treasure, which they imagined to be in his custody, he was laid upon a gridiron, and broiled over a fire: this torture he bore with such incredible patience and cheerfulness, that he told his tormentors to turn him round, as he was done enough on one side. His martyrdom was so highly esteemed, that Pulcheria, the empress, erected a temple to his honour, which was afterwards either rebuilt or greatly enlarged by Justinian. In this temple, the gridiron on which he died was deposited with great pomp and solemnity; and, if we may believe St. Gregory, it became famous for abundance of miracles. The celebrated palace of the Escurial is dedicated to this saint. This summer residence of the Spanish court is but a short distance from Madrid. It is a monastery founded by Philip II, in consequence of a vow made on the day of the battle of St. Quentin, which also happened on the festival of St. Lawrence. In Spain it is called by the name of this saint (San Lorenzo), and every thing in the Escurial reminds us of the instrument of his martyrdom. It is not only seen upon the doors, windows, altars, rituals, and sacerdotal habits, but the edifice itself bears its form. It is a quadrangular building, with the principal front to the west, behind which is a mountain; the opposite side which faces Madrid takes the form of the shortened handle of a gridiron reversed; and the four feet are represented by the spires of four little square towers which rise above the four angles.

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There is nothing magnificent in the architecture of this building; on the contrary, it has rather the serious simplicity suitable to a convent, than the splendid elegance which should announce the residence of a monarch. The front to the west alone has a fine portal formed by large columns of the Doric order, half sunk in the wall, and on each side two great doors of noble dimensions. By this porta we pass to an elegant square court, at the bottom of

which is the church. This principal entrance is never open for the kings of Spain and the princes of the blood, except on two solemn occasions;-when they come for the first time to the Escurial, and when their remains are deposited there in the vault which awaits them; a striking emblem of the gates of life and eternity.

The front to the south is entirely destitute of ornament; but in its four stories, including the basement, rendered necessary by the inequality of the ground, there are nearly three hundred windows. The two great doors of entrance are on the opposite front. The whole edifice is built of hewn stone of a species of granite, which, by its colour, become brown with time, adds to the austerity of the building. The quarry where it was dug is in the neighbourhood of the Escurial, and it is said that this was one motive for the choice of its site. It furnished blocks of such considerable dimensions, that three stones were sufficient to form the chambranle, or case of the greatest door-ways, and each step of the principal staircase is composed but of one.'-(Bourgoanne.)

12.-PRINCE OF WALES BORN. i George, Prince of Wales, was born on the 12th of August, 1762; and married on the 8th of April, 1795, to the Princess Caroline of Brunswick, who was born on the 17th of May, 1768. He has one daughter, Charlotte Augusta, born Jan. 7, 1796. His Royal Highness was appointed REGENT on the 6th of February, 1811.

i 15.-ASSUMPTION.

This is a festival in the Greek and Romish churches in honour of the supposed miraculous ascension of the Virgin Mary into heaven.

24. SAINT BARTHOLOMEW.

The word Bartholomew means the son of Tolmai, or Tolomæus, the name of a family among the Jews, mentioned by Josephus. He preached the Gospel in

Armenia, converted the Lycaonians, and afterwards visited India. Some authors assert that he was crucified, like St. Peter, with his head downwards; others, however, with more probability, say that he was flayed alive, by order of Astyages, king of Armenia.

In the year 1662, on this day, two thousand ministers were ejected from their livings, because they would not comply with the Act of Uniformity. The anniversary of Bartholomew is also memorable for the cruel massacre of the Protestants in France, begun on this day in the reign of Charles IX. Some cal

culate the number of miserable sufferers at seventy, others at a hundred thousand! In the Memoirs of the Duke of Sully (vol. i, p. 33, 34. ed. 1778) there is an interesting narrative of his own escape from this horrid carnage.

I was in bed (says the Duke), and awaked from sleep, three hours after midnight, by the sound of all the bells, and the confused cries of the populace. My governor St. Julian, with my valet de chambre, went hastily out to know the cause; and I never afterwards heard more of these men, who, without doubt, were among the first that were sacrificed to the public fury. I continued alone in my chamber, dressing myself, when, in a few moments, I saw my landlord enter, pale, and in the utmost consternation: he was of the reformed religion, and, having learned what the matter was, had consented to go to mass, to save his life, and preserve his house from being pillaged. He came to persuade me to do the same, and to take me with him. I did not think proper to follow him, but resolved to try if I could gain the college of Burgundy, where I had studied; though the great distance between the house where I then was and the college made the attempt very dangerous. Having disguised myself in a scholar's gown, I put a large prayer-book under my arm, and went into the street. I was seized with horror inexpressible, at the sight of

the furious murderers; who, running from all parts, forced open the houses, and cried aloud," kill, kill, massacre the Huguenots:" the blood which I saw shed before my eyes redoubled my terror. I fell into the midst of a body of guards; they stopped me, interrogated me, and were beginning to use me ill, when, happily for me, the book that I carried was perceived,. and served me for a passport. Twice after this I fell into the same danger, from which I extricated myself with the same good fortune.

At last, I arrived at the college of Burgundy, where a danger still greater than any I had yet met with, awaited me. The porter having twice refused me entrance, I continued standing in the midst of the street, at the mercy of the furious murderers, whose numbers increased every moment, and who were evidently seeking for their prey; when it came into my mind to ask for La Faye, the principal of this college, a good man, by whom I was tenderly beloved. The porter, prevailed upon by some small pieces of money which I put into his hand, admitted me; and my friend carried me to his apartment, where two inhuman priests, whom I heard mention Sicilian vespers, wanted to force me from him, that they might cut me in pieces; saying the order was, not to spare even infants at the breast. All the good man could do, was to conduct me privately to a distant chamber, where he locked me up. Here I was confined three days, uncertain of my destiny; and saw no one but a servant of my friend's, who came from time to time to bring me provisions. The Duke, three days afterwards, left his cell, and the murdering and pillaging were at an end.

28. SAINT AUGUSTINE.

Augustine was born at Thagaste, a town in Numidia, in the year 354. He early applied. himself to the study of polite literature, and became a professor of philosophy and rhetoric, first at Rome, and afterwards at Milan. He next diligently

studied theology, in which he was instructed by St. Ambrose, with whom he contracted an intimate acquaintance. In the year 388, he returned to his native country, and, three years afterwards, was chosen Bishop of Hippo. Augustine was a judicious divine, and the most voluminous writer of all the Fathers. He died in 430, at the age of 77.

29.-JOHN BAPTIST BEHeaded.

This day was formerly denominated Festum Collectionis Sancti Johannis Baptista, or the Feast of gathering up St. John the Baptist's Relics; but afterwards, by corruption, Festum Decollationis, the festival in remembrance of his being beheaded. His nativity is celebrated on the 24th of June, which see.

Astronomical Occurrences.

Miscellaneous Observations respecting the Sun and

Moon.

SIR Isaac Newton has shown that the Sun, by its attractive power, retains the planets belonging to our system in their orbits; he has likewise pointed out the method whereby the quantity of matter contained in the Sun may be accurately determined. Dr. Bradley has assigned to light a certain velocity, with a precision exceeding our utmost expectation. Galileo and others have ascertained, by means of the spots on its surface, the rotation of the Sun on its axis, and determined the position of its equator. By means of the transits of Venus over the disk of the Sun in the years 1761 and 1769, mathematicians have calculated its distance from the Earth ;-its real diameter and magnitude; the density of the matter of which it is composed ;-and the laws of the fall of heavy bodies on its surface.

In the year 1779, there was a spot on the Sun