her son Etheldred, his half brother, might take his place. By the monks this cruel murder has been esteemed a martyrdom, probably on account of this king's attachment to them. The festival was first appointed by Pope Innocent IV, in 1245.

20.-MIDLENT SUNDAY.

The middle or fourth Sunday in Lent was formerly called the Sunday of the five Loaves, the Sunday of Bread, and the Sunday of Refreshment, in allusion to the gospel appointed for this day. It was also named Rose Sunday, from the pope's carrying_a golden rose in his hand, which he exhibited to the people in the streets as he went to celebrate the eucharist, and at his return. Mothering Sunday is another name attached to this day, from the practice, in Roman Catholic times, of people visiting their mother-church on Midlent Sunday. Hence, perhaps, the custom now existing in some parts of England, of children visiting their parents, and presenting them with money, trinkets, or some other trifle. Farmety is commonly a rural repast on this day: it is made of whole grains of wheat first parboiled, and then put into and boiled in milk, sweetened and seasoned with spices.

21. SAINT BENEDICT.

Benedict, or Bennet, was born at Norcia in Italy, about the year 480, and of an honourable family. Being sent by his parents to Rome, to complete his studies, he became disgusted with the licentiousness of the Roman youth, and retired to the mountains of Subiaco, about forty miles from the city. Bennet was now only fifteen, and lived for three years in a cave, Romanus, a monk, giving him provisions; these were let down by a rope, with a bell affixed, to give notice to the holy recluse. The remembrance of a lady whom he had seen at Rome occurring to his mind, he was induced to leave his desert; but he soon blunted the shafts of Cupid, by rolling himself among briars and nettles, till his body was covered with blood. Bennet founded the monastery of Cassino in 529 :

it was built on the brow of a very high mountain, on the top of which there was an old temple of Apollo surrounded with a grove; which Bennet demolished, and upon its ruins he erected two oratories. He died in 542. Gregory records an extraordinary miracle wrought on this saint's account: The Goths, when they invaded Italy, came to burn his cell, but, being set on fire, it burnt round him in a circle, not doing him the least hurt. At this the Goths, being enraged, threw him into a hot oven, stopping it up close; but coming next day, they found him safe, neither his flesh scorched, nor his clothes singed.The Benedictine order of monks, first instituted by our saint, was, in the ninth century, at its height of glory. 25. ANNUNCIATION OF THE B. V. M., or Lady Day.

This day celebrates the angel's message to the Virgin Mary, respecting our Blessed Lord. She was, probably, an only child, and but fifteen years of age when espoused to Joseph. She died A.D. 48, being about sixty years old.

27.-FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT.

Dominica in Passione, or Passion Sunday, was the name given to this day in missals; as the church now began to advert to the sufferings of Christ. In the north, it is called Carling Sunday, and grey peas, first steeped a night in water, and fried with butter, form the usual repast.

Astronomical Occurrences.
Equation of Time.

EXCEPTING the rotation of the earth upon its axis, there is, as far as we know, no other body in nature, with which we are acquainted, whose motion is perfectly uniform and regular. The apparent motion of the Sun is very unequal, and therefore equal or true time, which flows on for ever in the same manner, cannot be truly measured by the Sun's apparent motion. Equal and true time is that which is shown by a well regulated time-keeper, as a clock or watch;

and in order that the apparent time, as shown by the sun-dial, may be made to agree with this, it must be corrected by proper equations, such as we have given in each of our astronomical portions, and an account of which we shall now endeavour to explain.

The difference between mean and apparent time depends chiefly on two causes, viz. (1.) The obliquity of the ecliptic with respect to the equator; and, (2.) the unequal motion of the earth in its elliptical orbit. Since the earth's axis is perpendicular to the plane of the equator, any equal portions of the equator will, by means of the earth's rotation upon its axis, pass over the meridian in equal times; and so, of course, would any equal portions of the ecliptic, provided it were parallel to or coincident with the equator. But as this is not the case, the daily motion of the earth upon its axis will carry unequal portions of the ecliptic over the meridian in equal times, the difference being always in proportion to the obliquity: and, as some parts of the ecliptic are much more obliquely situated with respect to the equator than others, these differences will, therefore, be unequal among themselves. If, for instance, two bodies, the Sun and a star, were to set out together from one of the equinoctial points, and to move through equal spaces in equal times, the Sun in the ecliptic and the star in the equator, then the star moving in the equator would always return to the meridian exactly at the end of every 24 hours, as measured by a well regulated clock, but the Sun moving in the ecliptic would come to the meridian sometimes sooner than the star, and sometimes not so soon, according to their relative situations; and they would never be found upon that circle exactly together, but on four days in the year, viz. on or about the 20th of March and the 23d of September, when the Sun enters the equinoctial points, and on the 21st of June and the 21st of December, when that body is in the solstitial points. This is easily shown on the globe, by making

marks of chalk, or placing patches of black court plaster at equal distances, all round the globe, say 10 degrees from each other, beginning from the 1st of Aries, which answers to the 20th of March. Now, by turning the globe on its axis, it will be seen that all the patches in the first quadrant of the ecliptic, that is, from Aries to Cancer, come sooner to the brazen meridian than their corresponding marks on the equator. Hence apparent time marked by the dial would be before equal or true time, and we should have to subtract to obtain the true equation. In the second quadrant from Cancer to Libra, the patches in the ecliptic would come to the meridian later than those on the equator, and apparent time would be later than equal time, and we should have to add. In the other quadrants, the circumstances would be the same; that is, from Libra to Capricorn the Sun would be soonest, and from Capricorn to Aries it would be latest.

If, however, the reader refer to the tables of equa tion of time in each month, they will be found not to answer exactly to this the apparent motion of the Sun or apparent time does not begin to get before time by the clock till about the 16th of April, instead of the 20th of March, and a similar change occurs. about the 1st of September, instead of the 23d; and the times when the clock begins to surpass the Sun are about the 16th of June and the 25th of December, instead of the 21st of June and the 21st of December. This is owing to the elliptic form of the earth's orbit. If this orbit were circular, then the whole difference between equal time, as shown by the clock, and apparent, as shown by the dial, would arise entirely from the inclination of the earth's axis; and the change from slow to fast, and fast to slow, would be, as we first mentioned, on the 20th of March, the 21st of June, the 23d of September, and the 21st of December.

This, however, is not the case, for the earth travels, when it is nearest the Sun, that is in winter, more

than a degree in 24 hours; and when it is farthest from the Sun, that is in summer, less than a degree in the same time; consequently, from this cause, if it were to act alone, the natural day would be of the greatest length when the earth was nearest the Sun; for it must continue turning the longest time after an entire rotation, in order to bring the meridian of any place to the Sun again; and the shortest day would be when the earth moves the slowest in her orbit. Now these inequalities, combined with those arising from the inclination of the earth's axis to the ecliptic, or orbit of the earth, make up that difference which is shown by the equation table. In other words, the obliquity of the earth's orbit to the equator on the earth, which is the first-mentioned cause of difference between equal and apparent time, would make the clocks and dial agree when the earth enters Libra, Capricorn, Aries, and Cancer; but the unequal motion of the earth in its orbit would make them agree twice a year, when the earth is in its aphelion and perihelion; and consequently when these two points fall in the beginning of Cancer and Capricorn, or of Aries and Libra, they will concur in making the Sun and clocks agree. But the aphelion is somewhere in the ninth degree of Cancer, and the perihelion in the ninth degree of Capricorn; and therefore the Sun and clocks cannot be equal about the beginning of those signs, nor at any time in the year, except when the swiftness or slowness of equation, resulting from one of these causes, just balances the slowness or swiftness arising from the other.

The times of Sun-rising and setting for the 1st, 11th, and 21st, will be found as follow, viz.

Equation of Time. [See the month of January.] The following table will show what is to be added to the apparent time shown on the dial, to obtain equal or true time for every fifth day of March :—