Vinalia. Jovi et Veneri.-Rom. Cal. Ovid, in his Fasti, asks, What here I've said to Pales' feast belong; To the Vinalia next extends my song. There's but one Sun between the neighbouring feasts; But why's this feast Vinalia called? you'll say, Which should by conquest gain Lavinia's love. CHRONOLOGY.-Queen Anne was crowned at Westminster on this, St. George's, day-a coincidence considered as a foreboding of the future and happy reign of a succession of Georges. Shakespeare died today, being the anniversary of his birthday, in 1616. Milton, his only rival for elegance and grandeur of composition, thus describes Shakespeare's character in Il Penseroso : --- Sweetest Shakespeare! Fancy's child! In Reed's Old Plays, vol. xii. we find an allusion made to an ancient custom among people of fashion of wearing blue coats on St. George's Day, probably because blue was the national colour of Britain, over which St. George presides, and not in imitation of the clothing of the fields in blue by the flowering of an abundance of Blue Bells, as some have supposed. April 24. St. Fidelis. St. Mellitus. SS. Bona and Doda. St. Fidelis was born at Sigmarrengen, in Germany, in 1577. Butler describes him as being rather an angel than a man, and assigns, among other reasons, that he passed Advent, Lent, and Vigils on bread, dried fruits, and water. He was martyred by that infernal faction the Calvinists in his fortieth year.-See Butler, iv. p. 261. Ilii destructio.-Rom. Cal. One of the Roman Calendars records today the destruction of Ilium, the capitol of the city of that name, which was the capital of Troia. The History of the Trojan War has been too well illustrated by Homer, Virgil, and other writers, to need any further comment. FLORA.The face of Nature, constantly changing, now begins to assume one of the loveliest forms. The Vernal Flora is now beginning to prevail, and by degrees to succeed to the Primaveral, which still remains in profusion. Prim rose banks and Violet embroidered Vales, with meadows prim with Daisies and Cowslips, still beautify every rural walk. The Bulbous Crowfoot also begins to blow; but the yellow spangling of the fields is still composed chiefly of the golden flowers of the Dandelion, which is the earliest of our plants that produces this pleasing effect of yellow meadows. In some places now the fields are beginning to be beautifully blue with the flowers of the Harebell Hyacinthus non Scriptus, and the stars of the Pilewort Ficaria verna are still to be seen on shady banks and under coverts and bushy dingies. In gardens, beds of the early or Clerimond Tulips, and of Hyacinths and Narcissi, make now a splendid appearance. As the time is approaching when Tulips become common, we shall conclude with a short account of this plant from Beckmann's Erfindungen. On the Origin of and Partiality for Tulips.-Most countries have a predilection for some particular plants, while all the rest are disregarded. In Turkey, for instance, the flowers which, after the Rose, are principally esteemed, are the Ranunculus and the Tulip, the latter of which grows wild in the Levant; but, through accident, weakness, or disease, few plants acquire so many tints, variegations, and figures, as the Tulip. This gaudy flower was first cultivated in Italy, about the middle of the sixteenth century, under the name of Tulipa, obviously derived from Tuliband, which, in the Turkish language, signifies a turban. It is well known that in Holland the Tulip became, about the middle of the seventeenth century, the object of a trade unparalleled in the history of commercial speculation. From 1634 to 1637, inclusive, all classes in all the great cities of Holland became infected with the Tulipomania. A single root of a particular species, called the Viceroy, was exchanged, in the true Dutch taste, for the following articles2 lasts of Wheat, 4 of Rye, 4 fat Oxen, 3 fat Swine, 12 fat Sheep, 2 hogsheads of Wine, 4 tuns of Beer, 2 tons of Butter, 1000 pounds of Cheese, a complete Bed, a Suit of Clothes, and a Silver Beaker value of the whole 2500 florins. These Tulips afterwards were sold according to the weight of the roots. Four hundred perits something less than a grain of Admiral Leifken, cost 4400 florins; 446 ditto of Admiral Vonder Eyk, 1620 florins; 106 perits Schilder cost 1615 florins; 200 ditto Semper Augustus, 5500 florins; 410 ditto Viceroy, 3000 florins, &c. species Semper Augustus has been often sold for 2000 florins; and it once happened that there were only two roots The of it to be had, the one at Amsterdam, and the other at Haarlem. For a root of this species one agreed to give 4600 florins, together with a new Carriage, two Grey Horses, and and a complete Harness. Another agreed to give for a root 12 Acres of Land; for those, who had not ready money, promised their moveable and immoveable goods, houses and lands, cattle and clothes. The trade was followed not only by mercantile people, but also by the first noblemen, citizens of every description, mechanics, seamen, farmers, turfdiggers, chimney sweeps, footmen, maid servants, old clothes women, &c. At first every one won, and no one lost. Some of the poorest people gained, in a few months, houses, coaches and horses, and figured away like the first characters in the land. In every town some tavern was selected which served as a change, where high and low traded in flowers, and confirmed their bargains with the most sumptuous entertainments. They formed laws for themselves, and had their notaries and clerks. These dealers in flowers were by no means desirous to get possession of them; no one thought of sending, much less of going himself to Constantinople to procure scarce roots, as many Europeans travel to Golconda and Visipour to obtain rare and precious stones. It was in fact a complete stockjobbing transaction. Tulips of all prices were in the market, and their roots were divided into small portions, known by the name of Perits, in order that the poor as well as the rich might be admitted into the speculation: the Tulip root itself was at length put out of the question-it was a nonentity; but it furnished, like our funds, the subject of a bargain for time. During the time of the Tulipomania, a speculator often offered and paid large sums for a root which he never received, and never wished to receive. Another sold roots which he never possessed or delivered. Often did a nobleman purchase of a chimney sweep Tulips to the amount of 2000 florins, and sell them at the same time to a farmer, and neither the nobleman, chimney sweep, nor farmer, had roots in their possession, or wished to possess them. Before the Tulip season was over, more roots were sold and purchased, bespoke, and promised to be delivered, than in all probability were to be found in the gardens of Holland; and when Semper Augustus was not to be had, which happened twice, no species perhaps was oftener purchased and sold. In the space of three years, as Munting tells us, more than ten millions were expended in this trade, in only one town of Holland. The evil rose to such a pitch, that the States of Holland were under the necessity of interfering; the buyers took the alarm; the bubble, like the South Sea scheme, suddenly burst; and as, in the outset, all were winners, in the winding up, very few escaped without loss. Some persons are so fond of odoriferous plants and flowers, as to have them in their bedchamber. This, however, is a dangerous practice, many of them being so powerful as to overcome the senses entirely. Even plants that are not in flower, and have no smell, yet injure the air during the night, and in the absence of the Sun, by impregnating it with nitrogen and carbonic acid gas; although in the daylight they rather improve the atmosphere, by yielding oxygen gas. A melancholy proof of this, recorded by Dr. Curry, occurred in October, 1814, at Leighton Buzzard, in Bedfordshire" Mr. Sherbrook having frequently had his pinery robbed, the gardener determined to sit up and watch. He accordingly posted himself with a loaded fowling piece in the greenhouse, where it is supposed he fell asleep, and in the morning was found dead upon the ground, with all the appearance of suffocation, evidently occasioned by the discharge of mephitic gas from the plants during the night. April 25. ST. MARK. St. Iva. St. Kebrios. rises at Iv. 49'. and sets at vII. 11'. Brande observes, "It is customary in Yorkshire, as a clergyman of that county informed me, for the common people to sit and watch in the church porch on St. Mark's Eve, from eleven o'clock at night till one in the morning. The third year (for this must be done thrice) they are supposed to see the ghosts of all those who are to die the next year pass by into the church. When any one sickens that is thought to have been seen in this manner, it is presently whispered about that he will not recover, for that such, or such an one, who has watched St. Mark's Eve, says so. "This superstition is in such force, that if the patients themselves hear of it, they almost despair of recovery. Many are said to have actually died by their imaginary fears on the occasion; a truly lamentable, but by no means incredible instance of human folly. "Mr. Pennant's MS. says, that in North Wales no farmer dare hold his team on St. Mark's Day, because, as they believe, one man's team was marked that did work that day with the loss of an Ox. The Church of Rome observes St. Mark's Day as a day of abstinence, in imitation of St. Mark's disciples, the first Christians of Alexandria, who, under this Saint's conduct, were eminent for their great prayer, abstinence, and sobriety."-See Wheatley on the Common Prayer, 8vo. Lond. 1741, p. 204. Strype, in his Annals of the Reformation, vol. i. p. 191, under anno 1559, informs us:-" The 25th April, St. Mark's Day (that year), was a procession in divers parishes of London, and the citizens went with their banners abroad in their respective parishes, singing in Latin the Kyrie Eleeson, after the old fashion." In a most rare book, entitled, "The Burnynge of Paules Church in London 1561, and the 4 day of June, by Lyghtnynge," &c. 8vo. Lond. 1563, signat. i. 2 b. we read:"Althoughe Ambrose saye that the churche knewe no fastinge day betwix Easter and Whitsonday, yet beside manye fastes in the Rogation weeke, our wise Popes of late yeares have devysed a monstrous fast on Saint Marke's Daye." Robigalia. Medium Ver. Aries occidit, Canis oritur.-Rom. Cal. Six days before this month shall terminate, Again, speaking of this festival and its strange rites :- When the Icarian Dog is seen to rise, Parched is the Earth, and hence the harvest dies; Into the flames; no other reason's known. In the year 63 St. Mark's Gospel was written. The order of Knights of St. Mark at Venice was instituted in the year 737, the reigning Doge being always grand master: their motto was, "Pax tibi, Marce, Evangelista Meus." |