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I gather the present Manner of drawing King and Queen on this Day, from an ingenious Letter preserved in the Universal Magazine, 1774, whence I shall take the Liberty to extract a few select Passages. "I went to a Friend's House in the

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Country to partake of some of those innocent "Pleasures that constitute a merry Christmass; I "did not return till I had been present at drawing "King and Queen, and eaten a Slice of the twelfth "Cake, made by the fair Hands of my good Friend's "Consort. After Tea Yesterday, a noble Cake

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was produced, and two Bowls, containing the fortunate Chances for the different Sexes. Our "Host filled up the Tickets; the whole Company,

except the King and Queen, were to be Minis"ters of State, Maids of Honour, or Ladies of the "Bedchamber.

"Our kind Host and Hostess, whether by Design "or Accident became King and Queen. According to twelfth Day Law, each Party is to support their Character till Midnight. After Supper

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Here we have the Materials of the Cake, which are Flour, Hohey, Ginger, and Pepper; one is made for every Family. The Maker thrusts in at Random a small Coin as she is kneading it; when it is baked, it is divided into as many Parts as there are Persons in

the Family. It is distributed, and each has his Share; Portions of it also are assigned to Christ, the Virgin, and the Three Magi, which are given away in Alms. Whoever finds the Piece of Coin in his Share is saluted by all as King, and being placed on a Seat or Throne; is thrice lifted aloft with joyful Acclamations: He holds a Piece of Chalk in his Right Hand, and each Time he is lifted up makes a Cross on the Ceiling. These Crosses are thought to prevent many Evils, and are much revered,

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one called for a King's Speech, &c." The rest is political Satire, and is foreign to our Purpose.

I have inserted this with a View of gratifying the Curiosity of my northern Readers on this Head.

N. B. The Reader is desired to add the following Remarks to the Observations on YULE; "All the "Celtic Nations have been accustomed to the Wor

ship of the Sun; either as distinguished from Thor, "or considered as his Symbol:-It was a Custom "that every where prevailed in antient Times, to "celebrate a Feast at the Winter Solstice; by which "Men testified their Joy at seeing this great Lumi

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nary return again to this Part of the Heavens.-"This was the greatest Solemnity in the Year. They call it in many Places, Yole, or Yuul, from "the Word Hiaul and Houl, which even at this Day signifies the Sun, in the Languages of Bass Britagne, and Cornwal*." Vide Mallet's Northern Antiquities, Vol. II. p. 68.

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*This is giving a Celtic Derivation of a Gothie Word (two Languages extremely different)." The learned Doctor Hickes, thus derives the Term in Question. Jol, Cimbricum, Anglo Saxonice scriptum, Geol; et Dan. Sax. Jul, o in u facile mutato, ope intensivi præfixi et ge, faciunt ol, Commessatio, Compotatio, &c. Isl. Ol cerevisiam denotat et metonymicè Convivium) Junii Etym.

V. Yeol.

Our ingenious Author, however, is certainly right as to the Origin and Design of the Yale Feast: The Green-landers at this Day keep a Sun Feast at the Winter Solstice, about Dec. 22, to rejoice at the Return of the Sun, and the expected Renewal of the Hunting Season, &c. which Custom they may possibly have learnt of the Norwegian Colony formerly settled in Greenland. See Crantz's Hist. fGreenland, Vol. I. p. 176. Ibid. in Not,

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1

CHAP. XVIII.

Of St. Paul's Day; The Observation of the Weather, a Custom of the Heathens, and handed down by the Monks: The Apostle St. Paul himself is against such Observations; The Opinion of St. Austin upon them.

THE Observation of the Weather which is made on this Day is altogether ridiculous and superstitious. If it happen to be unclouded and without Rain, it is look'd upon as an Omen of the following Year's Success, if otherwise, that the Year will be unfortunate. Thus the old Verse.

Clara dies Pauli, bona tempora denotat anni,
Si fuerint venti, denarrant prælia genti,
Si nix aut pluvia, pereunt animalia quæque.

The Interpretation of which is very well known to be this,

If St. Paul's Day be fair and clear,
It doth betide a happy Year;

If blustering Winds do blow aloft

Then Wars will trouble our Realm full oft. And if it chance to Snow or Rain,

Then will be dear all Sorts of Grain.

Such also is the Observation of St. Swithin's Day, which if rainy is a Token that it will rain for forty Days successively; such is the Observation of * Candlemas-Day, such is Childermas-Day, such Valentine's-Day, and some others.

How St. Paul's Day came to have this particular Knack of foretelling the good or evil Fortune of the following year, is no easy Mat

ter to find out. The Monks who were undoubtedly the first who made this wonderful Observation, have taken Care it should be handed down to Posterity, but why and for' what Reason this Observation was to stand good, they have taken Care to conceal. In Church Affairs indeed they make free with handing down Traditions from Generation to Generation, which being approved by an infallible Judgment, are to be taken for granted; but as far as I hear, they never pretended to an infallible Spirit, in the Study of the Planets. One may therefore, without the Suspicion of Heresy, or fear of the Inquisition, make a little Inquiry into this Affair, and see whether it be true or falfe, whether it is built

* Si sol splendescat Maria purificante,

Major erit glacies post festum quam fuit ante.

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upon any Reason or no Reason, whether still to be observed, or only laugh'd at as a Monkish Dream.

Now as it is the Day of that Saint, the great Apostle St. Paul, I cannot see there is any Thing to be built upon. He did indeed labour more abundantly than all the Apostles; but never, that I heard, in the Science of Astrology. And why his Day should therefore be a standing Almanack to the World, rather than the Day of any other Saint, will be pretty hard to find out. I am sure there is a good Number of them, have as much right to Rain or fair Weather as St. Paul, and if St. Andrew, St. Thomas, &c. have not as much right to Wind or Snow, let the Reader judge.

As it is the Twenty-fifth Day of January, one would think that could be no Reason. For what is that Day more than another? Indeed they do give some shew of Reason, why Rain should happen about the Time of St. Swithin, which is this. About the Time of his Feast, which is on the Fourteenth of July, there are two rainy Constellations, which are called Præcepe and Asellus, which arise cosmically, and generally produce Rain, And to be

Sure

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