Days. 25 26 28 into France, and attempted to convert the people to the Christian faith. During their residence at Soissons, they followed the trade of shoemakers; preferring, like St. Paul, an humble occupation, to the becoming chargeable to their followers.-From this circumstance they are generally considered the patron saints of shoemakers.— Rictionarius, the governor of Soissons, discovering their religion through the malice of some of the people, caused them both to be beheaded, A. D. 303. The term "gentle (or gentleman's) craft," is supposed to have arisen from a prince of the name of Crispin, who is said to have been a shoemaker: this is probably a confusion of the story. The battle of Agincourt, fought on this day, and alluded to by Shakspeare, in the speech of the gallant Henry V., has done much towards celebrating, and perpetuating, the names of Crispin and Crispianus, as the battle of Waterloo, on the 18th of June, will hand down to the latest posterity, the fame of "THE WATERLOO MEN." "This story shall the good man teach his son: "This day shall gentle his condition." ACCESSION OF KING GEORGE III. See the commencement of the article," Coronation of King George III.," ante, 22d September. KING GEORGE III. PROCLAIMED. This ceremony took place on the day after the death of the late king. ST. SIMON and ST. JUDE. See Collect, &c. of the day. This day seems to have had, formerly, the same rainy celebrity as that of St. Swithin. NOVEMBER, xxx. Days FROM " Novem," nine, and "Imber;" see the month of September. -The Saxons named it " Wint monat," wind month: also, "Blot "monat," the bloody, or slaughter month; because at this time the food was killed, and salted down for winter. For some extraordinary instances of the preparations made in feudal times, see the Clavis Days. 1 2 2 3 4 Calendaria, Nov. The Roman senate wished to change the name of this month also, into Tiberius; and it was on one of these occasions, that the emperor exclaimed, "What will you do, Conscript "Fathers, if you should have thirteen Caesars." ALL SAINTS' DAY. See Collect, &c. of the day. This festival is said to have originated, A. D. 607; when the emperor Phocas, taking the Pantheon from the Heathens, who had dedicated it to Cybele, and all the gods, devoted it to the service of Christianity; and it was consecrated by Boniface IV., to " the Virgin, and all the "Saints of both sexes."—It was at first celebrated on the 1st of May, but altered to this day by Gregory IV., A. D. 835, as less inconvenient to those who resorted to Rome, in order to keep it, being after harvest. For an account of old customs on this day, also called "ALL HALLOWS DAY," see Time's Telescope, 1814. ALL SOULS. A festival celebrated by the Church of Rome, in reference to the souls supposed to be in purgatory. It was instituted in the ninth century, by Odilon, Abbot of Cluny, on the information of a monk, who visiting Mount Etna, declared he heard the devils within complain, that many departed souls were extricated from their hands, by the prayers of the monks of Cluny. From this time it was adopted by many other religious houses, and A. D. 998, was established as a general festival. After this it was considered of so important a nature, that if it happened on a Sunday, it was to be celebrated on the day preceding, rather than on the Monday, in order that the suffering souls might not lose a day! The observation of this festival was very properly abolished by our Reformers. See the Clavis Calendaria. DUKE OF KENT born. H. R. H. Edward, their Majesties fourth son, and fifth child, was born November 2, 1767, at noon; and was baptized on the 30th of the same month. He was created Duke of Kent April 23, 1799. PRINCESS SOPHIA born. H. R. H. Sophia, their Majesties fifth daughter, and twelfth child, was born November 3, 1777, about 9 o'clock in the evening; and was baptized December 1, following. KING WILLIAM LANDED. This is observed as the anniversary of the REVOLUTION, in 1688.-As king William was born on the 4th of November, 1650, and married Mary, eldest daughter of James II., on the 4th of November, 1677, he endeavoured, according to Burnet, to land on that auspicious day; but others considered that the landing Days. 5 6 on the following day, the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, would be still more propitious. The wind and tide, however, determined the latter, and it was on the 5th that he disembarked in Torbay. PAPISTS' CONSPIRACY, or Powder Plot.-The execrable conspiracy to blow up the king, (James I.) prince Henry, and all the lords and commoners, who should be present at the opening of the Parliament, and to murder the rest of the royal family, except the princess Elizabeth, in order to re-establish Popery in the kingdom, was providentially discovered on this day. A plot for effecting this had been laid in the reign of Elizabeth, four years before, but it was not matured till the year 1604, when the conspirators took a house adjoining the Parliament house; in the cellar of which they lodged 36 barrels of powder, with faggots, and other combustibles; but so artfully, that it continued open for a time without suspicion of its contents. The horrible secret, though confided to above 20 persons, had been kept inviolate for nearly a year and a half! when an anonymous letter, received by lord Monteagle, a Catholic, only ten days before the intended meeting of Parliament, excited alarm: and the equivocal language in which it was couched," a terrible blow, and yet they "shall not see who hurt them.-The danger is past as soon as you "have burned the letter,"-led to a suspicion of an attempt by gunpowder. On a search taking place, the whole plot was discovered, and the conspirators executed. Many noble characters were engaged in this conspiracy, and suffered for it; and even the Pope,-Innocent XI,―cardinal Howard, with several chiefs of the Jesuits, and many English persons of quality, were implicated. It is a most remarkable circumstance, that from this same princess Elizabeth, (afterwards married to the king of Bohemia, by whom she had the princess Sophia, the mother of George I.) who alone was to be preserved, and educated in the Roman Catholic faith, in order to its again becoming the established religion of the country, from her have descended a race of princes, the present royal family, who were called to the throne for the express preservation of the Protestant religion; while the descendants of the male branch of her family, which was then to have been sacrificed as professing Protestantism, have been since excluded from the throne for their attachment to Popery. LEONARD, Confessor, was a French nobleman, in the court of Clovis I., who being converted to Christianity by Remigius, was made Bishop of Limousin. He was so greatly esteemed by the king, that he granted him the privilege of releasing whatever prisoners he pleased, Days. 8 9 11 13 not convicted of actual crime, and hence he has been termed, "the "guardian saint of captives."-The legends, improving on the fact, assert, that at the bare mention of his name in prayer, the fetters would drop off, and the prison doors fly open. He died, A. D. 500. PRINCESS AUGUSTA SOPHIA born. H. R. H. Augusta, Sophia, their Majesties second daughter and sixth child, was born November 8, 1768, about 7 o'clock in the evening, and baptized December 7, following. LORD MAYOR'S DAY. The office of chief magistrate of London, who, under the Romans, was called a " Prefect," and by the Saxons, "Port reve," or "Port Greve," the Geref, or governor of a Port town; which was by Richard I. changed to Bailiff, and by king John to Mayor, was held for life till the year 1214, when it became annual, on condition of the oath of office being taken before the king in person, or the barons of the exchequer. The additional title of Lord, was first conferred by Richard II., A. D. 1381, on William Walworth, for his spirited conduct towards Wat Tyler.-The mayor of York has likewise this title, and both ladies are called " lady mayoresses."--The lady mayoress of London loses her title at the end of the year with her husband, but the lady mayoress of York is said to be entitled to be called a Lady for her life, and therefore, in strict etiquette, takes precedence of the wife of a bishop, or even an archbishop; although all the bishops are peers of the realm, and the archbishop of Canterbury ranks above all dukes, not of the blood royal, and bears the mitre in a ducal coronet. in his arms, On this day the lord mayor goes in procession to Westminster, by water, to take the oath before the barons of the exchequer, as before mentioned; and, disembarking at Black-Friars, proceeds by land to Guildhall, to dinner. Many of the British monarchs have attended this feast, and sir Henry Picard, in 1356, entertained Edward, king of England, John, king of France, David, king of Scotland, the king of Cyprus, and Edward the Black Prince. Their present Majesties, with the royal family, dined at Guildhall on the first lord mayor's day after their coronation. SAINT MARTIN. See ante, July 4. This day, termed Martinmas day, is vulgarly called " Martlemas day.” BRITIUS, Bishop, succeeded St. Martin in the bishopric of Tours, A.D. 399; but being charged with an intrigue, and with sorcery in endeavouring to confute the calumny, he was driven from his bishopric, notwithstanding his having recourse to the "fiery ordeal." Days. 15 17 20 22 He passed seven years at Rome, and was then restored to his dignity; and died, A. D. 444. The celebrated Gregory of Tours succeeded him. MACHUTUS, Bishop, or MALO, was born in Glamorganshire, but was made bishop of Aleth, called after him, St. Maloe's.-Many miracles are told of him, and his name is held in great reputation by the Papists. He died about the year 564. HUGH, Bishop of Lincoln, was a native of Burgundy, and by Henry II. made Prior of a house of Carthusian monks, in Somersetshire, and afterwards Bishop of Lincoln, the cathedral of which he built from the foundation.-He died in London, A. D. 1200, but his body was conveyed to Lincoln, and carried to the grave by king John, and king William of Scotland, who happened to meet there, assisted by their nobles, and followed by three archbishops, fourteen bishops, and one hundred abbots.-It is recorded of him, that he had the courage to remove the ornaments which decorated the tomb of Fair Rosamond, the mistress of his patron, Henry II. His remains were taken up, A. D. 1282, and deposited in a silver shrine. EDMUND, King, and Martyr. This patriotic monarch, who was king of the East Angles, being attacked by the Danes, in numbers too great to be resisted, offered himself as a sacrifice, if they would spare his subjects. This they refused; and getting possession of his person, they bound him to a stake, and shot him to death with their His remains were buried, A. D. 903, at Breadiscworth, since called, after him, "St. Edmund's Bury." arrows. CECILIA, Virgin and Martyr. A Roman lady who suffered martyrdom about the year 225, rather than renounce Christianity. She is regarded as "the patroness of musicians," and is alluded to by both Dryden and Pope, as "the divine Cæcilia." 23 SAINT CLEMENT, Bishop and Martyr, a Roman, converted by the Apostles; is considered by some to have been the first Bishop of Rome; which see he held till A. D. 81, about 16 years; when, after having been condemned to dig in the mines, he suffered martyrdom, by being cast into the sea, with an anchor tied round his neck.Hence he is generally drawn with an anchor, as appears by the badge of St. Clement Danes, London.-Clement was the author of one, if not two epistles, so highly esteemed by the primitive Christians, that the first was for some time considered canonical. 25 CATHERINE, Virgin, was born at Alexandria; and being converted |