nails employed in the crucifixion, and the title, or label, which had once been affixed to the real cross. her cure. But now came another difficulty; the title having been separated by decay or accident, how was she to distinguish the cross of Christ from those of the two thieves? This would have puzzled most people, but it did not puzzle the inspired bishop, Macarius, who on being consulted recommended that all three should be taken to a lady of rank then lying ill, and their powers severally tested in Two were tried without effect, but the third restored the patient to perfect health, and was consequently pronounced to be the genuine. Great, hereupon, was the delight of the poor old empress. Part of the nails she manufactured into a helmet for her son, as a sure guard against hostile weapons, part she did into his horse's bridle, both for his soul's health and in fulfilment of the oracle of Zechariah.* Another portion she destined for the palace, and the rest she enclosed in a silver case made especially for the purpose, and presented to the bishop as a memorial for posterity. In conclusionwithout which all the rest would have gone for nothing with the pious-she built a splendid church upon the ruins of the heathen temple.† HOLY ROOD DAY, the name sometimes given to the third of May, takes its rise from the same circumstance, the rood, as Fuller informs us, being an image of Christ on the cross, made generally of wood, and erected in a * Zechariah, chap. xiv. v. 20. + Theodoreti Ecclesiastica Historia, lib. i. cap. xvii. I presume it is from the same source that the Rev. Alban Butler has drawn the account given by him in his Lives of the Fathers, (vol. vi. p. 45,) but he has omitted all mention of the talismanic helmet-why, I can not imagine, that little incident being so exceedingly characteristic of the good empress. loft for that purpose, just over the passage out of the church into the chancel."* The next day of importance in this month is the 8ththe APPARITION OF ST. MICHAEL-held sacred by the Catholics on account of the three apparitions, or appearances, of St. Michael. The first was on Mount Garganus, now called Mount St. Angelo, a lofty hill and promontory of Apulia, which advances into the Adriatic Sea. A herdsman, having lost his ox, and after a long search finding it in the mouth of a cavern, flung a dart at the animal, when the weapon rebounded upon him and wounded him. Terrified at this miracle, he consulted his bishop, who ordered a three days' fast, and the latter, being afterwards visited by St. Michael in person, was informed by him that he had wounded the herdsman by way of letting them know that he was the patron-saint of the city. A second apparition was when the Neapolitans, who were then Pagans, waged war against the Christian people of Sipentum, a city of Apulia. In this case also the then bishop ordained a three days' fast, the usual episcopal panacea for all evils, and commanded moreover that the people should pray to Saint Michael for assistance. They of course obeyed these injunctions, and in the night-time the bishop was rewarded for his advice by a familiar visit from St. Michael, with a promise that his flock should have the victory. Most faithfully, too, did the saint keep his word, for the next day, when the opposing armies met, Mount Garganus was shaken with repeated thunders, the air was darkened, and the heathens, terrified out of their wits by these prodigies, fled as fast as they could to Naples. * History of Waltham Abbey, p. 16.-See his works, folio. Lond. 1655. Ad finem. A third appearance was at Rome in the time of Gregory the Great. The pontiff was praying against a pestilence, when he saw an angel upon the mount of Adrian, with a bloody sword in his hand, which he then sheathed, whence the supplicant inferred that his prayers had been granted, and in consequence he built a chapel on the spot in honour of all the angels.* There would, however, seem to be some little difficulty in understanding why the day should be particularly dedicated to St. Michael, a difficulty which Durandus endeavours to get over by many ingenious arguments, his principal one being that St. Michael was the guardian of Paradise,† and therefore more especially entitled to such an honour. It ROGATION SUNDAY. The fifth Sunday after Easter. took its name from preceding the Rogation Days, that is the three days before Holy Thursday, Rogation being a term generally used to denote processional supplications; the reason of the word being more specifically applied to the days in question was this :-About the year 550, the city of Vienne, (in Dauphinè,) was much troubled with earthquakes and the irruption of wild beasts, whereupon Mamertus, the bishop of the diocese, obtained permission from the senate to ordain processional supplications on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, before the Ascension.‡ Hospinian De Festis Christ. fol. 85. † Durandi Rat. Divin. Offic. lib. vii. cap. 12. + "Dum civitas Viennensium crebro terræ motu subrueretur et bestiarium desolaretur incursu, sanctus Mamertus, ejus civitatis episcopus, eas dicitur pro malis quæ præmissimus ordinasse." Wallifred, Stral. c. 28. d. De Rebus Ecclesiast. I give the passage, as quoted by Bourne, having only taken the liberty of reading dicitur for legitur, a manifest misprint, which as a matter of course, Sir Henry Ellis, who quotes from him, has retained, with the addition-also of courseof another typographical blunder-De REP. Ecclesiast. See also Shep It is not easy to say when or how these rogations became mixed up with the parochial perambulations, but there cannot be the least doubt that the latter have been derived to us from the times of the Romans. It is only a Christian form of the Terminalia, established by Numa Pompilius, in honour of the God Terminus, the guardian of fields and landmarks, and maintainer of peace amongst mankind.* Even the Reformation did not sweep away this useful custom ; it only modified the observance; and we find Elizabeth ordering that "the curate, at certain and convenient places, shall admonish the people to give thanks in the beholding God's benefits, for the increase and abundance of his fruits upon the face of the earth, with the saying of the 103d psalm, at which time the minister shall inculcate these, or such sentences-'cursed be he which translateth the bounds and dolest of his neighbours.'"'+ The week, in which these days fell, was also called herd's "Elucidation of Common Prayer,” vol. ii. p. 127, who, however, in the earlier edition of his work mistook this "civitas Vien. nensium," for Vienna, the capital of Austria. In the second edition of vol. ii. the error is corrected. ** Spelman, in his Glossary under the head Perambulatio, says, "refert Plutarchus in Problem xiii. Numam Pompilium cum finitimis agri terminis constituisse et in ipsis finibus Terminum, Deum, quasi finium præsidem amicitiæque ac pacis custodem posuisse. Hinc festa ei dicata quæ Terminalia nuncupantur, quorum vice nos quotannis ex vetustissimâ consuetudine parochiarum terminos lustramus,-Saxonibus gangdagas, hodiernis processiones et Rogationes appellatas. Dole means a boundary-stone. Todd derives it from the Saxon dælan, to divide; but I should rather fancy it was the Celtic dol, a stone, which we find in the compound word dolman, i.e. the Stone of the Men, another name for the cromlech. Bourne's Antiq. vol. i. p. 207. Cross-week," because in ancient times, when the priests went into the fields, the cross was carried before them."* In the north it was, and I believe still is, called gang-week, from the provincial word gang, a descendant from the Anglo-Saxon gang-days already noticed. Lastly, it was termed Grass-week, in some of the inns of court, because the commons then consisted mostly of sallads and green vegetables. There is a superstitious observance appertaining to this week peculiar to Kent, but which I believe may be found, with modifications, in Devonshire also. Hasted, who sometimes condescended to relieve his antiquarian details by scraps of this kind, informs us "there is an odd custom used in these parts, about Keston and Wickham, in Rogation week; at which time a number of young men meet together for the purpose, and with a most hideous noise run into the orchards, and incircling each tree, pronounce these words : Stand fast root, bear well top, God send us a youling+ sop! But For which incantation the confused rabble expect a gratuity in money, or drink, which is no less welcome. if they are disappointed of both, they with great solemnity anathematize the owners and trees with altogether as insignificant a curse. It seems highly probable that this custom has arisen from the ancient one of perambulation among the heathens, when they made their * Bourne's Antiq. Vulg. p. 285, note. + I hardly know whether it may be necessary to explain to any one that this youling, or yuling sop is an allusion to the roasted crab. apple, which is put into the wassail bowl at Christmas, the ale thus prepared forming the well-known drink called lambs-wool. |