are you? how is your good lady? I hope she is in good health,and all the little ones." The astonished" Christian" looked as if he could have swallowed the pipe from which he was smoking, on being thus addressed by the bearded descendant of Moses, and being absolutely deprived of speech, cast an inquiring look of dismay around on his neighbours, who so far from commiserating his feelings, actually expressed by smiling countenances, the pleasure they took in the rencontre. This was adding oil to the fire, when suddenly turning fult in the face of the Jew, who still held out his hand for a friendly shrug, he exclaimed with a voice of phrenzy, "My wife knows thee not! I know thee not! My children know thee not! Leave me! go!" The Jew's hand was quickly withdrawn, while his alarmed countenance expressed the terror of his poor soul. The humiliated Jew said not a word, but quietly took his seat in the further corner of the room, and thence cast his eyes on a clock which was affixed to the wall, as if afraid of looking on a living object. He remained some minutes in this pitiable situation. At last, he took from his pocket, three or four watches, which he regularly applied to his ear, and afterwards wound up; then laying them upon the table, he triumphantly looked at the company, and by his eyes boldly challenged them to produce a wealth, equal to that he exposed to their view. Apparently satisfied, in his own mind, of his superiority as to wealth, over the man who had so cruelly denied all knowledge of him, he called in a kind, but a suppressed voice to the servant in attendance,-"Well, my dear! bring me a glass of good gin and water, sweet with sugar, mind little girl, and I will gratefully thank you; it will comfort my poor old heart." "You shall have it, sir," said the admiring girl, directing her attention to the exposed jewellery. They were the first kind words heard in that room by poor Levy, and they seemed to draw tears from his eyes; for, from his pocket, he brought forth as many handkerchiefs, of the most opposite and glowing colours, as the grave digger in Hainlet casts off waistcoats, all of which he successively applied to his eyes. The girl quickly returned with the required gin and water, al, after repeated stirring and tasting, *** an eager look at her, he, with the marked humility, begged "one le bit more sugar, and it would be beautifuls," which was of course granted, and the girl at parting was more liberally rewarded by the poor despised Jew, than by any other person in the room. Commiserating the feelings of a seemingly poor, and ancient man, whose religion and singularity of manner were his only crime, I spoke to him, and was highly delighted to find him infinitely superior to any about him; that is to say, so far as I could judge, for the greater number plainly showed, that they considered silence a sign of wisdom; probably it was so-with them. Upon Levy leaving the room, I found he had lived in one house, in the neighbourhood, for upwards of sixty years, and borne an irreproachable character; that no man has ever called on him a second time for money due; that from goodness of heart, he has often gave away the fruits of his industry, and deprived himself of personal luxuries, to add to the comforts of others, without considering whether they were Jew or Gentile; that in his own house, he is liberal of his wine, and of attention to his guests; and that he does not deny, though he is far from publishing, that he has acquired wealth. And, yet, this honourable and venerable man, after having reached his ninety-third year, because of his eccentric costume and appearance, was deprived of the comforts of passing a happy hour, after the fatigues of the day. This I trust for the credit of christianity, and for his sake, is not a circumstance of “everyday.' E. W. W. NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. Mean Temperature . . . 48 · 67. April 23. ST. GEORGE'S DAY. 1826. King's birth-day kept. For an account of St. George the patron saint of England, and how he fought and conquered a cruel dragon, and thereby saved the princess of Sylene from being devoured, see vol. i. p. 496-502. On St. George's day, people of fashion were accustomed, even to the beginning of the nineteenth century, to wear coats of cloth of blue, being the national colour in honour of the national saint. This, however, seems to be a reasonable con jecture for the custom. Mr. Archdeacon Nares, and other antiquaries, are at a loss for the real origin of the usage, which is ancient. In old times there were splendid pageants on this festival. At Leicester, the "riding of the George" was one of the principal solemnities of the town. The inhabitants were bound to attend the mayor, or to " ride against the king," as it is expressed, or for "riding the George," or for any other thing to the pleasure of the mayor and worship of the town. St. George's horse, harnessed, used to stand at the end of St. George's chapel, in St. Martin's church, Leicester.* At Dublin, there are orders in the chain book of the city, for the maintenance of the pageant of St. George to the following effect:: 1. The mayor of the preceding year was to provide the emperor and empress with their horses and followers for the pageant; that is to say, the emperor with two doctors, and the empress with two knights and two maidens, richly apparelled, to bear up the train of her gown. 2. The mayor for the time being was to find St. George a horse, and the wardens to pay 3s. 4d. for his wages that day; and the bailiffs for the time being were to find four horses with men mounted on them well apparelled, to bear the pole axe, the standard, and the several swords of the emperor and St. George. 3. The elder master of the guild was to find a maiden well attired to lead the dragon, and the clerk of the market was to find a golden line for the dragon. 4. The elder warden was to find four trumpets for St. George, but St. George himself was to pay their wages. 5. The younger warden was obliged to find the king of Dele, (Sylene,) and the queen of Dele, (Sylene,) as also two knights, to lead the queen, and two maidens in black apparel to bear the train of her gown. He was also to cause St. George's chapel to be well hung with black, and completely apparelled to every purpose, and to provide it with cushions, rushes, and other requisites, for the festivities of the day.t These provisions and preparations refer to the narrative of the adventures of St. George already given in vol. i. p. 497. St. George's day at the court of St. James's is a grand day, and, therefore, a collar day, and observed accordingly by the knights of the different orders. Collar of S. S. This is an opportunity for mentioning the origin of the collar worn judges. by the This collar is derived from St. Simplicius and Faustinus, two Roman senators, who suffered martyrdom under Dioclesian. The religious society or confraternity of St. Simplicius wore silver collars of double S. S.; between which the collar contained twelve small pieces of silver, in which were engraven the twelve articles of the creed, together with a single trefoil. The image of St. Simplicius hung at the collar, and from it seven plates, representing the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. This chain was worn because these two brethren were martyred by a stone with a chain about their necks, and thus thrown into the Tiber. John Fenn says, that collars were in the fifteenth century ensigns of rank, of which the fashions ascertained the degrees. They were usually formed of S. S. having in the front centre a rose, or other device, and were made of gold or silver, according to the bearer. He says, that knights only wore a collar of S. S.; but this is a mistake. Sir At the marriage of prince Arthur, son of Henry VII., in 1507, " Sir Nicholas Vaux ware a collar of Esses, which weyed, as the goldsmiths that made it reported, 800 pound of nobles." The collar worn by the judges is still a collar of S. S. divested of certain appendages.* I., was St. George; in the reign of James "GOD SAVE THE KING." The origin of this air has exercised the researches of numberless individuals; whether it has been thoroughly ascertained seems doubtful; but it may be suitable to introduce a translation of the words into the Welsh language, by a celebrated antiquary of the principality, Dr. Owen Pugh. It is printed, verbatim, from a private copy which the editor was favoured Fosbroke's Dict. of Antiquities. + Ibid. with by Dr. Pugh in the course of the last upon the Roode Dee from the new tower EARLY HORSE RACING. To the Editor of the Every-Day Book. Kennington, April 16, 1826. Sir, The following notice of an ancient race, formerly held near Chester, is, I conceive, worthy preservation in your interesting work, which, I hope, in course of time, will treasure up records of every custom, game, or ancient observance, formerly so common in "merry England." Mr. Lysons, in his "Magna Brittania," says, there are some old articles of a race for two bells among the corporation records, the earliest date of which was in 1512 CHESTER RACES. In 1609 or 10, Mr. William Lester, mercer, being mayor of Chester, and Mr. Robert Ambrye or Amory, ironmonger, sheriff of the city, at his, the last mentioned person's, own cost, did cause three silver bells to be made of good value, bells he appointed to be run for es" upon St. George's Day, to the netes, there torning to run up to the watergate, that horse which come first there to have the beste bell; the second to have the seconde bell for that year, putting in money, and for to-and shuerties to deliver in the bells that day twelvemonth." The other bell was run for the same day upon the like conditions. This gave rise to the adage of "bearing the bell." The bells and a bowl seem to have been brought down to the course with great pomp, as the following copy shows, carefully transcribed from the original among the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum.* "The maner of the showe, that is, if God spare life and healthe, shall be seene by all the behoulders upon Set George's day next, being the 23d of Aprill 1610, and the same with more addytion, to continew, being for the kyng's crowne and dignitye, and the homage to the kynge and prynce, with that noble victor St. George, to be continued for ever, God save the Kynge. It. ij men in greene evies,† set with worke upon their other habet, with black heare and black beards, very awgly to behould, and garlands upon their heads, with great clubbs in their hands, with firrt works to scatter abroad, to mantain way for the rest of the showe. It. one on horseback with the buckler and head-peece of St. George, and iij men to guide him, with a drum before him, for the hon. of England. It. one on horsebacke called Fame, with a trumpet in his hand, and iij to guide him, and he to make an oration with his habit, in pompe. It. one called Mercury, to descend from above in a cloude, his winges and all other matters in pompe, and heavenly musicke with him, and after his oration spoken, to ryde on horsebacke with the musicke before him. It. j called Chester, with an oration and drums before him, his habit in pompe. It, j on horseback, with the kynge's armes upon a shield in pompe. It. j on horseback, concerninge the kyng's crowne and dignity, with an oration in pompe. It. j on horseback with a bell dedicated to the kinge, being double gilt, with the kyng's armes upon, carried upon a septer in pompe, and before him a noise of trumpets in pompe. • Harl. MSS. 2150. f. 356. ↑ Ivy. : Fire. It. one on horseback, with the Prince's armes upon a shield in pompe. It. one on horseback, with an oration from the prynce in pompe. It. j on horseback, with the bell dedicated to the princes. Armes upon it, in pompe, and to be carried on a septer, and before the bell, a wayte of trumpetts. It. j on horseback, with a cup for Saint George, caried upon a septer in pompe. It. j on horseback, with an oracyon for St. George, in pompe. It. St. George himselfe on horseback, in complete armour, with his flag and buckler in pompe, and before him a noyse of drums. It. one on horseback called Peace, with an oration in pompe. It. one on horseback called Plentye, with an oration in pompè. It. one on horseback called Envy, with an oration, whom Love will comfort, in pompe. It. one on horseback called Love, with an oration, to maintain all in pompe. It. The maior and his brethren, at the Pentis of this Cittye, with their best apparell, and in skarlet, and all the orations to be made before him, and seene at the high crosse, as they passe to the roodeye, whereby grent shall be runne for by their horses, for the ij bells on a double staffe, and the cuppe to be runne for by the rynge in the same place by gennt, and with a great mater of shewe by armes, and thatt, and with more than I can recyte, with a banket after in the Pentis to make welcome the gennt: and when all is done, then judge what you have seene, and soe speake on your mynd, as you fynde. The actor for the p'sent. ROBART AMORY. Amor is love and Amory is his name that did begin this pomp and princelye game, the charge is great to him that all begun, let him be satisfyed now all is done. Notwithstanding Mr. Amory exerted himself and entertained the citizens so well in 1610, it was ordered in 1612, "that the sports and recreations used on St. George's day, should in future be done by the direction of the mayor and citizens, and not of any private person.* No authority has occurred in my researches on this subject, for tracing the gradual alterations by which the bell and the bowl of these ancient races, have been • Corporation Records. OLD GUILDFORD CHURCH. To the Editor of the Every-Day Book. Mr. Editor,-In "A Tour through the whole Island of Great Britain," 4 vols. 12mo., there is the following notice of an accident on St. George's day, which you will oblige a constant reader by inserting in the Every-Day Book. J. H. On Wednesday the 23d of April, 1740, the upper church at Guildford, in Surrey, fell down. It was an ancient building, and not long before, seven hundred and fifty pounds were expended upon it in repairs. There was preaching in it on the Sunday before, and workmen were employed in taking down the bells, who, providentially, had quitted the spot about a quarter of an hour before the accident happened, so that not one person received any hurt, though numbers were spectators. Three bells had been taken down, and the other three fell with the steeple, which broke the body of the church to pieces, though the steeple received but little damage by the fall. SPRING IN THE CITY, and JEMMY WHIttle. At Laurie and Whittle's print-shop. nearly opposite St. Dunstan's church, Fleet-street," or rather at Jemmy Whittle's, for he was the manager of the concern - I cannot help calling him "Jemmy," for I knew him afterwards, in a passing way, when every body called him Jemmy; and after his recollection failed, and he dared no longer to flash his merriment at the "Cock," at Temple-bar, and the "Black Jack," in Portugal-street, but stood, like a sign of himself, at his own door, unable to re member the names of his old friends, they called him "poor Jemmy!"-I say, I remember at Jemmy Whittle's there was always a change of prints in springtime. Jemmy liked, as he said, to "give the public something alive, fresh and clever, classical and correct!" One print, however, was never changed; this was "St. Dunstan and the Devil." To any who inquired why he always had "that old thing" in the window, and thought it would be better out, Jemmy answered, "No, no, my boy! that's my sign-no change-church and state, you know!-no politics, you know!-I hate politics! there's the church, you know, [pointing to St. Dunstan's,] and here am I, my boy!-it's my sign, you know! no change, my boy!" Alas, how changed: I desired to give a copy of the print on St. Dunstan's day in the first volume of the Every-Day Book, and it could not be found at "the old shop," nor at any printsellers I resorted to. Another print of Jemmy Whittle's was a favourite with me, as well as himself; for, through every mutation of" dressing out" his window, it maintained its place with St. Dunstan. It was a mezzotinto, called |