The usual celebration of this day, with young persons, is well known: we shall not attempt to describe, Soon as grey morn invests yon eastern hill, 2 What throbs, what strange anxieties are known, While doubt remains where Love shall fix his throne; but proceed to observe, that the practice of sending Valentines or letters on this day, either in verse or in prose, does not seem fraught with any great mischief; and so long as it serves to augment his Majesty's revenues, and innocently to amuse young ladies and gentlemen, we see no reason for discontinuing the custom. The contents of these annual billets-doux are, generally, of a very harmless description, being chiefly composed of a delightful mixture of hearts and darts,kisses and blisses,' &c. &c. The divine NONSENSIA is usually invoked on this occasion, and the verses are, as might be expected, full of the goddess.' The author of the Mock Heroic,' just quoted, concludes his poem with these useful admonitions, which we heartily recommend to the serious attention of the fair sex : Let virtue, honour, sense, and truth unite, 'To complete our Valentiniana, we shall insert a spirited invocation of this saint, which appeared in the Gent, Mag, for 1736, vol. vi, p. 107. Haste, friendly SAINT! to my relief, My heart is stol'n, help! stop the thief! Away she started from my view, Seize her-yet treat the nymph divine 20.—QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. See SEPTUAGESIMA. 22.-SHROVE TUESDAY. This day is also called Fastern's E'en' and Pancake Tuesday. Shrove is the preterite of shrive, an antiquated word which signifies to hear or make confession. On this day it was usual for the people to confess, that they might be the better prepared for the observation of the ensuing season of penitence, and for receiving the sacrament at Easter. It was afterwards converted into a day of idle sports and amusements; and within these few years, in many parts of England, its anniversary was distinguished by riot and drunkenness, by bull-baiting, cock-fighting, and such other diversions as were calculated to promote cruelty, inhumanity, and every thing the most opposite to the virtues which it was the intention of the church to teach and encourage. The custom of frying pancakes on this day is still retained in many families throughout the kingdom, but we think the practice not likely to last another century. In the north, the Monday preceding Shrove Tuesday is called Collop Monday; eggs and collops (slices of bacon) composing an usual dish at dinner on this day. At Newcastle-upon-Tyne (says Mr. Brand) the great bell of St. Nicholas's church is tolled at twelve o'clock at noon on Shrove Tuesday; shops are immediately shut up, offices closed, and all kind of business ceases; a sort of little carnival ensuing for the remainder of the day. The Popish Carnival commences from Twelfthday, and holds till Lent. At Venice, during the carnival time, Saint Mark's Place is the grand scene of riot and folly, where mountebanks and various Then tell her, she, for what was done, Must bring my heart, and give her own. Mrs. Robinson has some beautifulStanzas addressed to my Valentine.' See her Poems, vol. ii. See also Gent. Mag., vol. lxxvii, part i, p. 256. other impostors are allowed to erect their stages, and to practise on the credulity of the crowds who assemble round them. Feasts, balls, operas, masquerades, &c. &c, are given in this season. The word carnival, of the Italian carnavale, is derived by Du Cange from carn-a-val, because the flesh is then put into the pot in order to make amends for the season of the absence ensuing, Others trace the word to the Latin carni vale, farewel to flesh, The sport of fighting cocks in pitched battles first appears upon record in the reign of Henry II. During subsequent reigns this sport became general; and, to the disgrace of our country, was countenanced by royal favour during the reigns of James I. and Charles II, If the Romans set us the example in devising these sports, it must be confessed, we have bettered the instruction.' For to English refinement and ingenuity may be ascribed the noble invention of the Gaffle or Spur; by the aid of which, the gallant combatants of the cockpit mangle, torture, and destroy each other; no doubt to the great satisfaction and delight of admiring spectators, Another instance of our barbarous ingenuity must not be omitted. No other nation but the British has contrived to put in practice the Battle Royal, and the Welsh Main: In the former, the spectator may be gratified with the display of numbers of game-cocks, destroying each other at the same moment without order or distinction. In the latter, these courageous birds are doomed to destruction in a more regular but not less certain manner. They fight in pairs (suppose 16 in number), and the two last survivors are then matched against each other; so that out of 32 birds, 31 must be necessarily slaughtered. Throwing at Cocks, formerly much practised on Shrove Tuesday, is another specimen of unmeaning brutality confined solely to our own country. After being familiarized to the barbarous destruction of this courageous bird in the cockpit, it was only advanc ing one step farther in the progress of cruelty, to fasten this most gallant animal to a stake, in order to murder him piece-meal. This detestable barbarity has declined as our manners have become more polished and humane; but the strong hand of the law was obliged to interfere in many places to hasten its abolition. The cruel treatment of the animal race might well lead an ingenious foreigner to remark, when describing our popular diversion, as follows:The women of Rome beheld barbarities and murders in cold blood; but the boxing matches, the bullbaitings, cock-fightings, and the numerous attendance of both sexes at public executions, indicate that there is at least a remnant of Roman manners, and the taste of those times, left in England.' 23.-ASH WEDNESDAY. Formerly Lent began on the Sunday after Quinquagesima i. e. our first Sunday in Lent, and ended at Easter, containing in all 42 days; and subtracting the six Sundays which are not fasts, there remained only 36 fasting-days, the tenth part of 360, the number of days in the antient year, then considered as a tythe of the year consecrated to God's service. To these 36 fasting-days, however, of the Old Lent, Gregory added four days more, to render it equal to the time of our Saviour's fasting, causing it to begin on Ash Wednesday, three days after Quinquagesima; and thus it has remained ever since. Lent is not of apostolic institution, nor was it known in the earlier ages of the Christian church. This day was formerly called Caput Jejunii, the head of the fast, and Dies Cinerum, or Ash Wednesday. The latter appellation is derived from the following custom in the discipline of the antient church On the first day of Lent the penitents were to present themselves before the bishop, clothed in sackcloth, with naked feet, and eyes fixed upon the ground, in the presence of the principal part of the clergy belonging to his diocese, who were to be judges of the sincerity of their repentance. When these were introduced in procession into the church, the bishop and the clergy, all in tears, repeated the seven penitential psalms. Then rising from prayers, they threw ashes upon them, and covered their heads with sackcloth; declaring to them with deep sighs, that as Adam was thrown out of Paradise, so they must be driven from the church. The bishop now commanded the proper officers to turn them out of the church-doors; and all the clergy followed, repeating that curse upon Adam, in the sweat of thy brows shalt thou eat thy bread. This penance was renewed on the Sunday following, when the sacrament was administered. The Protestant church substitutes for this severe discipline the service called the Commination, or a denunciation of God's anger and judgments against sinners; a service which was formerly read on such other days in Lent as the ordinary should think pro'per, but at present it is performed on Ash-Wednesday only. In this season they who lived in populous cities, or in the vicinity of the greater churches, held religious assemblies, and had sermons preached every day. The most antient manner of observing Lent was to refrain from all food till the evening for the change of diet, as of flesh for fish, was not, by the antients, accounted a fast. Their only refreshment was a moderate supper, and they partook indifferently of animal or other food. In subsequent ages, the use of flesh and wine was generally prohibited. Some abstained from all creatures which once had life some from all fish; others ate fowls as well as fish; others abstained from eggs, milk, and fruit, and ate only pulse, roots, or bread; others abstained even from these, and again others indulged themselves with the addition of a little salt and water to their bread. Frequenting places of public amusement, the use of the bath, and various pleasures, at other times accounted innocent, were forbidden during Lent. |