lurbs the nervous system and digestive In the truth of these observations as
organs of many persons, causing head- regards health, he who writes this is un-
aches, fevers, and other disorders. More- happily qualified to concur from expe-
over, a good astronomical observation rience; and were it in his power, would
cannot be made when the wind is east : ever shun the north-east as his inost
the star seems to oscillate or dance about fearful enemy.
in the field of the telescope."

Sir, the north-east, more fierce than Russian cold,
Pierces the very marrow in the bones,
Presses upon the brain an arid weight,
And superflows life's current with a force
That checks the heart, and soul, and mind, and strength,
In all their purposes.

Up with the double window-sashes-quick!
Close every crevice from the withering blast,
And stop the keyhole tight-the wind-fiend comes !

January 20.

fast-pinned paper, unmindful of the phy

sical law which forbids her head revolving St. Fabian, Pope. St. Sebastian. St. faster than the great orbit on which the Erithymius. St. Fechin.

ominous comet flies.” St. Fabian. This saint is in the church of England

ST. AGNES' EVE calendar; he was bishop of Rome, A. D. Formerly this was a night of great im250 : thc Romish calendar calls him pope. port to maidens who desired to know who

they should marry. Of such it was reSt. Sebastian's Day

quired, that they should not eat on this Is noted in Doblada's Letters from Spain, day, and those who conformed to the as within the period that ushers in the car rule, called it fasting St. Agnes' fast. nival with rompings in the streets, and vulgar mirth.

And on sweet St. Agnes' night “The custom alluded to by Horace of Please you with the promis' sight, sticking a tail, is still practised by the

Some of husbands, some of lovers, boys in the streets, to the great annoyance

Which an empty dream discovers.

Ben Jonson. of old ladies, who are generally the objects of this sport. One of the ragged Old Aubrey has a recipe, whereby a striplings that wander in crowds about lad or lass was to attain a sight of the Seville, having tagged a piece of paper fortunate lover. “ Upon St. Agnes' night with a hooked pin, and stolen unperceiv. you take a row of pins, and pull out every ed behind some slow-paced female, as one, one after another, saying a Pater wrapt up in her veil, she tells the beads Noster, sticking a pin in your sleeve, and she carries in her left hand, fastens the you will dream of him or her you shall paper-tail on the back of the black or marry." walking petticoat called Saya. The whole Little is remembered of these homely gang of ragamuffins, who, at a convenient methods for knowing “all about sweetdistance, have watched the dexterity of hearts," and the custom would scarcely their companion, set up a loud cry of have reached the greater number of read• Làrgalo, làrgalo'— Drop it, drup it'- ers, if one of the sweetest of our modern this makes every female in the street look poets had not preserved its recollection in to the rear, which, they well know, is the a delightful poem. Some stanzas are fixed point of attack with the merry lights culled from it, with the hope that they troops. The alarm continues till some may be read by a few to whom the poetry friendly hand relieves the victim of sport, of Keates is unknown, and awaken a de who, spinning and nodling like a spent sire for further acquaintance with his top, tries in vain to catch a glance at the beauties :

Trations

this is a from empt wer, Foli

his en

The Eve of St. Agnes.
St. Agnes' Eve ? Ah, tister chill it was!
The owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold;
The hare limp'd trembling through the frozes gran,
And silent was the flock in woolly fold .
.

* "
They told her how, upon St. Agnes' Eve,
Young virgins might have visions of delight,
And soft adorings from their loves receive
Upon the honey'd middle of the night,
If ceremonies due they did aright;
As, supperless to bed they must retire,
And couch supine their beauties, lily white;

Nor look behind, nor sideways, but require
Of Heaven with upward eyes for all that they desire.

Full of this whim was thoughtful Madeline

Out went the taper as she hurried in ;
Its little smoke, in pallid moonshine, died :
She clos'd the door, she panted, all akin
To spirits of the air, and visions wide
No uttered syllable, or, woe betide !
But to her heart, her heart was voluble,
Paining with eloquence her balmy side;

As though a tongueless nightingale should swell
Her throat in vain, and die, heart-stified, in her dell.

A casement high and triple arch'd there was,
All garlanded with carven imag'ries
Of fruits, and flowers, and bunches of knot grass,
And diamonded with panes of quaint device
Innumerable of stains and splendid dyes,
As are the tiger-moth's deep damask'd wings;
And in the midst, 'mong thousand heraldries,

And twilight saints, with dim emblazonings,
A shielded 'scutcheon blush'd with blood of queens and kings,

Full on this casement shone the wintry moon,
And threw warm gules on Madeline's fair breast,
As down she knelt for Heaven's grace and boon;
Rose-bloom fell on her hands, together prest,
And on her silver cross soft amethyst,
And on her hair a glory, like a saint:
She seem'd a splendid angel, newly drest,
Save wings, for Heaven :- .

- Her vespers done
Of all its wreathed pearls her hair she frees;
Unclasps her warmed jewels one by one ;
Loosens her fragrant boddice; by degrees
Her rich attire creeps rustling to her knees •
Half-hidden, like a mermaid in sea-weed,
Pensive awbile she dreams awake, and sees,

In fancy, fair St. Agnes in her bed,
Hat dares not look behind, or all the charm is fled.

Soon, trembling in her soft and chilly nest,
In sort of wakeful swoon, perplex'd she lay,
Until the poppied warmth of sleep oppressid
Her soothed limbs, and soul fatigued away ;
Flown, like a thought, until the morrow day,
Blissfully haven'd both from joy and pain;
Clasp'd like a missal where swart Paypims pray;

Blinded alike from sunshine and from rain,
As though a rose should shut, and be a bud again.

Sto!'n to this paradise, and so extranced,
Porphyro gazed upon her empty dress,
And listened to her breathing.----

Sbaded was her dream
By the dusk curtains :—'twas a midnight charm
Impossible to melt as iced stream :-

He took her hollow lute, -
Tumultuous,-and, in chords that tenderest be,
He play'd an ancient ditty, long since mute,
In Provence call'd, “ La belle dame sans mercy :"
Close to her ear touching the nelody;-
Wherewith disturb’d, she utter'd a soft moan :
He ceas'd-she panted quick-and suddenly

Her blue affrayed eyes wide open shone :
Upon his knees he sank, pale as smooth-sculptured stone,

Her eyes were open, but she still beheld,
Now wide awake, the vision of her sleep:
There was a painful change, that nigh expellid
The blisses of her dream so pure and deep,
At which fair Madeline began to weep,
And moan forth witless words with many a sigh ,
While still her gaze on Porphyro would keep;

Who knelt, with joined hands and piteous eye, fearing to move or speak, she look'd so dreamingly

" Ah, Porphyro !" said she, “ but even now
“ Thy voice was at sweet tremble in mine ear,
“Made tuneable with every sweetest vow;
“ And those sad eyes were spiritual and clear :
“How chang'd thou art ! bow pallid, chill, and drear
“Give me that voice again, my Porphyro,
“ Those looks immortal, those complainings dear!

“ Oh, leave me not in this eternal woe,
" For if thou diest, my love, I know not where to go."

Beyond a mortal man impassion'd far
At these voluptuous accents, he arose,
Ethereal, flush'd, and like a throbbing star,
Seen ʼmid the sapphire heaven's deep repose,
Into her dream he melted, as the rose
Blendeth its odour with the violet,
Solution sweet : meantime the frost-wind blows

Like Love's alarum pattering the sharp sleet
Against the window-panes.

• Hark! 'tis an elfin-storm from faery land,
“ Of haggard seeming, but a boon indeed
“ Arise--arise! the morning is at hand;
" Let us away, my love, with happy speed.
And they are gone : ay, ages long ago
These lovers fled away into the storm.

FLORAL DIRECTORY.

St. Fabian
Large Dead Nettle. Larnium garganinum.

Aquarius,

wonderful miracles before her death,which

was by beheading, when she was thirteen OR, THE WATER BEARER.

years oid ; whereupon he enjoins females The sun enters Aquarius on this day, to a single life, as better than a married though he does not enter it in the visible one, and says, that her anniversary “ was zodiac until the 18th of February. formerly a holiday for the women in

Ganymede, who succeeded Hebe as England.” Ribadeneira relates, that she cup-bearer to Jove, is fabled to have been was to have been burned, and was put into changed into Aquarius. Canobus of the the fire for that purpose, but the flames, Egyptian zodiac, who was the Neptune refusing to touch her, divided on each of the Egyptians, with a water-vase and side, burnt some of the bystanders, and measure, evidently prefigured this con- then quenched, as if there had been stellation. They worshipped him as the none made: a compassionate quality in God of many breasts, from whence he re- fire, of which iron was not sensible, for plenished the Nile with fertilizing streams. her head was cut off at a single blow Aquarius contains one hundred and eight Her legend further relates, that eight days stars, the two chief of which are about after her death she came to ber parents fifteen degrees in height:

arrayed in white, attended by virgins with His head, his shoulders, and bis lucid breast,

garlands of pearls, and a lamb whiter Glisten with stars; and when his urn inclines, than snow; she is therefore usually repreRivers of light brighten the watery track.

sented by artists with a lamb by her side; Endosia. though not, as Mr. Brand incautiously

says, “ in every graphic representation."

It is further related, that a priest who offiJanuary 21.

ciated in a church dedicated to St. Agnes,

was very desirous of being married. He St. Agnes. St Fructuosus, 8c. St.

prayed the pope's license, who gave it Vimin, or Vivian. St. Publius. St.

him, together with an emerald ring, and Epiphanius

commanded him to pay his addresses to St. Agnes.

the image of St. Agnes in his own church “She has always been looked upon," Then the priest did so, and the image pui says Butler, “as a special patroness of forth her finger, and he put the ring therepurity, with the immaculate mother on; whereupon the image drew her finof God." According to him, she suffered ger again, and kept the ring fast, and martyrdom, about 304, and performed the priest was contented to remain a boyo

chelor; “ and yet, as it is sayd, the synge secrated animals were afterwards shorn, is on the fynger of the ymage"

and palls made from their fleeces; for each

of which, it is said, the pope exacted or In a Romish Missal printed at Paris, in the bishops from eight to ten, or thirty 1520, there is a prayer to Si Agnes, re- thousand crowns, and that the custom markably presumptive of her powers; it origjuated with Limes, who succeeded the is thus englisbed by Bp. Patrick : apostle Peter: whereupon Naogeorgus Agnes, who art the Lamb's chaste spouse,

inquires, Enlighten thou cur miads within ;

But where was Agnes at that time? Not only lop the spreading boughs.

who offred up, and how, But root out of us every sin.

The two white lambes? where then was 0, Lads, singularly great,

Nasse,
After this state, with grief opprest

as it is used now ! Translate us to that quiet seat

Yea, where was then the Popish state,

and dreadfull monarchee !
Above, to triumph with tbe blest.

Sure in Saint Austen's time, there were
From Naogeorgus, we gather that in St.

no pailes at Rome to see, &c. Agnes' church at Rome, it was custo In Jephson's “ Manners, &c. of France nary on St. Agnes' Day to bring two and Italy," there is one dated from Rome, Snow-white lambs to the aitar, upon which February, 14, 1793. That this ceremony they were laid while the Agnus was was then in use, is evident from the folsubging by way of offering. These con- lowing lines :

St. Agnes' Skrine.
Where each pretty Be-lamb most gaily appears,
With ribaods stuck round on its tail and its ears;
On goid fringed cushions they're stretch'd out to eat,
Aud piously be, and to cburcb-musick bleat ;
Ye lo me tbey seem'd crying, alack, and alas !
W pat's ail this white damask to daisies and grass!
Toren they're brought to the Pope, and with transport they're kiss'd,

And receive consecration from Sanctity's fist.
Blessing of Sheep

sung the mass of the Holy Ghost, and at W e d, in “ Pazano-Papismus," re- the conclusion, an offering of fourpence 4.*** tad okremony of the Romnish church. was for himself, and another of threeTudiep were brought into the church, pence was for the poor. This ceremony

14 th priest, having blessed some salt was adopted by the Romish church from 214 water, read in one corner this gospel, certain customs of the ancient Romaus, "To us a child is born,” &c. with the in their worship of Pales, the goddess of

k, a farthing being laid upon sheepfolds and pastures. They prayed 11a brin, and taken up again; in the her to bless the sheep, and sprinkled them w womer he read this gospel, « Ye with water. The chief difference between Ilen of Galilee," &c. with the whole the forms seems to have consisted in this, fre, a farthing being laid upon the that the ancient Romans let the sheep Izrk, and taken up again; in the third remain in their folds, while the moderns Inte he read this gospel, “ I am drove them into the church. tre 27 shepherd,” &c. with the whole ottice, a farthing being laid upon the burok, and taken up again; and in the

FLORAL DIRECTORY, worth corner he read this gospel, “ In

St. Agnes. these days," &c. with the whole office,

Christmas Rose. Helleborus niger flor a farthing being laid upon the book, and

albo. taken up again. After that, he sprinkled

THE CROCUS. all the sheep with holy water, saying, “In the blessing of God, the Father

Dainty young thing

Of life !- Thou vent'rous flower, Almighty, descend and remain upon you; Who growest through the hard, cold in the name of the Father, and of the Sun, Of wintry Spring :and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Then he signed all the sheep with the sign of the

Thou various-hued,

Soft, voireless bell, whose spre (10%, repeated thrice some Latin verses, Rocks in the grassy leaves like wire with the Paternoster and Ave-Marias, In solitude :