VOL. 4.] Origin of the Names of the Days of the Week. 281 seasons; and to him the fifth day of fondly of some supposed to be Saturnus, the week, which still bears his name, for he was otherwise called Crodo. was consecrated.'—(Henry, vol. iii.) ? Friday. First, on a pillar was placed a pearch, on the sharpe prickled backe whereof stood this idoll. He was leane of In her right hand she [Frea, or visage, having long haire and a long Friga] held a drawne sword, and, in beard, and was bare-headed and bareher left, a bow; signifying thereby footed. In his left hand he held up a that women, as well as men, should, in wheele, and in his right he carried a time of neede, be ready to fight. Some paile of water, wherein were flowers honoured her for a god, and some for and fruits. His long coate was girded a goddess, but she was ordinarily taken unto him with a towell of white linnen. rather for a goddess than a god; and His standing on the sharpe finnes of was reputed the giver of peace and this fish, was to signifie that the Saxons, plenty, as also the causer and maker of for their serving him, should passe love and amity; and of the day of her stedfastly, and without harme, in danespeciall adoration we yet retaine the gerous and difficult places. By the name of Friday; and as, in the order wheele was betokened the knit unity of the dayes of the weeke, Thursday and conjoyned concord of the Saxons, commeth betweene Wednesday and and their concurring together in the Friday, so (as Olaus Magnus noteth) running one course. By the girdle, in the septentrionall regions, where which with the wind streamed from they made the idoll Thor sitting or him, was signified the Saxons freedome, lying in a great hail upon a covered By the paile, with flowers and fruits, bed, they also placed on the one side was declared, that with kindly raine he of him the idoll Woden, and, on the would nourish the earth, to bring foorth other side, the idoll Friga. Some do such fruites and flowers. call her frea and not friga, and say she day unto which he yet gives the name was the wife of Woden; but she was of Sater-day, did first receive, by being called Friga, and her day our Saxon unto him celebrated, the same appellaancestors called Frige-deag, from tion.'-(Verstegan, pp. 77-79.) whence our name now of Friday in deed commeth.'-(Verstegan.) And the REMARKABLE DAYS, &c. IN JANUARY. (See Ath. vol. 2, p. 271.) Next to Odin, Frea, or Frigga, GALILEO DIED.—JANUARY 8, 1642. his wife, was the most revered dignity This celebrated astronomer was cited among the heathen Saxons, Danes, and before the Holy Inquisition, and made other northern nations. As Odin was believed to be the father, Frea was to abjure his doctrine of the Coperniesteemed the mother of all the other can or true system of the world; but gods. In the most ancient times Frea after going through the forced ceremowas the same with the goddess Herthus, ny, indignant at the humiliating conces or Earth, who was so devoutly wor- sion he had been compelled to make, shipped by the Angli and other Ger- stamped his foot on the earth, saying, è si muove it moves notwithpur man nations. But when Odin, the conqueror of the north, usurped the standing. honours due only to the true Odin, his SIR HANS SLOANE DIED, wife Frea usurped those which had been formerly paid to mother Earth. She was worshipped as the goddess of love and pleasure, who bestowed on her votaries a variety of delights.' (Henry, vol. iii. pp. 176, 177.) ↳ Saturday. ET. 93.JANUARY 11, 1753. He was first physician to George II, and many yeers president of the Royal Society. His immense collection of books, manuscripts, and curious pro ductions of nature and art, now form a most valua le part of the British Museum. His library consisted of 50,000 volumes; and his catalogue contained a description of 69,352 curiosities; a 282 Varieties: Critical, Literary, and Historical. [VOL. 4 EDWARD VI. BEGAN TO REIGN.-—JAN. 28, 1547. treasure which he said was destined to at 10s. each, and was drawn at the magnify God and benefit mankind. west door of of St. Paul's Cathedral, The beautiful botanical garden at Chel- Lotteries were suppressed in the reign sea was left by him to the Company of of Queen Anne. Apothecaries, on condition of their introducing every year fifty new plants, till their number should amount to He was accounted the wonder of his 2000. Sir Hans Sloane was born at time; he was not only learned in the Killileagh in Downshire, in the north- tongues and the liberal sciences, but be east part of Ireland ; and was buried in knew well the state of his kingdom. He Chelsea churchyard, where his tomb is kept a table-book,in which he had written still in tolerable preservation. It is sur- the characters of all the eminent men of mounted by the mystic symbols of the the nation: he studied fortification, and egg and the serpent in a good style of understood the mint well. He knew sculpture.-See Butler's Chronological Exercises, p. 23. ALEXANDRIAN LIBRARY BURNT. the harbours in all his dominions, with the depth of the water and way of coming into them. He understood foreign affairs so well, that the ambassadors This noble library, containing more who were sent into England published than seven hundred thousand volumes, very extraordinary things of him is was utterly destroyed by the order of all the courts of Europe. His the calif Omar, when he acquired pos- Edward had great quickness of ap session of Alexandria. The volumes prehension; but, being distrustful of of paper, or parchment, were distribu- his memory, he took notes of every ted to the four thousand baths of the thing he heard (that was considerable) city; and six months were barely suffi- in Greek characters, that those about cient for the consumption of this pre- him might not understand what he cious fuel. writ, which he afterwards copied out LOUIS XVI. BEHEADED.-JAN.21, 1793. fair in the journal that he kept. The 21st of the month was peculiar virtues were wonderful: when he was ly fatal to Louis, June 21, 1770, at a made to believe that his uncle was féle given in consequence of his mar- guilty of conspiring the death of the riage, a vast number of persons were other counsellors, he upon that abantrampled to death; June 21, 1792, he doned him. He was very merciful in escaped from Paris to Varennes; and his nature, which appeared in his unon September 21, 1692, royalty was willingness to sign the warrant for burnabolished in France. ing the maid of Kent. FIRST LOTTERY IN ENGLAND.-JAN. 23, 1569. Edward expired at Greenwich,in the sixteenth year of his age, and the sev This Lottery consisted of 40,000 lots, enth of his reign. MR. VARIETIES. From the London Magazines for October and November, 1818. TR. MATURIN has another tragedy shot and cries, hastened to the spot. forthcoming at Covent Garden: it is nearly completed. ANECDOTE. When he came near the place, where both were lying dead, the dog ran howling and foaming upon him, and be had no other means to save himself than to shoot the faithful dog. EXTRAORDINARY ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGES. A butcher in Silesia, who went into the country to buy swine, was shot a short time ago in a wood near Norig by a robber. As the latter was approaching to plunder him, the butcher's At a recent meeting of the Shropdog furiously attacked the murderer shire Auxiliary Bible Society, Archseized him by the throat, and strangled deacon Corbett, in a speech delivered him. A Hunter, who had heard the on that occasion, drew a parallel be VOL. 4.] Varieties: Critical, Literary, and Historical. EQUITATION AND GEOGRAPHY. 283 Buffon observes, that a man's mind is seen by his style; but it may be said, with no less truth, that a man's mind is seen by the title of his works. tween Mr. Samuel Lee (one of the ing happy choice was made by a worpreachers) and the Admirable Crichton. thy Divine from the Book of Psalms: From the Reverend Gentleman's state- "Sion heard of it, and was glad." ment, it appears, that Mr. Lee had merely the education of a village school (where he was born, about 6 miles from Shrewsbury) viz. reading, writing, and arithmetic; that he left school at 12 years of age, to learn the trade of a car- A book has lately made its appearpenter and builder. While thus em- ance in Paris, entitled, A Manual of ployed, he became, self-taught, a Latin, Equitation and Geography. It will Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and naturally be asked, what is the conSamaritan scholar. These languages nexion between spurs and promontories, he acquired in six years, at the hours saddles and bridles and the four quarduring which he was relieved from ters of the globe, &c. &c.? The author manual labour. Since that period, Mr. accounts for this combination in the Lee has had more assistance, and is following way: With a view, he says, now, in addition to the tongues we have of facilitating to youth a course of inmentioned, familiar with Arabic and struction, equally necessary and agreea. Persian, Hindostanee, French, German, ble, I have combined together two little Italian, Ethiopic, Coptic, Malay, San- treatises on Geography and Equitation. scrit, and Bengalee-in all, seventeen This is plausible enough; but why languages in fourteen years! does his Manual treat only of these two useful and agreeable sciences? Doubtless because the author knew no other, and he was anxious to contribute all he could to the instruction of the rising generation. A gentleman, resident at Harrow, made frequent complaints to the Masters of the great school there, of his garden being stripped of its fruit, even before it became ripe-but to no purpose. Tired of applying to the Masters for There is almost as much ingenuity in redress, he at length appealed to the the title of a work published at Namur, boys, and sending for one to his house, which the Brussels Oracle strongly he said, "Now, my good fellow, I'll recommends to its Belgian readers. make this agreement with you and your It is-Fragmens de l'histoire de Liege companions: let the fruit remain on et de l'homme ! ! the trees till it become ripe, and I promise to give you half." The boy cool NEW ORK. of Meleager. ly replied, "I can say nothing to the TRIFLES, imitative of the chaster style proposition, Sir, myself, but will make it known to the rest of the boys, and inform you of their decision to-morrow. To-morrow came, and brought with it this reply: "The gentlemen of Harrow cannot agree to receive so unequal a share, since Mr. is an individual, and we are many." A clergyman being on the road to his country living (to which he pays an annual visit), was stopped by a friend, who asked him where he could be going so far from town?" Like other poor people," replied he, "to my parish." Upon the King's recovery in 1789, the Librarian and others connected with Sion College, were at a loss what device, or motto, to select for the illumination of the building; when the follow Of the twenty-two little compositions of which this work consists,and which we cannot concede to the writer to be" the production of hours mispent at the university," several, we are informed, 66 owe nothing to Meleager but their cast of sentiment; others imitate their original throughout; and a few approach very nearly to translation." We cannot at this moment refer to the valuable author of the Anthologia in order to distinguish these classes; and, therefore, being much gratified with the simple and affecting manner in which they are all executed, shail merely select specimens of the neat versification and poetical power with which the happy thoughts of antiquity are turned to modern interest : Be angel-minded! and despise And let not passion's lawless tide MENTAL PRECOSITY. [VOL. 4 Mr. Gough has published an interesting account of a child nine years old, at present in Kendal, the son of a journeyman shoemaker of Penrith. He reads correctly and gracefully; he writes a good hand; and he has made some progress in the English grammar. He is well acquainted with the leading propositions in Euclid; reads and works That lends to Man's annoy thy heav'n en- algebra with great facility, and has en trusted power. He comes, to liberate the earth, To court his life-inspiring kiss ;--- Alas! how cold, how dull the heart, Alive, and blossoming! And feast on nature's ecstasy; Our readers will observe, that entire simplicity, devoid of ornament, is the predominant feature in these pieces: they at the same time display a classical taste which we hope to see developed more at large on future and greater works. The dedication is to Mr. T. Moore, and could not be more appropriate. tered upon the study of fluxions. During ap examination he solved two cases of right-angled triangles in spherical trigonometry; and his skill, and the ra pidity of his operations, in algebra, created more surprise than his knowl edge of geometry. He solved a number of quadratic equations with the greatest ease, and extracted the square roots of the numbers which resulted from his operations. Several questions were put to him which contained two unknown quantities, and these be also answered without difficulty. Being asked if he had been taught the application of algebra to geometry, he answered in the affirmative, and immediately solved some problems. SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANIES. The Mangostan, a fine fruit of Java, about the size of a small orange, exudes a yellow gum from its succulent rind in wet weather, which is a variety of Gamboge: the Gamboge of commerce is derived from a plant of the same genus as the Mangostan, viz. the Garcinia Gambogia. FIRE UNDER WATER. Several experiments have been lately made at Paris to prepare a fire which will burn upon or even under the surface of water. A boat was sunk in the river Seine, and a ball of this inflammable composition, with the weight annexed to it, in order to carry it to the bottom, was thrown over the spot where the boat lay. The boat was instantly set in a blaze, and consumed with the same ease as if it had been fired on land. Catholic Emblems. It is a fact, little known, even to artists, that the celebrated picture of the "Woman taken in Adultery," painted by Rubens, represents the Church of Rome, and the two accusers Luther and Calvin. The young man seen immediately behind the woman is an admirable likeness of Vandyck. YOL. 4] Original Poetry. 285 POETRY. From the New Monthly Magazine, Oct. 1818. STANZAS. TH BY LORD BYRON. HERE was a time I need not name, Confess'd a love which equall'd mine, Though many a grief my heart hath wrung, Unknown, and thus unfelt by thine; None, none hath sunk so deep as this, To think how soon that love hath flown; Transient as every faithless kiss, But transient in thy breast alone. And yet my heart some solace knew, When late I heard thy lips declare--In accents once imagined true,-- Remembrance of the days that were. Yes, my adored !----yet most unkind! Though thou wilt never love again, Remembrance of that love remain. Or friends afar--Unthought of, half forgot, To seek a grave for ill-requited love--- ON HEARING THE NOTES OF A FLUTE RE- A Father brings the outcast boy to mind ECHOED BY THE STRINGS OF A HARP. His sternness forc'd to brave the waves and wind: WEN from the flute's melodious voice Alas, too late compunction wrings his Distils the liquid note, Amid the harp-strings as it strays,--- Doubting it seems to float; And when at last some kindred key It seems with trembling pleasure to rejoice. Long time in vain we rove to find That strikes in unison; And when, at last, the friend we meet Whose bosom owns the self-same beat, With joy we hail the port where we would be. E. HER DEPARTURE FROM THE FOUNTAIN. Translated from the German of KÖRNER. "AND so farewell---Nymph of this fount Trusting in thee, my steps I hither bent; Nor va that trust---refresh'd when almost spent. With grateful heart I leave thy holy shrine !” She space--the all too lovely maid; and now, Light-bending o'er the rustic battlement, The cup she flings, with frolick some intent, Deep 'mid the silv'ring waves that foam'd below, Then joyously she turn'd her to depart-- No more can I salute that eye of light-- breast,-- His child hath rested---where the weary rest! Yes, though while present those we loved might err In many actions---tho' the mind prefer A stranger at the moment, for some boon Of nature, chance, or art, which falls in tone With passing whim- -yet, like the butterfly (Whose wings grow dim by handling) presently Their gloss is gone; and then our thoughts recall Worth overlook'd, and let each failing fall To deep oblivion. Yes, the sun that parted An clouds, will shine when we are softerhearted; And absence softens hearts; and time hath pow'r To clear those clouds which stain'd a peevish hour-- Call recollections from their pensive gloom, Like kind, but injured spectres from the tomb -- Accusing with their smiles. Oh, this should move The soul to those it loves---or ought to love; "Twould bar reproach! Yet, 'tis not always fair To read the bosom thro' the eye---for there A sleepless, an untold of worm may lurk And do, although it 'plain not, deadly work; And make men seem unkind to those whom heaven Hath heard them plead for, when the heart was riven |