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"wisdom, which consists in the knowledge, and worship of the true "God."-On this, they first beat him with the backs of their battle axes, and then stoned him almost to death; and finally put an end to his life, and his sufferings, by cleaving his skull.-This event happened on the spot where the Parish Church of Greenwich now stands, in which there is an inscription, to the effect, that it was dedicated "to "the glory of God, and the memory of St. Alphege.”—After his death he was canonized, and the 19th of April was fixed as his festival.

GOOD FRIDAY. See Collect, &c. for the day.

This appellation seems peculiar to the Church of England; the Saxons called it LONG FRIDAY, from the length of the Ceremonies formerly used on that day. Its ancient, and more common name, is HOLY FRIDAY, or Friday of the HOLY WEEK.-Offices called "Tenebra" (darkness) are sung in the Church of Rome, on this day, and the day before, and after. At the conclusion of the service, the lights are extinguished, and a solemn silence follows, which is broken by a noise made to resemble the rending of the veil of the Temple. On the night of Good Friday, the hundred lamps that are burning at St. Peter's at Rome, over the tomb of the Apostle, are extinguished, and an exhibition follows of a stupendous cross of light, the sublime idea of Michael Angelo, which, shedding its lustre through the Church, and on the heads of the penitents, and the spectators, makes an animated and important spectacle. The " Cross-buns," eaten on this day, and having the figure of the Cross impressed upon them, have their origin, probably, in a consecrated bread used by the Greeks in their sacrifices; called Bes, or Bev, (boun) referred to by the prophet Jeremiah, vii. 18 and xliv. 19-whence the modern name "bun."

EASTER EVEN. See Collect, &c. for the occasion.

The Eve of Easter Sunday, was observed by the early Christians, with peculiar devotion, and mortifications, which continued till midnight, or even till the Sunday morning.

EASTER SUNDAY. See the service for the day, and Index, "EASTER."

EASTER MONDAY and TUESDAY. See Collects, &c. for these days. Every day in this week was formerly kept as a religious festival,-the Courts of Justice were shut, and public shows and amusements prohibited. Many curious ceremonies are still practised in the northern counties. See Time's Telescope for 1814.

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Low SUNDAY, the Sunday next after Easter; which see.-So called because ceremonies of a lower degree were then used, than those performed on the great, or higher festival of Easter. It is also called QUASI MODO, from the words of an ancient hymn, "festi quasi " modo geniti," used on that day.-It is likewise known by the name of DOMINICA IN ALBIS, or POST ALBAS, the Sunday of using, or putting off the chrisoms, or white robes, in which those who were baptized, were clothed, and which they wore till this day; when they were laid up in the Church, as a testimony against them on their violating their baptismal vows.

The word " Chrysom" arises from the Chrism (xgw, I anoint) or oil, with which the baptised were anointed, and was the piece of linen laid over the child's head during the ceremony. Whence children, who died within the month, or without baptism, in which case it was sometimes used as a shroud, were, in the bills of mortality, frequently called "Chrysoms," the word having thus, in some degree, changed its signification. The ceremony connected with this, was retained in the Church of England for some time after the Reformation.

SAINT GEORGE-of Cappadocia.-The history of this character, who has been termed "the Patron Saint of England," is involved in much obscurity; and even his existence is doubted. Mr. Gibbon identifies him with an Arian bishop, in the reign of Constantius, and Julian, who expiated, by martyrdom, a life of error and cruelty. But others assert him to have been an officer of rank in the army of Dioclesian; and who, professing Christianity, was tortured with great inhumanity, and beheaded A. D. 290. The cause of his being considered the Patron Saint of England is said to be his having miraculously appeared at the head of an innumerable army, clothed in white, with a Red Cross for their banner, and putting the Saracens to flight, at the famous siege of Antioch.

The Order of the Garter, the most noble Order of Knighthood in Europe, which bears the name, and ensign of St. George, was instituted by King Edward III. A. D. 1344, and consists of twenty-five Knights, or Companions, (exclusive of the sovereign and his sons,) who are generally princes, or peers, with the monarch of England as their chief. The Bishop of Winchester is Prelate of this Order-the Bishop of Salisbury, Chancellor-and-the Dean of Windsor, Register. It is more ancient, than even the French Order of St. Michael, or that of the Golden Fleece; and has to boast in its list 9 emperors→ 29 foreign kings, and numerous other sovereign princes.

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1

There are various other Orders of St. George in different countries of Europe, the earliest of which is said to have been instituted by Constantine the Great, A. D. 312, and the last was by Catherine of Russia, so lately as A. D. 1769. They have all the figure of St. George, killing a dragon, as their badge, emblematical, probably, for there is no other reasonable account, of their Saint overcoming the great Dragon mentioned in the Apocalypse. The story of the garter, dropped by the Countess of Salisbury, is considered as fabulous. And Rastel, in his Chronicle, says, that this ornament originated in the time of Richard, Coeur de Lion; who at the siege of Acre, having twenty-six knights that firmly adhered to him, directed them to wear a blue leather garter, from whence they were called the "Knights of "the Blue Thong."-The blue riband worn over the shoulder originated in the Duchess of Portsmouth so putting it on her son, the Duke of Richmond; and it was decreed by the sovereign, Charles II., to be worn so ever after. The war cry of England, and St. George," was first used by Edward III. at the seige of Calais, A. D.

1349.

ST. MARK, Evangelist, and Martyr. See Collect, &c. of the day. In the year 737, the Order of Knights of St. Mark was instituted at Venice; the reigning Doge being Grand Master.

PRINCESS MARY born.-H. R. H. the Princess Mary, their Majesties fourth daughter, and eleventh child, was born April 25, 1776, at seven in the morning-and christened on Sunday Evening the 19th of May following.

MAY, xxxI. Days.

So called from MAIA, the mother of Mercury, to whom sacrifices were offered on the first day of this month.-Or out of compliment to the nobles of Rome, who were entitled "Majores," as the following month is supposed to have been called “ Junius," in honour of the Roman youth, (in honorem Juniorum) who served in the war. The Saxons termed it "tri-milki," because at that time their cattle yielded milk three times a day-and also "Wunni-monat," or the month of mirth. The Romans placed it under the protection of Apollo; and celebrated in it the festival of their bona Dea.

MAY DAY. The festive ceremonies of this day, are probably of a very early origin, for the Romans had their FLORALIA, or games in honour of Flora, the goddess of flowers and fruits.-In the reign of

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Constantine the Great, the Roman Floralia took the title of Maiuma, and the licentious customs before practised were restrained; and subsequently the festival itself was prohibited. Most European nations retain traces of such a ceremony; and the May Lady, and other characters, usually ornamented with flowers, still present a feature of the goddess Flora. A well known picture of Hogarth's, -The Enraged Musician, has the dancing milk-maid as the principal character of that day: at present the chief actors in the metropolis are chimneysweepers, who, taking leave of their occupation at this season, avail themselves of the liberality generally bestowed. We read that Henry VIII." rode a Maying" with his queen, and attendants, from Greenwich to Shooters Hill; and at the former place Queen Elizabeth used to keep" May games." The May-pole, decked with garlands of flowers, was a conspicuous feature on these occasions; and it is within a century, that one, a hundred feet high, standing on the spot which the New Church now occupies in the Strand, and celebrated by Pope, "Where the tall May-pole once o'erlook'd the Strand," was taken down. Evelyn in his "Silva," declaims against the custom, which then was very general, as "destructive of fine straight trees."

ST. PHILIP and ST. JAMES, Apostles. See Collect, &c. of the day. Invention of THE CROSS. This day is celebrated by the Romish Church in commemoration of the finding ("invenio" to find) of the Cross on which our Lord was crucified. The event is thus recorded. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, being, as it is said, warned in a dream to search for this Cross, at Jerusalem, immediately went there, and after many days employed in digging for it, at last had the happiness of meeting with what she so eagerly sought; but accompanied by two others, supposed to be those on which the malefactors were also crucified. Being now under an uncertainty as to the one on which our Lord suffered, she had recourse to an expedient, which, (the legends say,) satisfactorily resolved al doubt. She commanded a dead corpse to be laid in succession on the three crosses the application, as to two of them, was of no avail, but on the body coming in contact with the third, it was instantly restored to life. On the discovery of this important relic, every devout Christian was eager to procure a piece of it, and probably a hundred such crosses would not have afforded the quantity of wood with which, before much time had elapsed, superstitious credulity had been supplied.

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ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST A. P. L. (ante Portam Latinam.) See Collect, &c. of the day.

St. John has this addition from his miraculous preservation from death by martyrdom, before the gate of Rome, " Porta Latina," in the persecution of the Christians during the reign of Domitian. He was accused of atheism, and of endeavouring to subvert the Roman religion; and on this charge he was cast into a cauldron of burning oil; and, according to the legends of those days, came forth unhurt. After this, he was banished to the isle of Patmos ; where he was condemned to work in the mines with criminals; and in which place he is said to have written the book of the Revelations. The emperor Nerva recalled St. John from banishment, when he retired to Ephesus, in which city he died during the reign of Trajan, aged 90. His festival is not retained in our Church on this day, but on the 27th of December.

DUCHESS OF YORK born. H. R. H. Frederica, Charlotta, Ulrica, Catherina, Duchess of York, eldest daughter of Frederick William III. king of Prussia, was born May 7, 1767, and was married to H. R. H. the Duke of York, at Berlin, September 29, 1791, and in England, on the 23d of November following.

PRINCESS OF WALES born. H. R. H. Caroline, Amelia, Elizabeth, second daughter of the Duke of Brunswick Woelfenbuttel, by Augusta, daughter of Frederick Lewis, late Prince of Wales, and a sister of George III., was born May 17, 1768; arrived in England, April 5, 1795; and was married on the 8th of the same month, to H. R. H. the Prince of Wales.

QUEEN CHARLOTTE born. Her Majesty, Sophia Charlotte, or Caroline, youngest daughter of Charles Lewis Frederick, Duke of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, was born May 19, 1744; arrived at St. James's Palace on the 8th of September, 1761; and was married to his present Majesty, on the same evening.

See ante January 18; and for her Majesty's family, post June 4th. DUNSTAN, Archbishop, was born at Glastonbury, A. D. 924, of a noble family, and related to king Athelstan. In addition to the scholastic knowledge of the age, he was renowned for his skill in painting, music, sculpture, and refining of metals; which acquirements, being so rare in the times in which he flourished, procured him the appellation of a conjuror while living, and of a Saint after his death. He resided some time at the court of Athelstan; but imbibing a great