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488

Chronology of Events recorded by Herodotus.

he was king, this last-born son should succeed." Darius acknowledged the justice of this suggestion, and declared Xerxes king. C. 3.

"After these things, and the revolt of Egypt, while he was in the following year making preparations, Darius died, after a reign of 36 years." METO Αίγυπτε ἀποστασιν τῷ ὕστερῳ ἔτει. C. 4. From these passages it is apparent that Darius died more than four years after the battle of Marathon; and consequently in the fifth year." When Xerxes was persuaded to make war against Greece, in the second year after the death of Darius, he first sent an expedition against those who had revolted, and reduced Egypt to a worse condition of servitude than they had felt before, gave the government of that country to his brother Achæmenes."

To the year before Christ 500

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"After the reduction of Egypt, four whole years were spent in assembling these forces; and in the fifth (μTTO TEL avoμEU) Xerxes began his march with an incredible multitude." C. 20.

"Xerxes wintered at Sardis; and when in the spring he was on the point of setting out, the sun quitting her seat in the heavens, disappeared; and though the air was perfectly serene, a sudden night ensued in the place of day." C. 37.-From these passages it is plain that after the death of Darius, at least five whole years had elapsed before Xerxes quitted Susa.

The eclipse recorded above appears to have happened on the 8th of April, B.C. 480; as the following calculation from Ferguson's tables will show.

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Sun from ascending node

From the descending node only..... At the time of New Moon; therefore within the limits of a solar eclipse. Consequently 481 is the date when Xerxes set out from Susa; and as he had been preparing for an expedition above four years after the reduction of Egypt, that event must have taken place in the year B. C. 485. Some months must necessarily have been spent in this war; and the expedition was begun in the year after Darius's death, which must therefore have taken place, B. C. 486; and it is plain that this event must have been a year after the revolt of Egypt; which we shall therefore date B. C. 487. But three entire years had passed between the battle of Marathon and this event: and this battle was fought very late in the year, so that the news could hardly reach Persia before the beginning of

the following year; if then we reckon three years backwards, from the year 487 B. C. that must be 490, and the battle was fought in 491 B. C. Newton, in his Short Chronicle, p. 41, has this date, but Blair and Larcher place it B. C. 490. Wesseling on C. 20, of Polymnia, by a similar calcu lation to mine, shows that Xerxes did not pass into Greece until the 11th year after the battle of Marathon; and observes that this agrees with Thucydides, who (Lib. 1, C. 18), says that this prince undertook the expedition on the 10th year after the battle. For as I have already shown, this prince left Susa in the year 481, and after a long march spent the winter at Sardis (See C. 32, Polymnia). SEPTEMDECIVS.

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1825.]

St. Michael's Church, Oxford.

Mr. URBAN, dobi Dec. 3.

ALL the parish Churches of exford are, or till lately were, remarkable for their antiquity and interest. Several of these buildings have already been described in your Magazine. We shall now present your readers with some remarks on St. Michael's Church, situated on the East side of the Cornmarket. The annexed Engraving represents a S. W. view of the Edifice, (Plate I.) no part of which is distinctly seen by reason of a high and not very ancient wall towards the South, and an accumulation of old and shabby tenements on the East and North sides, excepting the tower, which is at the West end, and though the plainest, is by many years, perhaps a century, the most ancient part of the whole edifice. In a word, it is Norman, having small windows of that character in the upper part, and having had one of longer dimensions in the West front towards the basement. The walls are built of rubble, but they are of great substance, and very strong; and though cracked in several places, and lately threatened with destruction, have been repaired, and are likely to stand securely for ages yet to come. On the North side of the body and chancel is an aile, to which is attached a small chapel, occupying the place, and having the appearance of a transept; and on the South side is a spacious chapel, which constitutes the chief ornament both of the exterior and interior of the Church. The space between this chapel and the tower is occupied by a very handsome window of the fifteenth century, and the porch, which, though plain, is not inelegant,

The lancet style of architecture appears on the South side of the chancel; but the altar window, and that of the Jateral aile, appearing over the roof of the low and ancient vestry, are in the style of the fifteenth century, and very elegant; and the heads carved on the corbels possess considerable merit. -naThe chancel arch has been modernized, but its ancient wooden screen retains its situation, and most of its ornaments. All the other arches of the interior have a handsome character; there are two on the South side of the body, three on the North side, and one on the same side of the chancel: the pillars are octagonal, and the capitals plain.

GENT. MAG. December, 1825.

489

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A modern font occupies the place of one of considerable antiquity and beauty, which was some years back disgracefully turned into the Church-yard, from which indignity it was rescued by the venerable Alderman Fletcher, who had it conveyed to Yarnton, erected on a pedestal, and placed in the Church of that village in the room of a plain, but still more ancient font, which, however, is carefully preserved in another part of the interior.or

The pillars and walls are ornamented in many places with richly-carved panels and canopied niches, the remains of altars long since displaced. The following curious particulars are taken from a manuscript in the Museum at Oxford.

Dionysia Burewald, an opulent lady residing in this parish, did about the year 1260 build one of the chapels on the South-side of the Church, and de dicated it to the Virgin Mary, and had therein a chantry instituted by her, as also a priest to pray for her soul, and the souls of her relations; and also for the soul of one Burold who lived here in the reigns of Henry the First and Stephen; for the soul of Gilbert and Radulph Burewald her sons, together with Hugh Burewald; for Robert the son of Gilbert, and for several others of that name, "men of great wealth and possessions within Oxford, and benefactors to religious houses, as appears from St. Frideswide's, Osney, and Godstow Books." Another chantry seems to have been founded in the Virgin Mary's Chapel by one of the same name and family, if not by Dionysia herself. John Odyham, a rich Burgess of Oxford, who died anno 1342, maintained one or two priests for the souls of himself, and all his relations.

John Archer, another rich Burgess of Oxford, who died on the last of November, anno 1524, and who with his wife Agnes was buried in the Church, maintained two priests to pray for their souls.

There are numerous relics of painted glass in the windows, particularly in those on the North side of the body; but there are no perfect figures, or considerable patterns.

On the walls and pillars are several monumental tablets, and the floor is thickly strewed with records of mor

tality.

490

On the Personification of Death.

tality. Of these, none are of ancient date, and not one sufficiently interesting to be particularly noticed. The extreme length of St. Michael's Church is about 116 feet, and its greatest breadth about 55 feet. J. C. B.

Mr. URBAN,

IT

Leicester, Dec. 5. Tis really astonishing that nearly all the attempts which have been hitherto made to personify Death, should have proceeded on the assumption, that the "potent Conqueror" is a skeleton-one of his own victims ! An old acquaintance of mine, (Mr. Bisset of Leamington) once told me, that when a boy, and residing in his native country (Scotland), he was asked by a relation what he thought of Death?-and that his answer was, that if Death were what he was represented to be in his book of pictures, young as he then was, if he had his "Golf club," and was attacked by a score of

fellows, he batter their

[Dec.

and of truth, which is too often disregarded, but which conscience and reflection will sometimes enforce :

"Mors ultima linea rerum est," was the sentiment of the ancient Bard, and the idea was perfectly correct, and who could be more capable of forming it than one who indulged every sensual appetite in this world, and who would therefore be the more cautious and reserved in his allusions to a state, the anticipation of which to him could afford no pleasure?

I am quite aware that my ideas on the subject are liable to criticism; that however I invite, for although a lover of antiquity, I never can allow that predilection to induce the advocacy of a practice, which, (as I view it) outrages common sense, and (what is of far more consequence) insults the Deity.

J. STOCKDALE Hardy.

Mr. URBAN, Myddelton-sq. Dec. 14. HOULD

sculls to atoms, and break every bone Slowing letters, there of the your

of their ribs! This anecdote most forcibly struck me, and has led me to my present communication.

The finest ideas on record as to Death, are those contained in the admirable Burial Service of our National Church-a service principally extracted from that fountain of light and truth, the Holy Bible. Now what are these ideas? Why, that Death, so far from being a "Škeleton," is the "last enemy to be destroyed,"-one who shall put all things under his feet,". one who at the last day, through the Divine Atonement, shall, to the righteous, lose his "sting," and claim no "victory." Can any representation therefore be correct which depicts this Hero as a chop-fallen and fleshless spectre-which depicts him as a shadow, who, the Bible tell us, is to "reign until flesh' shall be no more?"

Death rides throughout the world dispensing happiness and misery, but he rides not as a skeleton, but as an illustrious conqueror;-his steed, though "pale," is fiery, and recognizes no distinctions-with one foot on Royalty, another on Shakspeare, a third on Pitt, and a fourth on Byron, he "wings his way," while his rider flourishes a sword above his head entrusted to him by Omnipotence, and reads to all who now tarry in this earthly passage, a lesson of humility

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Watling-street, Nov. 30.

AS I have too much regard for you to suffer you to figure before the present generation and posterity as one of the long-eared tribe, without a serious effort on my part to prevent it, I impose on myself the very disagreeable penance of writing a long letter, in the hope it may prove a means of deterring you from the unphilosophical and Quixotic attempt to change the name of the parish over which you have had the honour to be appointed spiritual pastor. Why, the hot summer, which, partly through your instrumentality, has caused me so much bodily inconvenience, must surely have totally eraporated your modicum of common sense; and the heat which has cracked the pannels of your doors and cupboards, must certainly have cracked your poor brain also. To hear a man, -a full-grown man,-a man who can read and write-a man who has mixed with cultivated society—a man who can talk very rationally about many matters, -a Scotchman, -a clergy

man

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