506 Origin of King Arthur. I know not how far the following remarks, many of them purely conjectural, relative to Arthur, might be thought warrantable. By the Latio writers of the middle age, his name is generally spelt Arturus' and Arcturas.' I am inclined to resolve the name Arthur into Aur' and Thor' or Thaur.' 'Aur' (8), with its various modifications or substitutes, in many of the old eastern languages, means light,' especially the light of the sun,' and, as the grand source of this, the sun' itself. Horus, a god of Egypt, may have been little more than what was called Aur' in the Phoenician or Hebrew. Thor,' or 'Thaur,' is of more difficult interpretation. I here observe, in passing, that our present points and accents in all the dead languages, being at tempts made in ages gone by, to exhibit and fix a pronunciation, even then already long irretrievably lost, and referrible now to no sufficient standard, can be of little authority, though they need not be wholly dis carded. By the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and their cognate ancient languages, the words Tor, Thor, Thur, Thaur; Sur or Saur, Shur or Shaur;' also Tzor, Tzur, and Tzaur,' (whence Tyre, and perhaps even Zurich, each a house,' as it were, or 'habitation, built on a rock,'-' a city built on a hill,')-their variously spelt, pointed, and pronounced equivalents, and their different modifications and substitutes, bave all seemingly a near mutual affinity. And when we have mentioned looking around; taking a view or survey; an ox or bull; and the zodiacal sign or constellation Taurus; a high bill, rock, or mountain; a tower, city, or fortress; we shall have indicated some of the principal of their leading meanings. To me there seems to be more or less affinity between all these סור סר תור טיר טורטר,words (to which I am inclined to add, w, [Dec. local Welch expression have here helped them out at all in any one instance? We often designate the far-famed capital of the neighbouring county, "Caernarvon â'r cyrn hirion: Caernarvon with the long horns;” from its loftily-turreted aspect at a distance. By a rude sort of metaphor, a tower may be called a horn; a country, eminence, or fortress, a city or town, having respectively one or more towers, may be reckoned an ox or bull, of which they are the horns. The like also may well be said of a country turreted, as it were, or peaky, with high rocks, or with either natural or even artificial high hills or mountains. More strictly speaking, indeed, these are the horns only of the bull. But if, by a common figure in language, we speak more compendiously, putting a part for the whole, they will each be the bull itself. Each of them from serving (which will justify our etymology) to afford an extensive prospect round about; and again the beast, from which the metaphor concerning them is borrowed; and therefore yet again the zodaical constellation, of which that beast is the earthly type; may respectively be, with propriety, denominated Tzur, Tzaur; Shur, Sbaur ; Tor, Thaur; Taur, Taurus.' Now, the Jewish feast of Purim occurs, I think, some time about the vernal equinox. Here Schindler may be consulted, under the root (Pur.) The later Jews, I fear, have sadly paganised this feast. It should, of course, be a feast thankfully (towards God I mean) commemorative of their ancient providential national escape from the snare laid for their lives by the bloody-minded Haman. But the later Jews have seemingly made of this character a sort of Egyptian Typhon; and, at that feast, indulged in rejoicings for the defeat of his plots against their nation, in a very heathenish fashion. See, among other authorities, Jalcut, as quoted by Castell, under the Chaldaic root (Shur). What more heathenish could they have done, in the way of rejoicing, had they been superstitious Egyptians rejoicing for the mystic discomfiture, by their Osiris or Horus, the deified sun, at or not far from that equinox, of the Typhonic Ass of the North, otherwise called the Great Bear, 1821.] Bayham Abbey and Penshurst Place, Kent. Bear, and the Wild Boar or Swine of Erymanthus, of Calydon, and of the Idalian Grove; that slayer of Adonis or Adon, the Sovereign Sun; that patron, president, and commandant of wintry storms, and father of the frosts and snows, immemorially held in such abomination, by the therefore pork-abhorring pagans of the East; the bristly savage, which, by mystic theory, had, months before, invaded the South, desolated nature, and ruined vegetation? I am not sure that it has not been this invading mystic ass, bear, boar, or swine, which gave rise to the Welch old nursery stanza, "Hooch ddu gootta gorddigared, watch! Sydd yn cerdded gyd â'r pared, Nos glangauav am blant droog." "A cruel black swine, each winter eve, [catch." Walks close by the wall, ill children to The grave theology of unenlightened ages becomes the nursery tales of succeeding ones better instructed. The learned Dr. Hyde, and others, have given plates of many curious, ancient, Persian pictures and engravings. In one of those plates we discern, besides other figures, to this effect:-A tree in leaves all over; near it, a torch upright and lighted: hard by, the horned-head of an ox or bull. These figures clearly denote the vernal equinox, at a period when it happened in Taurus. The autumnal equinox would then, of course, occur in Scorpio, the zodaical constellation opposite that of Taurus. cordingly, we perceive, in the plate mentioned, opposite the former figures, a tree in full fruit, and this quite ripe, a torch reversed and extinct, and a scorpion : symbols, these, all of present autumn, approaching winter, and effete vegetations, at equinox in Scorpio. Ac R. E. LLOYD. Beaumaris. BAYHAM ABBEY. B quis Camden, is pleasantly situ ated on the borders of Sussex, about six miles distance from Tunbridge Wells; and is an object of general attraction on account of the fine ruins of the Abbey, a noble edifice of the Gothic order of architecture. This Abbey was built (as appears by an in 507 scription on a large stone near the altar) in the reign of Richard I. A. D. 1190, by Ela de Sackville of Buckhurst, as an asylum for the White or Premonstratensian Barons, a religious sect instituted at Premontre in France, about the year 1120, and introduced into England in 1146. From the extent of ground which the ruins occupy, this monastery must have been of the largest dimensions. The principal walls and a few arches only are now left standing, but the plan of the interior can be distinctly traced, particularly the chapel, confessional, refectory, cloisters, &c. To the spectator the remains of this stupendous pile present an air of gloomy solemnity and grandeur; nor can the eye repose on the long majestic aile terminating in the distant altar, without the feelings being powerfully interested by the view. The trimmed box, and neat gravel walks, however, which decorate the space within, offend the taste, and certainly appear rather inconsistent with the dignity of a Gothic ruin. As a relick of autient architecture, although it cannot be compared with Tintern and Netley, it possesses many claims to the admiration of the common observer, as well as of the Antiquary. This Abbey was amongst the number of religious edifices abolished by Henry VIII.; and having been dismantled of its ornaments, was abandoned to the destructive effects of time and neglect. The only attention which it now receives (as the visitor is informed) is by an annual sum expended in the repair of its ruins! At a short distance stand the remains of a large gateway, once surmounted by the papal cross, underneath whose spacious arch runs the road to the monastery. The mansion, which closely adjoins the ruins, and is reflected in a beautiful basin of water in front, is built in the Gothic style, and thus preserves a strict uniformity with the Abbey. This property was purchased by Lord Chief Justice Pratt, afterwards Earl Camden; and from him has descended to the present Marquis, Bayham. PENSHURST PLACE. This antient and venerable mansion, the seat of the noble family of the Sidneys, stands within a spacious park, 508 Penshurst Place, Kent.-Selby Family. park, at a few miles distance from Tunbridge Wells. It was built in the reign of William the Conqueror, and passed successively through the families of Penchester, Pulteney, Devereux, and Fitzwalter, until it was forfeited to the Crown in the reign of Edward VI. by the attainder of Sir Ralph Vane. The youthful Monarch bestowed it as a mark of his peculiar favour and esteem on Sir William Sidney (Chamberlain and Steward of the household of Henry VIII.) in the possession of whose descendants this splendid gift has ever since remained. On the death of Sir William Sidney, the estate descended to his son Sir Henry, the bosom friend of Edward VI. and the father of the gallant Sir Philip Sydney. This illustrious hero, whose untimely death was a source of so much grief to the Court of Elizabeth, and to the whole British nation, was born here in 1554, on which memorable occasion an oak was planted in the park. From him the domain came into the possession of his brother Sir Robert Sidney, after wards created by James I. Lord Sidney, Viscount Lisle, and Earl of Lei [Dec. tures and family portraits by Titian, Guido, Corregio, Teniers, Holbein, Vandyke, Hemskirk, Janssen, Lely, Luders, and Kneller. Among those particularly worthy of observation, are, an elegant picture of Charles I. on horseback, by Vandyke, and portraits of the Earls of Leicester, Sir Philip Sidney, the Countesses of Sunderland and Pembroke, and Algernon Sidney. Some fine old specimens of antient tapestry are also to be seen in some of the apartments. The park is thickly studded with trees, among which we now in vain look for the oak planted to commemorate the birth of Sir Philip Sidney. The gardens are spacious and beautiful, and extend from the house to the banks of the Medway. The other places in the vicinity of the Wells, which merit the attention of the visitor, are Eridge Castle and Park, the noble domain of the Earl of Abergavenny; Knowle, the seat of the Duchess of Dorset; Bounds; Somerhill; and the ruins of Wayfield Palace. Mr. URBAN, L. Nov. 20. cester. Penshurst was also the birth-Henrietta-street, having obCorrespondent W. Wright, place and residence of the celebrated Lady Dorothy Sidney, Countess of Sunderland (the Sacharissa of Waller), and of the Earl of Leicester's son, the patriotic Algernon Sidney, who was beheaded in the reign of Charles II. on a charge of being concerned in the Rye House Plot. The house is extensive and commodious, and is a specimen of the union of the Saxon and Gothic orders of architecture. It bears evident marks of antiquity, and some of its outer courts are in ruins; but the whole edifice bas, within the last few years, undergone a thorough repair, and received several material improvements, under the inspection of its present proprietor, Sir John Shelley Sidney, bart. The interior is spacious and magnificent, though the splendour of its decorations is now rather faded from the effects of time. Many of the rooms are ornamented with fine pic *He was mortally wounded at the battle of Zutphen in Guelderland, between the Flemish and British, September 22, 1586. His noble act of self-forbearance in the hour of intense suffering, and his exemplary humanity to the dying soldier, will ever endear his memory to posterity. served in page 316 of your Magazine for October, that the Pedigree inserted in vol. XC. i. 588 (and which was communicated to me by a gentleman who resides in the vicinity of Spilsby), is incorrect; it may not be improper to state that I have been lately informed of its inaccuracy in some respects, and particularly so with regard to the father of Serjeant Selby. My former Letter to you comprised various observations relative to the Selby family and estates. I could add some remarkable circumstances; but I should not be justified in communicating them to the publick: I shall, therefore, only say, that a gentleman whose name I am not at liberty to mention in your Magazine, will probably ere long be adjudged to be entitled to the Selby estates; the value of which is much more than your Correspondent J. A. represents. For not only Wavendon (which he estimates at about 3000l. per annum), but several other manors are enumerated in the will of Thomas James Selby, esq.; and I understand he purchased some land after his will was made. R. U. REVESBY TH HE annexed Engraving is a view of REVESBY ABBEY, CO. Lincoln, lately the seat of the Right Honourable Sir JOSEPH BANKS, of whom an interesting memoir is given in vol. XC. part i. p. 86. This seat was built by Craven Howard, Esq. nephew and heir of Henry Howard, Esq.; but has been much enlarged by the family of Banks. Part of an ancient mansion, formerly the residence of the Abbots of Revesby, now forms the offices. The Parish of Revesby is situated in the West division of the Soke of Bolingbroke, and is about six miles from Horncastle. In the year 1142 William de Romara, Earl of Lincoln, founded an Abbey of Cistertian Monks, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St. Laurence, and endowed, at the suppression, with 2877. 2s. 4d. per annum. Beside the endowment of William de Romara, the monastery was enriched by numerous other benefactors. It is now entirely demolished. 30 Henry VIII. the site was granted to Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk. On the division of his extensive possessions among his heirs general, Revesby fell to the lot of the Carsey family, who, after residing here WHUGHES sc. several years, sold it to the Lord Treasurer Burleigh; from whom it descended to the Earl of Exeter. The second Earl settled it on his grandson Henry Howard, the third son of the Earl of Berkshire. About a century ago it was sold by the Howards to Joseph Banks, Esq. the great grandfather of the late worthy Baronet. It was this same Mr. Joseph Banks who rebuilt the Church, and by his will directed the building of ten almshouses for ten poor people, endowing the same with fifty pounds a year. ON THE BURLESQUE FESTIVALS Test attached to the parodies of individual dignity, they yield, in point of importance, to the PARLIAMENT OF LOVE; an institution which once held an unlimited sway over the morals of Europe, whether its object were corruption or refinement: offspring of Religion and Mirth, this custom may be regarded as the parent of Superstition and Licentiousness; but its power is no more, and its effects have long ceased to be felt. The 510 On the Burlesque Festivals of former Ages. [Dec. There is, however, another particular which merits the attention of all, its genealogy: it was customary, from the earliest ages, during the existence of the Pagan mythology, to pay divine honors to the divinity of LOVE, varying in different nations, but usually celebrated by an assembled people. Of these customs, three are of undoubted antiquity: the AQgodioa, established by Cinyras, king of Cyprus; the KagTwos of Amathus; and the daily offerings on the hundred altars of Paphos :-the worship of Venus, therefore, seems to be of Insular origin, but found its way at an early period to other countries; for her festivities were more widely diffused, and observed with more sympathy of devotion, than those of sterner deities. Amongst the Babylonians, a remarkable usage existed, probably borrowed from Cy prus; namely, the assemblies in the temple of Mylittat, which nearly resemble the Parliament of Love. The Romans were not without the customs of their forefathers, but im posed an air of secrecy upon them, aware of the necessity of appearances. Still the similarity between ancient and modern institutions is to be discerned, in the mysterious assemblies for the worship of Ceres; and the more public festivities on the kalends of April, when the female sex were convened, for the purpose of paying the accustomed honors, thus cursorily noticed by Ovid, to their deity "Matrons of Rome, your Mistress' rites prepare, And ye whose locks no maiden fillets wear§. Her image first divest of added grace, With purest water every stain efface; That labour past, each ornament restore, And strew the freshest, choicest flow'rets o'er. Beneath a myrtle's boughs conceal'd she lay, day." And bade ye thence observe the hallow'd How the day was observed is sufficiently obvious, from the general nature of such solemnities, and the persons to whom this festival is committed. The earliest Parliament of Love that bore any resemblance to that of modern times, occurs in Roman History. The dissolute Heliogabalus, who wished almost to be thought a woman, erected a senate-house for those of Rome, over which his mother Samias presided. Her office was to dictate fashions, and to decide the quarrels of the Roman matrons; but, after a short presidency, she was put to death by the soldiers, together with her son and family, A. D. 222. The Greeks (on whom foreign manners have wrought but little change) preserved their original meetings during the barbarism which pervaded all countries beside; their customs were unaltered, although the national character which adorned them was extinct; the nobler attributes of their existence were no more, but the softer ones remained. The youths and maidens assembled in the sacred groves, where Priestesses, crowned with garlands of roses, sang their amatory lays around the statue of Cupid, on an altar of Parian marble; while all unballowed ideas were checked by their delicacy, or smothered by their piety. Nor were such ceremonies unknown in ruder climes: in Sclavonia (where the individual Venus does not appear to have been worshipped) the peasantry flocked to the altars of Koupalo, on the 24th of June, to offer their annual sacrifices; they met on an open plain, and recited the choice hymns of their nation, dancing round the object of their prayers, or leaping over fires kindled with that intent. In modern Russia this usage is still preserved amongst the lower orders, whose Koupaluista presides at the same fes tivities T. § The Courtezans. 1797, I. 9. than |