In

is, indeed, everywhere a name of contempt. Scotland, upon April-Day, they hunt the gowk,' by sending silly people upon fools' errands, from place to place, with a letter, in which is written:

On the first day of April,

Hunt the gowk another mile.' - Brand.

Why is an absurd errand called ' sleeveless' ? Because, to 'sleave atwo' is an old expression for untwisting or unfolding, and 'less' final being negative, sleeve-less plainly implies that which cannot be untwisted or explained. — Ellis's Notes to Brand.

Why is the day before Good Friday called Maunday Thursday?

Because of a custom of the king's distributing alms to a certain number of poor persons at Whitehall, on that day, from maunds, or baskets, originally from the Saxon mand. Nares.

Part of the ceremony consisted in washing the feet of the poor in the Royal Chapel, which was formerly done by the kings themselves, in imitation of our Saviour's pattern of humility, &c. James II, was the last king who performed this in person; (Gentleman's Magazine) it being now the office of the Lord High Almoner.

Why are buns on Good Friday marked with a cross? Because the cross is a received symbol of the Roman Catholic religion, and commemorates the passion of Christ on this day.

The cross is the most popular emblem of popery that the Reformation has spared in England. The various uses of thecross,devotional as well as secular, deserve notice. In the North of England, the country people make with a knife, many little cross marks on their cakes, before they put them into the oven. Persons who cannot write, instead of signing their names,make their marks inthe form of across. From the cross at thebeginning of a horn book,the alphabet

is called the Christ Cross Row. The cross used in shop-books, Butler seems to derive from the same origin. The round O of a milk-score is, if I mistake not, marked with a cross for a shilling. Flecknoe says, (1665) that fanatical reforiners attached ill luck to a bird flying with its wings across, a ship with its cross-yard sail upon the sea, and profaneness to a tailor sitting cross-legged; which detestation of the cross-form took its rise from the odium at that time against every thing derived from popery. Among the Irish, when a woman milks her cow, she dips her finger into the milk, with which she crosses the beast, and piously articulates a prayer,saying,' Mary and our Lord preserve thee till I come again.'(Gent. Magaz. 1795.)

In the West of England, is a vulgar notion, that the straight stripe down the shoulders of the ass, intersected by a long one from the neck to the tail, is a cross of honour conferred upon him by Christ, and that before Christ rode upon the ass, that animal was not so distinguished.

Why are these buns so called?

Because of the origin of the term from a species of sacred bread, which used to be offered to the gods, and was called Boun. The Greeks, who changed the nu final into a sigma, expressed it in the nominative Bous, but in the accusative, more truly Boun, Bouy. Heyschius speaks of the boun, and describes it a kind of cake, with a representation of two horns. Julius Pollux mentions it after the same manner, a sort of cake with horns. Diogenes Laertius, speaking of the same offering, made by Empedocles, describes the chief ingredients of which it is composed. He offered one of the sacred Liba, called a Bouse, which was made of fine flour and honey.' It is said of Cecrops, that he first offered up this sort of sweetbread. Hence we may judge of the antiquity of the custom, from the times to which Cecrops is referred (1080, B.C) The prophet Jeremiah takes notice of

this kind of offering, when he is speaking of the Jewish women at Pathros in Egypt, and of their base idolatry; in all which their husbands had encouraged them. The women, in their expostulation upon his rebuke, tell him,' Did we not make thee cakes to worship her?' Jer. xliv. 18, 19. vii. 18. 'Small loaves of bread,' Mr Hutchinson observes, 'peculiar in their form, being long and sharp at both ends, are called buns.' These Mr Bryant derives as above, and concludes: - 'We only retain the name and form of the Boun, the sacred uses are no more.' Brand.

Why did the Kings of England formerly hallow rings on Good Friday?

Because the wearers should not be afflicted with the falling sickness; a ring which had long been preserved with great veneration,in Westminister Abbey, being supposed to have great efficacy against the cramp and falling sickness, when touched by those who were afflicted with either of those disorders. This ring is reported to have been brought from Jerusalem.

'Crampe rings' are also mentioned by Lord Berners; and in our times jet rings are by weak persons believed to be singularly efficacious.

Why is Friday superstitiously considered an unlucky day?

Because, probably, of the crucifixion of our Saviour on a Friday a day of fear, trembling, of darkness, and earthquakes. The fast ordained by the Church contributes to perpetuate these mournful ideas.

The Romans had their lucky and unlucky days, and on the latter would not undertake any business, for fear it should have a bad conclusion: they considered them as unhappyand of bad omen. The French have also an unlucky or unfortunate day,and this is Friday. On this day, they will not undertake any business of importance,for fear of its turning out badly; or a long

journey, lest it may abound with distressing accidents; a marriage is seldom contracted on this day, lest it should be unhappy. Leigh Hunt tells us that 'Lord Byron believed in the ill-luck of Fridays, and was seriously disconcerted if any thing was to be done on that frightful day of the week."

Why is Easter so called?

Because it is derived from the goddess Eastor, worshipped by our Saxon ancestors, with peculiar ceremonies, in April. The anniversary festival in honour of Christ's resurrection falling at the same time of the year, occasioned the transfer of the heathen name in this country to the Christain celebration.

Why are churches decorated with flowers and shrubs on Easter Day?

Because the plants are most probably intended as emblems of the resurrection, having just risen from the earth, in which, during the severity of winter, they seem to have been buried. Gent. Mag. 1783. Why are 'Paste Eggs' given as farings in the northern counties at Easter?

Because the custom is the remains of an ancient superstition of the Roman Church, adopted from the Jews. Thus, in one of their prayers: 'Bless, O Lord, we beseech thee, this thy creature of eggs,' &c.

Eggs were held by the Egyptians as a sacred emblem of the renovation of mankind after the deluge. The Jews adopted it to suit the circumstances of their history, as a type of their departure from the land of Egypt; and it was used in the feast of the passover, as part of the furniture of the table, with the Paschal lamb. The Christians have certainly used it on this day, as retaining the elements of future life, for an emblem of the resurrection. Hutchinson's Northumberland.

Why are these eggs called Paste'?

Because they celebrate Pasche, or Easter.

PART III.

2*

Why are tansy puddings and cakes eaten at Easter? Because they were introduced by the monks, as symbolical of the bitter herbs in use among the Jews at this season; though, at the same time, bacon was always a part of the Easter fare, to denote a contempt of Judaisın.

Why are mint and sugar a general sauce for lamb ? Because of its origin from the above custom of eating bitter herbs: the Jews contriving to diminish the bitter flavour of the tansy, by making it into a sauce for their paschal lamb.*

Why was the custom of heaving or lifting' formerly very general at Easter?

Because it was intended to represent our Saviour's resurrection. Brand.-The men lift the women on Easter Monday, and the women the men on Tuesday. One or more take hold of each leg, and one or more of each arm, near the body, and lift the person up in a horizontal position, three times. Gent. Mag. 1784.

Why is it erroneous to suppose that the figures on the Biddenden cakes represent the donors of the gift?†

Because the givers were two maidens, named Preston; and the print of the women on the cakes has taken place only within these 50 years, and was intended to represent two poor widows, as the general objects of a charitable benefaction. Hasted's Hist. of Kent.

*From the Greek pascha, also from the Hebrew peseech, passover, we have paschal; applied to the lamb which formed part of the evening meal, the last of which our Saviour partook, before his death, with his twelve disciples.

The gift was 20 acres of land at Biddenden, given by persons unknown, the yearly rents of which are to be distributed among the poor of this parish. This is yearly done on Easter Sunday, in the afternoon, in 600 cakes, (each of which has impressed on it the figures of two women), which are given to all such as attend the church; and 270 loaves, weighing 3 1-2 lbs. each, to which latter is added i 1-2 lb. cheese, are given to the parishioners only, at the same time. The vulgar tradition is that the above figures were twins, joined together in their bodies, and who had lived thus together, till they were between 20 and 30 years of age.