eucharist, and at his return. Mothering Sunday is another name attached to this day, from the practice, in Roman Catholic times, of people visiting their mother church on Midlent Sunday. Hence, perhaps, the custom now existing in some parts of England, of children visiting their parents, and presenting them with money, trinkets, or some other trifle. Furmety is commonly a rural repast on this day. It is made of whole grains of wheat first parboiled, and then put into and boiled in milk, sweetened and seasoned with spices.

12.-SAINT GREGORY.

Saint Gregory, surnamed the Great, was born about the year 540. Gadianus, his father, enjoyed the dignity of a senator, and was very wealthy. Our saint, in his youth, applied himself to the study of grammar, rhetoric, and philosophy; and afterwards to the civil law, and the canons of the church, in which he was well skilled. He was consecrated Pope about the year 590, and died in 604. Before his advancement to the see, Gregory projected the conversion of the English nation, but did not accomplish his wishes until he had assumed the papal chair.

17.-SAINT PATRICK.

The tutelar saint of Ireland was born in the year 371, in a village called Bonaven Taberniæ, probably Kilpatrick, in Scotland, between Dunbriton and Glasgow. He died at the good old age of 123, and was buried at Down, in Ulster.-See T. T. for 1815, p. 80; T. T. for 1818, p. 55; our last volume, p. 67; and Jocelyn's Life and Miracles of St. Patrick.

18.-EDWARD, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS. He was stabbed in the back by order of his mother-in-law, Elfrida, at Corfe-castle, in Dorsetshire. Elfrida built monasteries, and performed many penances, in order to atone for her guilt; but could never, by all her hypocrisy or remorse, recover the

good opinion of the public, though so easily deluded in those ignorant ages.

*18. 1727-8.-DR. GEORGE STANHOPE died.

His Pharaphrase and Comment on the Epistles and Gospels of the Church Service, in four volumes, is a most valuable work; and his Translation of the Devotions of Bishop Andrews, since edited by Bishop Horne, and now on the list of the books of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, is one of the best manuals ever written.

19.-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.

21.-SAINT BENEDICT.

Benedict, or Bennet, founded the monastery of Cassino, in 529: it was built on the brow of a very high mountain, on the top of which there was an old temple of Apollo, surrounded with a grove. The Benedictine order of monks, first instituted by our saint, was, in the ninth century, at its height of glory.

25.- ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, or Lady Day.

This day celebrates the angel's message to the Virgin Mary, respecting our Blessed Lord. She was, probably, an only child, and but fifteen years of age when espoused to Joseph. She died A.D. 48, being about sixty years old.

26.-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

box-wood are still used as a substitute for palms in Roman Catholic countries.---See also T. T. for 1815, p. 84.

30.-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. On the 15th April, 1731 (Maundy Thursday), the Archbishop of York washed the feet of a certain number of poor persons. James It was the last king who performed this in person. A relic of this custom is still preserved in the donations dispensed at St. James's on this day; the ceremonies of which, as also those at Rome and Moscow on this day, are described at length in T. T. for 1815, p. 86.-See also our last volume, p. 93, for an account of the ceremony of feet-washing at Vienna on this day.

Mr. Evelyn, in his entertaining Memoirs' (vol. i, p. 163) thus speaks of the observance of Maundy Thursday at Rome, about 150 years since. The Pope said masse, and afterwards carried the Host in procession about the Chapell, with an infinitie of tapers; this finished, his Holinesse was carried in his open chaire on men's shoulders to the place where, reading the Bull in Coena Domini, he both curses and blesses all in a breath; then the guns are againe fired. Hence he went to the Ducal hall of the Vatican, where he washed the feete of 12 poore men, with almost the same ceremonie as 'tis don at Whitehall; they have clothes, a dinner, and almes, wch he gives with his owne hands, and serves at their table; they have also gold and silver medailles, but their garments are of white wollen long robes, as we paint the Apostles. The same ceremonies are

don by ye Conservators and other Officers of State at St. John de Lateran; and now the table on wch they say our Blessed Lord celebrated his last, supper is set out, and the heads of the Apostles. In every famous church they are busy in dressing up their pageantries to represent the Holy Sepulchre, of which we went to visite divers.'

31.-GOOD FRIDAY.

This day commemorates the sufferings of Christ, as a propitiation for our sins. Holy Friday, or the Friday in Holy Week, was its more antient and general appellation; the name Good Friday is peculiar to the English church. It was observed as a day of extraordinary devotion. Buns, with crosses upon them, are usually eaten in London and some other places on this day, at breakfast. We cannot forbear, on this occasion (observes our valuable clerical correspondent from Cambridge), to mention the late Dr. Rambach's (of the University of Giessen) Meditations and Contemplations on the Sufferings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in one volume, 8vo, intended to be read either in the Passion Week, or, to those who have little spare time, during the whole season of Lent. It is an admirable devotional work. Dr. Knowles's shorter volume on the transactions of the Passion Week, and Mr. Mant's Lectures for the same, are excellent works likewise. For an account of ceremonies in various places, consult T. T. for 1815, p.88, and T. T. for 1817, pp. 89-91. We here introduce an additional illustration.

'On this day,' says Mr. Evelyn, we went againe to St. Peter's, where the Handkerchief, Launce, and Crosse were all exposed and worshipped together. All the confession-seates were filled with devout people, and at night was a procession of several who most lamentably whipped themselves till the blood stained their clothes, for some had shirts, others upon the bare back, having vizors and masks on their faces; at every 3 or 4 steps dashing the

knotted and ravelled whipcord over their shoulders, as hard as they could lay it on, whilst some of the religious orders and fraternities sung in a dismal tone, the lights and crosses going before, making altogether a horrible and indeede heathenish pompe." -(Memoirs, vol. i, p. 163.)

Astronomical Occurrences

In MARCH 1820.

THE Sun enters Aries at 18 m. after 4 on the afternoon of the 20th of this month; and the Sun will also be eclipsed on the 14th; but the eclipse will not be visible in this country, as he will appear in conjunction at 20 m. 40 s. past 1 in the afternoon in 11s. 23° 55', the Moon's latitude being 43% south. The Sun will be centrally eclipsed on the meridian at 0 h. 46ğ m. in longitude 11° 42′ west, and latitude 56° 32' south. He rises and sets during the same period as in the following

TABLE

Of the Sun's Rising and Setting on every fifth Day. 1st, Sun rises 36 m. after 6. Sets 24 m. after 5

March

Equation of Time.

The numbers in the following table being added to the time as exhibited by a good sun-dial, will give that which ought to be indicated by a well regulated clock at the same instant, viz.

Wednesday, March 1st, to the time by the dial add 12 36

Monday,

Saturday,