in the forenoon; that he had a drunkard for a wet-nurse, to whose vitiated milk he was indebted for so considerable injury that, although weaned within twelve months, he could not walk till his sixth year and it is remarkable, that in another of Sir Theodore's Manuscripts, his 'Ephemerides,' or daily Journal of attendance upon other Patients, he states a similar fact of Anne of Denmark, James's Queen, who was carried about in the same manner till her ninth year. Sir Theodore says, His Majesty's legs were slender, scarcely strong enough to carry his body; that his jaws were narrow, and rendered swallowing difficult, a defect which he inherited both from his mother and from King James the Fifth ; that his head was strong, and never affected by the sea, by drinking wine, or riding in a chariot; that in moist weather, and in winter, he had usually a cough; that his skin was soft and delicate, but irritable; that he never eat bread, always fed on roast meat, and seldom or never eat of boiled, unless it was beef; that he was very clumsy in his riding and hunting, and frequently met with accidents; that he slept ill, waked often in the night, and called his chamberlains, nor could sleep be again readily induced unless some one read to him; that he was passionate, but that his warmth quickly subsided; that he had naturally a good appetite and a moderately fair digestion; that he was very often thirsty, drank frequently, and mixed his liquors, being very promiscuous in his use of wines. Till 1613 he had never taken medicine; and, like his predecessor, was always averse to it.

Fuller describes King James's manner of speaking. His Scotch tone,' the historian says, 'he rather affected than declined and though his speaking spoiled his speech in some English ears, yet the masculine worth of his set orations commanded reverence, if not admiration, in all judicious hearers; but in common speaking, as in his hunting, he stood not on the clearest but nearest way. He would never go about to make any expressions.'-Ellis's Original Letters, Second Series, vol. iii, pp.

198-200.

Sir WALTER SCOTT, in his ' Fortunes of Nigel,' has the following admirable 'portraiture' of his most sacred Majesty, King James 1: -'He was deeply learned, without possessing useful knowledge; sagacious in many individual cases, without having real wisdom; fond of his power, and desirous to maintain and augment it, yet willing to resign the direction of that and of himself to the most unworthy favourites; a big and bold asserter of his right in words, yet one who tamely saw them trampled on in deeds; a lover of negotiations, in which he was always outwitted; and a fearer of war, where conquest might have been easy. He was fond of his dignity, while he was perpetually degrading it by undue familiarity; capable of much public labour, though often neglecting it for the meanest amusement; a wit, though a pedant; and a scholar, though fond of the conversation of the ignorant and unedu

N

cated. Even his timidity of temper was not uniform; and there were moments of his life, and those critical, in which he showed the spirit of his ancestors. He was laborious in trifles, and a trifler where serious labour was required; devout in his sentiments, and yet too often profane in his language; just and beneficient by nature, he yet gave way to the iniquities and oppressions of others. He was penurious respecting money which he had to give from his own hand, yet inconsiderately and unboundedly profuse of that which he did not see. In a word, those good qualities which displayed themselves in particular cases and occasions, were not of a nature sufficiently firm and comprehensive to regulate his general conduct; and, showing themselves as they occasionally did, only entitled James to the character bestowed on him by Sully-that he was the wisest fool in Christendom.' 20.--TRANSLATION OF EDWARD, King of W. Saxons. Edward was first buried at Wareham; but, three years afterwards, his body was removed to Shrewsbury, and there interred with great pomp.

*20. 1826.-PROCESSION OF THE DRAGON AT

NORWICH.

For an account of this singular custom, still in use, consult our last volume, p. 190.

21.-LONGEST DAY.

This day is, in London, 16 h. 34 m. 5 s., allowing 9 m. 16 s. for refraction.-On this day, we have been accustomed to offer our readers' food for reflection' on the progress of Time,-its value and its evanescence:-may they profit by the following admonitions, which will, we fear, be at once pleasing and painful to most persons! May these effusions, ere we meet again, cease to generate a reproach in the mind of the reader! Valeant quantum valebunt !

The DIAL.

This shadow on the dial's face,
That steals, from day to day,

With slow, unseen, unceasing pace,

Moments, and months, and years away;

This shadow, which in every clime,

Since light and motion first began,
Hath held its course sublime;
What is it?-Mortal man!

It is the scythe of Time.-
A shadow only to the eye,

It levels all beneath the sky.

TABLE BOOK.

TIME.

Fugit Irrevocabile Tempus.

'What is your life? It is even a vapour, which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.'

Yes-all may grace one mortal day,

That warms the heart and wins the eye,
And gives each ardent sense to stray
From rapture to satiety-

Wealth, glory, grandeur, throned on high,
And that which melts the heart of stone,
The magic beam of beauty's eye;
But time glides on-and all are gone.

And thou, whom Heaven's high will denies
To soar above thy fellow-men,
For thee as dear a home may rise,
In village cot or mountain glen,
Where, loving and beloved again,
Thy hopes, thy heart, may rest in one:
Oh! what is life? time flies, and then
Death speeds his dart, and both are gone.

And thou, vile wretch, forbear to weep,
Thy misery need not last for aye;
Why feed the thought that else might sleep,
Why waste in hopeless grief away?
Deserted in thy darker day,

If friends are fled, and thou alone,

Thy God will prove a firmer stay:

Seek Him-time flies, and thou art gone.

Oh! where are all the gauds of earth,

Love's melting smile, young beauty's bloom,—

The pomp of wealth, the pride of birth-
Are these remembered in the tomb?
No: sunk in cold oblivion's gloom
They lie-their very names unknown;

The mouldering marble tells their doom,-
They lived-time fled, and they are gone.

So thou shalt fall: but dost thou deem
To sleep in peace beneath the sod?
Dash from thy soul that empty dream,
And know thyself, and know thy God,-
No earth nor time restrain his rod;
And thou, a few short summers flown,
'Thou tread'st the path thy fathers trod,
Thy doom is fixed, and hope is gone.

Chained to the dust from whence ye spring,
Why thus from yon bright skies be driven?
Oh, turn to your eternal King,-

Believe-repent, and be forgiven.

Haste, seize the proffered hope of Heaven,
While life and light are yet thine own;
Swift as the passing cloud of even,
Time glides along, and thou art gone!

Threefold is the stroke of Time:
The future-will be heard anon;
The PRESENT-as an arrow's gone;
The PAST's a silent chime.

DALE.

Stray Leaves. *23. 1827.—WILLIAM DAVIS DIED, ET. 36, A London Bookseller, and author of an 'Olio of Literary Anecdotes,' and a 'First and Second Journey round the Library of a Bibliomaniac'. It has been recorded of Mr. Davis (and we believe the character given of him), that he was a truly good man, and more free from vice of every sort than the generality of mankind: he was most upright in all his dealings, a good father, and an excellent husband!

24.-SAINT JOHN BAPTIST, AND MIDSUMMER DAY.

The nativity of St. John the Baptist is celebrated by the christian church on this day, because he was the forerunner of our blessed Lord, and, by preaching the doctrine of repentance, prepared the way for the gospel.

Not clothed in purple or fine linen, stood

The WILDERNESS APOSTLE! He was found
O'ercanopied by wild rocks fringed with wood,
Where nature's scenery darkly frowned;
There stood the seer, his loins begirt around,
With outstretched hand, bare brow, and vocal eye;

His voice with sad solemnity of sound,

More shrilling than the eagle's startling cry,

'Repent! repent!' exclaimed, 'Christ's Kingdom draweth

nigh.'

BERNARD BARTON.

On the eves of St. John the Baptist's and St. Peter's Days, about six in the evening, it is the custom, at Bonneval, to light up a sort of feu-de-joie, or great

bonfire, in the middle of one of the public squares or cross-ways; and a long pole, ornamented with branches and flowers, is usually stuck in the centre of the pile. The clergy commonly attend the place of this ceremony, in great pomp, set light to the fire, sing some hymns customary on the occasion, and leave the spot. The people then take possession, leap upon the pile, and seize some of the burning brands, which they place in the tester of their bed, as a preservative against thunder. On the next day, that of the fête, the servants put nosegays over their masters' doors, to give a public proof that they are satisfied with their treatment, and are willing to continue in their service.

In Spain, on Midsummer Eve, there is a bonfire lighted opposite the house of every one who has the christian name of John; and this is made by a pitched barrel filled with combustibles, &c. John or Juan being a very common name in Spain, the towns, on this evening, wear the appearance of a general illumination, to celebrate some great event.-On the origin of the Midsummer Fires, see our last volume, p. 199.

At Commercy, on the eve of Midsummer Day, it is the custom to go to a very high hill, and wait there till sun-rise, to see the sun dance. The herbs and medicinal plants gathered on the eve of St. John's Day, are reputed to have an extraordinary virtue, particularly against certain evils, and in particular diseases.

Feast of Saint John the Baptist at Perigueux.

The following curious account of this festival is extracted from the Black Book,' kept among the archives at the town-hall:

It is to be noted, that, by the statutes of the town, when Messieurs the Mayor and the Consuls take upon them their office, they swear to appoint, every year, on the eve of the day of St. John the Baptist, the following officers, viz. an Emperor, a King, a Duke, a Marquess, and an Abbé; who are to be appointed according to the different quarters of the town, by these regulated boundaries; that is to say, the Emperor towards the Plantiers; the King at the bridge; the Duke at the Limogean and the Aiguil