Point to the village of Charlton, appears to have been neither very safe nor very pleasant; and when they came upon the heath, it was absolutely requisite to arm themselves with ladles, in imitation of the blackguards that thronged the place: those, who neglected to comply with this established custom, ran no little risk of having their elbows cracked with the ladles used in stirring up the furmity-kettles, that reeked on every side. The women, too, were often whipped with as little mercy as decency.

At a yet earlier period it would seem that the butchers were more particularly connected with this festival, as is exemplified in innumerable passages of the old dramatists.

"Enter SLITGUT with a pair of ox-horns, discovering Cuckold's Haven above.

Slitg. All hail, fair haven of married men only; for there are none but married men, cuckolds. For my part I presume to arrive here but in my master's behalf, a poor butcher of Eastcheap, who sends me to set up in honour of Saint Luke these necessary ensigns of his homage. And up I got this morning thus early, to get up to the top of this famous tree, that is all fruit and no leaves, to advance this crest of my master's homage."-EASTWARD HOE!

"You went to a Butcher's feast at Cuckold's Haven.". WESTWARD HOE!

There is no necessity, I presume, for citing more examples, but it was necessary to trace this feast to the butchers, inasmuch as it shows how St. Luke came to be connected with a ceremony so degrading. Though it does not seem to be generally known even amongst Catholic divines, the most learned of all churchmen, yet there can be no doubt that St. Luke was at one time held in this country by the vulgar, if not by others, to be the Patron, or Tutelar Saint of Cattle, and of those in any way connected with them, such for instance as butchers

and gamekeepers. The fact is sufficiently proved by the following extract from a MS. of old Aubrey's in the British Museum :

"At Stoke-Verdon, in the parish of Broad-Chalke, was a chapell (in the chapell close by the Farme-house) dedicated to Saint Luke, who is the patron, or Tutelar Saint of the Horne-beasts and those that have to do with them, wherefore the keepers and foresters of the New Forest come hither every year at St. Luke's tyde with their offerings to St. Luke, that they might be fortunate in their game, the deer, and other cattle."*

We have next to inquire why Saint Luke should have been deemed the "Patron, or Tutelar Saint of the Horned Beasts and those that have to do with them." That he is constantly found in old engravings and in painted glass windows with the ox at his side is too well known to require any proof, and I think the reason of this is sufficiently evident from the Scriptures; but to be plain, we must be somewhat diffuse. The prophet, Ezekiel, in chap: i. v. 10, describes the cherubim as having the faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, and a very early notion prevailed amongst the Christians that the four Evangelists were prefigured by this vision. This is stated by almost every ancient commentator, and many fanciful reasons have been assigned why the Evangelists should be designated by such types. There was some dispute among them whether the lion was the symbol of Saint Mathew or Saint Mark, but never any respecting the ox, or calf for Saint Luke, and the eagle for St. John. Bede, in his preface to his Commentary on Saint Luke, tells us that all former commentators were agreed "quod per vitulum Lucas significatus sit." Now then we see why Saint Luke was symbolized by the ox; and hence

Aubrey's Remains of Gentilism and Judaism, MS. p. 215. See Lansdown Catalogue in the British Museum.

it is easy to infer how he became amongst the people the Tutelar Saint of horned cattle and those connected with them finally, as the horn grew from other causes to be the emblem of cuckoldom, we can be at no loss to understand why Saint Luke's Day eventually got to be desecrated by this custom, or why butchers, above all others, should be its votaries.*

ST. CRISPIN AND ST. CRISPIANUS; October 25th.These saints were patrons of the gentle craft as it has been called, and we must not be surprised at Crispin and Crispianus patronizing this humble but useful occupation when we find St. Dismas and St. Nicholas presiding over thieves, St. Martin and St. Urban over drunkards to guard them from falling into kennels, St. Mathurin over fools, and St. Magdalene, St. Afra,† and St. Brigit over prostitutes. Crispin and Crispinianus moreover had excellent grounds for taking the gentle craft under their protection, as a brief sketch of their story will show. They were Romans of noble birth, who conceived a fancy for converting the Heathens of France, and for this purpose set out on a missionary expedition to Soissons, having previously disposed of all their worldly goods and chattels. But so strictly was the edict of the emperors Dioclesian and Maximian observed in that city, that no one dared to lodge or relieve them, and in consequence they soon found they must work if they wished to

* This account has already appeared in a late periodical; as however upon re-considering the subject, I see no reason to alter my former opinion, I have reprinted the whole as I first wrote it. Both Brand and Hone have treated this matter at some length, but both have avoided the main question-what had Saint Luke to do with Cuckolddom?

This is coming pretty near to Venus in name as well as occupation -Aphra ; Aphrodite. How St. Briget, or, as her name is sometimes written, Bridget, got into such doubtful company I cannot say; but Magdalene had sufficient reasons of her own to account for her patronage.

live. Thus urged by necessity, they took to shoemaking, as being a quiet trade that did not interfere with their spiritual repose, when God himself instructed them thoroughly in the craft.* As they did not care for great gains, they soon got plenty of custom, and not to lose time they turned their shop into a chapel, preaching with so much zeal and unction that many who only thought of buying a pair of shoes, got the gospel into the bargain-" plusieurs acheterent d'eux sans aucun prix la Perle Evangelique, ne penchant acheter que des souliers." The fame thus acquired having come to the ears of the Prefect Rictiovarius, he loaded them with chains, and brought them before the Emperor Maximian as contemners of the Gods and disturbers of the public peace. As they would not yield either to the threats or the promises of Maximian, he ordered them to be tortured to death; but the hammers

*So at least says Ribadeneira-"Dieu le leur apprit luy-même parfaitement." Les Fleurs des Vies des Saints, tom. ii. p. 382. + Ribadeneira, as above.

It is a curious fact, though it seems to have attracted little attention, that the pagans, so tolerant on all other occasions, should on the sudden have become such fierce persecutors of the Christians. Indeed toleration may be said, with that single exception, to have been a marked characteristic of Heathen worship, for the attack upon the Jews was political not religious. While Christian, Brahmin, Jew, and Mahomedan, have all in turn been persecutors, not only of each other, but of any dissentients amongst themselves, the Gods of Rome had no quarrel with those of Greece, nor did the Grecian divinities refuse companionship with the Isis and Osiris of Egypt. ay on the first appearance of Christianity the Romans were far from being disposed to quarrel with the new faith; it was not until long after the crucifixion,-forced upon them by the Jews and much against their will-that they became persecutors. Does not this seem to indicate that Christianity at a very early period had lost sight of the doctrines of its heavenly founder, and by its assuming a stern and fanatical spirit, in place of the love and humility inculcated by him, itself provoked this intolerance?

employed to crush them, recoiled upon their tormentors, the river refused either to drown or to freeze them, for it buoyed up their bodies and from being cold enough to destroy life changed into a comfortable warm bath; and when they were plunged into boiling lead, instead of injuring the intended victims a quantity of the hot metal spurted out into the Prefect's eye, and made him more furious than ever. At length upon the especial prayer of the saints, an angel came and pulled them both uninjured out of the lead, when Rictiovarius in a fit of rage, inspired of course by the devil, jumped in himself and perished miserably. Sharp steel, however, effected in the end what could not be done by any other means. By order of Maximian they were beheaded, and their bodies exposed to the birds and beasts of prey. But though now very sufficiently dead, their miraculous career on earth was not yet over. birds and beasts, forgetting their usual nature, refused to touch the holy corpses; an old man and his wife were warned by God to carry them off by night; that they might the more easily effect this, the bodies were rendered light by divine interposition; and finally when the aged pair reached the boat with their precious cargo, the bark was supernaturally impelled against wind and current, without the help either of oar or sails, till they reached their own home, where they buried the bodies as decently as they were able. But the reign of Constantine came, and with it also came the reign of the saints; the bodies were disinterred, and first conveyed to Soissons; but finally, being of Rome, they were buried in the church of St. Lawrence in that city.*

The

ST. SIMON AND ST. JUDE; October 28th. These saints, like St. Swithin, were supposed to be great promoters of wet weather. Brand tells us that in the Runic Calendar

* Those who wish to verify these important facts, should consult Ribadeneira as above.