haire and a long beard, and was bare-headed and barefooted. In his hand he held up a wheele, and in his/ right he carried a paile of water, wherein were flowers and fruites. His long coate was girded unto him with a towell of white linnen. His standing on the sharpe finnes of this fish, was to signifie that the Saxons, for their serving him, should passe stedfastly, and without harme, in dangerous and difficult places. By the wheele was betokened the knit unity and conjoyned concord of the Saxons, and their concurring together in the running one course. By the girdle, which with the wind streamed from him, was signified the Saxons freedome. By the paile, with flowers and fruits, was declared, that with kindly raine he would nourish the earth, to bring foorth such fruites and flowers. And the day unto which he yet gives the name of Sater-day, did first receive, by being unto him celebrated, the same appellation.'-(Verstegan, pp. 77-79-)

ASTRONOMICAL TERMS EXPLAINED.

1. A body is in conjunction with the Sun, when it has the same longitude; and in opposition, when the difference of their longitudes is 180°.

2. The elongation of a body is its angular distance from the Sun, when seen from the earth.

3. If a body in the heavens be referred to the horizon by a vertical circle, by drawing a vertical circle through it, the distance of that point of the horizon from the north or south points is called its azimuth; and the distance from the east or west points is called its amplitude. These four points are called the cardinal points.

4. The nodes are the points where the orbits of the primary planets cut the ecliptic, and where the orbits of the secondary planets cut the orbits of their primaries. That

node is called ascending, where the planet passes from the south to the north side of the ecliptic, and is marked thns, the other node is called descending, and is

marked thus, V.

5. The aphelion is that point in the orbit of a planet which is farthest from the Sun; and the perihelion is that point which is nearest to the Sun.

6. The apogee is that point of the earth's orbit which is farthest from the Sun, or that point of the Moon's orbit which is farthest from the earth; and the perigee is that point of each orbit which is nearest to the Sun, or earth.

7. The apsis of an orbit is either its apogee or perigee, aphelion or perihelion.

8. A star is said to rise or set cosmically, when it rises and sets at Sun-rising; and when it rises or sets at Sunsetting, it is said to rise or set achronically.

9. A star is said to rise heliacally, when, after having been so near to the Sun as not to be visible, it emerges out of the Sun's rays, and just appears in the morning; and it is said to set heliacally, when the Sun approaches so near to it, that it is about to immerge into the Sun's rays, and to become invisible in the evening.

10. A digit is a twelfth part of the diameter of the Sun or Moon.

11. A constellation is a collection of stars, contained within some assumed figure, as a ram, a dragon, a Hercules, &c. The whole heaven is thus divided into constellations.

Characters used for the Sun, Moon, and Planets.

THIS month was so called by the Romans from Janus, one of their divinities, to whom they gave two faces; because on the one side the first day of this month looked towards the new year, and on the other towards the old one. January is thus described by PEACHAM (Gentleman's Exercise, 4to, 1661, p. 421), January would be clad all in white, like the colour of the earth at this time, blowing his nailes; in his left arm a billet; the sign Aquarius by his side.' According to VERSTEGAN (Restitution of Decayed Intelligence, 4to, 1634, p. 59), the Saxons named January wolf-monat, to wit, wolf-moneth, because people are wont alwaies in that moneth to be in more danger to be devoured of wolves, then in any season else of the yeere; for that through the extremity of cold, and snow, those ravenous creatures could not find of other beasts sufficient to feed upon.'

year,

Froze January, leader of the
Minced pies in van, and calf's head in the rear.

Remarkable Days.

1.-CIRCUMCISION.

On this day is celebrated the Circumcision of our Saviour, a rite of the Jewish law, first enjoined to Abraham as a token of the covenant God made with him and his posterity.

The institution of this festival may be traced to the sixth century at latest, a special office being provided for it by the Second Council of Tours. The office of the Circumcision was composed, for reasons, in some respects, similar to those for which the Homily was written. The Calends of January, or the beginning of the New Year, was a stated annual heathen festival, celebrated in the most gross and licentious manner: even after the suppression of these idolatrous rites by the emperors, men and women exchanged dresses, and many irregularities took place at this season. By some, this festival is called the

Octave of Christmas,' but, by most persons, New Year's Day.' At the commencement of the New Year, we rejoice with our friends, after having escaped the dangers that attend every season; and congratulate each other by presents and wishes for the happy continuance of that course, which the antients called Strenarum Commercium. The value of the thing given is not so much an object, as the time of giving it, and the civilities with which it is presented.

The Romans, at this time, sent presents of sweetmeats, as dried figs, honey, &c. (strena), expressing a wish, that their friends might enjoy the sweets of the year, into which they had entered. A relic of this custom is still observed in the south of Scotland, where the sweetie-skon, a sort of plum-cake, constitutes the New Year's Gift. Among the northern nations, it was customary for subjects to present gifts to

their sovereigns, which were called jolagiafir, yulegifts.

An antient custom, yet retained in many places, was once practised on New Year's Eve; young women went about with a wassail-bowl of spiced ale, and sung verses as they went from door to door. The composition was ale, nutmeg, sugar, toast, and roasted crabs or apples. It was called Lamb's Wool. The antient phrases of quaffing among the English (was-haile and drinc-heil) are synonymous with the ⚫ come here's to you,' and 'I'll pledge you,' of the present day.

In Gloucestershire, the wassailers still carry about a great bowl, dressed up with garlands and ribbons, and sing the following verses :

Wassail! wassail! all over the town,
Our toast it is white, our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of a maplin tree,
We be good fellows all, I drink to thee.
Here's to *****, and to his right ear,
God send our measter a happy new year;
A happy new year as e'er he did see-
With my wassailing bowl I drink to thee.
Here's to ****2, and to his right eye,
God send our mistress a good Christmas pye;
A good Christmas pye as e'er I did see-
With my wassailing bowl I drink to thee.
Here's to Filpail3, and to her long tail,
God send our measter us never may fail,
Of a cup of good beer, I pray you draw near;
And then you shall hear our jolly wassail.
Be here any maids, I suppose here be some;
Sure they will not let young men stand on the cold stone:
Sing hey O maids, come trole back the pin,

And the fairest maid in the house, let us all in.

Come, butler, come bring us a bowl of the best;
I hope your soul in heaven will rest:

But if you do bring us a bowl of the small,
Then down fall butler, bowl, and all.

1 The name of some horse. 2 The name of another horse. 3 The name of a cow.