimes a cheese, with a piece of money stuck in it, to certain poor persons. After that, they prefented, in the fame manner, a cup of water, and required the person to drink a little of it immediately. When that was done, all prefent kneeled down; and the Minister, if prefent, faid the Lord's Prayer: after which, they proceeded with the corpfe; and at every cross-way, between the house and the church, they laid down the bier, knelt, and again repeated the Lord's Prayer; and did the fame when they firft entered the church-yard. It was alfo customary, in many places, to fing pfalms on the way; by which the ftillnefs of rural life was often broken into in a manner finely productive of religious reflections.

To this hour, the bier is carried by the next of kin; a custom confidered as the highest respect that filial piety can pay to the deceased. This was an ufage frequent among the Romans of high rank; and it was thought a great continuance of the good fortune which had attended Metellus Macedonicus through his whole days, that when he had, in the fulnefs of years, paffed out of life by a gentle decay, amidst the kiffes and embraces of his nearest connections, he was carried to the funeral pile on the fhoulders of his four fons; and let me add, that each of them had enjoyed the greatest offices of the Commonwealth.

Among the Welsh it was reckoned fortunate for the deceased, if it fhould rain while they were carrying him to the church, that his bier might be wet with the dew of heaven.

In fome places it was cuftomary for the friends of the dead to kneel, and fay the Lord's Prayer over the grave, for several Sundays after the interment; and then to drefs. the grave with flowers.

It is ftill ufual to stick, on the eve of St. John the Baptift, over the doors fprigs of St. John's Wort, or in lieu of it the common Mug-wort. The intent was to purify the house from evil fpirits; in the fame manner as the Druids were wont to do with Vervain, which flill bears with the Welch

VOL. XIV.

Chm. Mag. March 1808.

DD

[ocr errors]

Welsh the fignificant tittle of Cas gan Gythral, or the Dæmon's Averfion.

Upon Christmas-day, about three o'clock in the morning, moft of the parishioners affembled in church, and,, after prayers and a fermon, continued there finging pfalms and hymns with great devotion till broad day; and if, through age or infirmity, any were difabled from attending, they never failed having prayers at home, and carrols on our Saviour's nativity. The former part of the custom is ftill preferved; but too often perverted into intemperance. This act of devotion is called Plygan, or the Crowing of the Cock. It has been a general belief among the fuperftitious, that inftantly

at his warning,
Whether in sea or fire, in earth, or air,
Th' extravagant and erring spirit hies
To his confine.

But during the holy feason, the cock was fuppofed to exert
his power throughout the night; from which, undoubtedly,
originated the Welsh word Plygan, as applied to this cuftom.
Accordingly, Shakespeare finely describes this old opinion :
Some say, that ever 'gainst that season comes
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth all night long:
And then they say no spirit walks abroad:

The nights are wholesome: then no planets strike;
No fairy takes; no witch hath power to charm,
So hallow'd and so gracious is the time.

« PoprzedniaDalej »