modern carnival is an imitation; they continued five days. Capricornus is the sign given to this month, because now the Sun enters that sign.

Remarkable Days

In DECEMBER 1826.

3.-ADVENT SUNDAY.

THIS and the three following Sundays precede the grand festival of Christmas, and take their name from the Latin advenire, to come into, or from adventus, an approach. They celebrate the glorious appearance of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,' (Titus ii, 13.) This constitutes the commencement of the Anglican ecclesiastical year. Advent Sunday is always the nearest, whether before or after, to St. Andrew's day.

6.-SAINT NICHOLAS.

Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, in Lycia, and died about the year 392. The ceremony of the boybishop, once observed on this day, and from which the Eton Montem is supposed to have been derived, is described at length in T.T. for 1814, p. 306 (second edition).

8.-CONCEPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY.

This festival was instituted by Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, because William the Conqueror's fleet, being in a storm, afterwards came safe to shore.

13.-SAINT LUCY.

Lucy, a virgin martyr, was a native of Syracuse, who suffered in the year 305.

16.-0 SAPIENTIA.

This is the commencement of an anthem, which, in the Romish church, used to be sung from this day until Christmas-eve: O sapientia, quæ ex ore altissimi prodisti, &c.

21.- -SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE.

St. Thomas is said to have preached the Gospel in Media and Persia, and, about the year 73, to have been pierced through with a dart. This day was assigned to him in 1130. It is denominated the gooding day in the midland counties.

Dr. Buchanan, when in India, visited Cranganore, a place celebrated among the Christians as being the spot where the Apostle Thomas landed, when he first arrived in India from Aden, in Arabia. The town and fort are now in ruins, but in the neighbourhood, at a town called Paroor, is a very ancient Syrian church, supposed to be the oldest in Malabar : it bears the name of the apostle, and is still used for divine service. The Syrians have a tradition that St. Thomas resided there for some time, and afterwards suffered martyrdom on the coast of Coromandel. This fact is not of much consequence; but the residence of the apostle in India is an important point, because it indicates the early diffusion of Christianity. Dr. Buchanan, who had good opportunities of learning the traditions of the country, was of opinion that we have as good authority for believing that the Apostle Thomas died in India, as that the Apostle Peter died at Rome.' (See Buchanan's Christian Researches in Asia, p. 134, and Hack's Evidences of Christianity, p. 208.)

This is the shortest day, and is, at London, 7h. 44 m. 17 s.; allowing 9 m. 5s. for refraction.

LIFE; a POEM.

Written for Time's Telescope, by the Rev. W. Fletcher, Master of the Grammar School at Woodbridge.

The morning arises, the noon fleets away,

The shadows of eve spread their mantle around;

So life speedeth onward and closes its day,

As Death deals his arrows in stillness profound.

Yet the pilgrim of life deems his exit afar,
Nor dreams of that moment so dreary and cold,
When Death all his visions shall suddenly mar,
And bid him return to the earth as his fold.

The Sun shines above him, there's music around;
The flow'rs are in bloom, and the earth is as blest,
Like a babe when it sleeps mid the sweets of the ground,
Or toys with the blossoms which pillowed its rest.

The heart of the pilgrim in unison swells,

And life seems a bow'r full of fragrance and mirth ;
He hears not the voice of his conscience, which tells
There's a spoiler and waster which travels the earth;
That the bud of his joys, so luxuriant in bloom,
Has a worm at its root and disease at its core;
And that Time must soon bend it in death to the tomb,
In the gleam of its beauty to revel no more.

Thus existence fleets on, and the startled grow dumb,
When Death in deep darkness sweeps solemnly by,
And speaks, as the hour of his triumph may come,
Thou hast lived-thou hast loved-now turn thee, and die.
25. CHRISTMAS DAY.

Of the different times of the year in which the feast of the Nativity has been celebrated, we spoke under the word Circumcision, p.3. Before this feast, as well as the other great festivals, the ancients held vigils ; in these they assembled for worship during the night, holding pernoctationes and pervigilia. Thus, says Chrysostom, the cherubim above cry aloud, Holy, Holy, Holy, in the Trisagion hymn, and the congregation of men on earth below send up the same; and so a common general assembly is constituted of the inhabitants of heaven and earth together.'

Among the modern customs (different indeed from those of the primitive church!) Christmas boxes, and yule clogs, are most universal. Etymologists have puzzled themselves greatly about these yule clogs, but they simply mean clogs or logs to keep away evil. In Rolle's translation of some of the Psalms, made in the 14th century, we find, 'I shal not dreede yueles,' for what we now translate 'I will fear no evil.' (Ps. xxiii.)

Christmas was called Midwinter, and the service on this day Midwinter Mass, by our Saxon ancestors; in opposition to Midsummer.

Christmas is a most interesting commemorative æra, and from the earliest time, when first the sacred light of Christianity dawned upon the 'world, this period of the year has ever been devoted to joy and pleasure. At this heart-rejoicing season, the annual assembling of families and connections, the old and the young, --and the meeting of friends, who meet only, perhaps, at this period-give an interest to the annual celebration of Christmas, which no other festival possesses.-Of the good cheer which Christmas never fails to spread before the willing guest,' we have already spoken, at various times, and in 'various measure;'-the superb dindon, or alderman-inchains, has received our best homage: but we have omitted to do proper honours to the noble SIRLOIN, a cut-and-come-again dish worthy of all praise. This joint is said to owe its name to King Charles II, who dining upon a loin' of beef, and being particularly pleased with it, asked the name of the joint; and said for its merit it should be knighted, and henceforth called Sir-Loin. Accordingly, in the ballad of the New Sir John Barleycorn,' we have the following: Our Second Charles, of fame facete,

On loin of beef did dine;

He held his sword, pleased, o'er the meat-
Arise, thou famed SIR-LOIN.

The ballad of the Gates of Calais' calls it,
Renowned Sir Loin, oft times decreed

The theme of English ballad;
On thee our kings oft deign to feed,
Unknown to Frenchman's palate;
Then how much doth thy taste exceed
Soup-meagre, frogs, and salad!

The following spirited tribute to Britons' boast, her own Sirloin,' is from the pen of W. Preston, Esq.

Thee the god of Plenty bore

To the king of Britain's shore,

His fav'rite dish-in Charles's time,
Plain-meat was not held a crime.
The god, in guise of yeoman tall,
Past along the crowded hall;
And with portly mien, and bland,
Gave thee to the monarch's hand.
The well-known dish the king surveyed,
And drew forth the shining blade;
He waved it thrice, with gentle tap,
Thrice imposed the knightly slap ;
And worthier thou a king's regard,
And worthier thou a king's reward,
Than half the titled bands, I ween,
At courtly mask or banquet seen.
Oft in winter, at thy side,

May thy loved plum-pudding bide!
Preserved in poets' matchless lay,
SIRLOIN! thou shalt ne'er decay.

Having partaken of the roast beef of Old England,' and quaffed her 'home-brewed ale'-to increase the hilarity of the party, we will call upon our friend RYAN for a Song: here it is, gentle reader-and may be sung to any tune that pleaseth thee best.

Here's Christmas coming dancing on
With a blithe new year before him;
A moment and his light is gone,
And all the sunshine o'er him.

6

Who'll help him on his path along?
'I will,' says Mirth, I will,' says Song,
'We two will help his foot along;
We'll laugh and sing, and many a lass
Shall laugh with us at Christ-mas.'

And Pleasure too cries, 'Spread the board,
And fill to the brim the mantling glass;
'We'll give him the best our halls afford
While he stays, we'll feast this Christ-mas.
But see, he spreads his wings to fly,
Ah! seize him, Time, ere he passes by:'
'No,' says Time, for next year you and I,
With Mirth and Song, and brimming glass,
Again will welcome Christ-mas.'

But away with this vulgarity (exclaim our exquisites), and we dare say we have given a dreadful

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