[The following notices are taken from the Book of Knowedge, 1703:- If, on New Year's Day, the clouds in the morning be red, it shall be an angry year, with much war and great tempests. If the sun shine on the 22nd of January, there shall be much wind. If it shine on St. Paul's Day, it shall be a fruitful year; and if it rain and snow, it shall be between both. If it be very misty, it betokeneth great dearth. If it thunder that day, it betokeneth great winds, and great death, especially amongst rich men, that year."] Schenkius, in his treatise on Images, chap. xiii., says, it is a custom in many parts of Germany to drag the images of St. Paul and St. Urban to the river, if, on the day of their feast, it happens to be foul weather. Bourne observes, upon St. Paul's Day, "How it came to have this particular knack of foretelling the good or ill fortune of the following year, is no easy matter 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 or for what reason this observation was to stand good they have taken care to conceal. St. Paul 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."1 1" [Clara dies Pauli bonitatem denotat anni; Fevrier de tous les mois, Le plus court et moins courtois. En Mars me lie, en Mars me taille, Je rends prou quand on m'y travaille.”—MS. Harl. 4043.] CANDLEMAS DAY. FEBRUARY 2. THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN MARY. THIS is called in the north of England the Wives' Feast Day. The name of Candlemas is evidently derived from the lights which were then distributed and carried about in procession.' In the first volume of Proclamations, &c., folio, remaining in the Archives of the Society of Antiquaries of London, is preserved, p. 138, an original one, printed in black letter, and dated 26th February, 30 Hen. VIII., "concernyng rites and ceremonies to be used in due fourme in the Churche of Englande," in which we read as follows:-" On Candelmas Daye it shall be declared that the bearynge of candels is done in the memorie of Christe, the spirituall lyghte, when Simeon dyd prophecye, as it is redde in the churche that daye." The same had been declared by a decree of Convocation. See Fuller's Church History, p. 222. In Herbert's Country Parson, 12mo. Lond. 1675, third impression, p. 157, he tells us, "Another old custom (he had been speaking of processions) there is, of saying, when light is brought in, God sends us the light of Heaven; and the parson likes this very well. Light is a great blessing, and as great as food, for which we give thanks: and those that think this superstitious, neither know superstition nor themselves." This appears to be at this time totally forgotten. In the ancient calendar of the Romish Church, before cited, 1 Mr. Douce's MS. Notes say, "This feast is called by the Greeks vπаñaντα, which signifies a meeting, because Simeon and Anna the prophetess met in the temple at the presentation of our Saviour." L'Estrange's Alliances of Divine Offices, p. 147. See Luke ii.-At the celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi, at Aix, in Provence, there is a procession of Saints, among whom St. Simeon is represented with a mitre and cap, carrying in his left hand a basket of eggs. Hist. de la Fête Dieu, p. 100. "To beare their candels soberly, and to offer them to the saintes, not of God's makynge, but the carvers and paynters," is mentioned among the Roman Catholic customs censured by John Bale in his 'Declaration of Bonner's Articles,' 1554, signat. D. 4 b; as is ibid., fol. 18 b. "to conjure candels." I find the subsequent observations on the 2d of February, usually called Candlemas Day : "Torches are consecrated. Torches are given away for many days." Pope Sergius, says Bacon, in his Reliques of Rome, fol. 164,"commanded that all the people should go on procession upon Candlemass Day, and carry candels about with them brenning in their hands in the year of our Lord 684.” How this candle-bearing on Candlemas Day came first up, the author of our English Festival declareth in this manner: "Somtyme," saith he, "when the Romaines by great myght and royal power conquered all the world, they were so proude, that they forgat God, and made them divers gods after their own lust. And so among all they had a god that they called Mars, that had been tofore a notable knight in battayle; and so they prayed to hym for help, and for that they would speed the better of this knight, the people prayed and did great worship to his mother, that was called Februa, after which woman much people have opinion that the moneth February is called. Wherefore the second daie of thys moneth is Candlemass Day. The Romaines this night went about the city of Rome with torches and candles brenning in worship of this woman Februa, for hope to have the more helpe and succoure of her sonne Mars. Then there was a Pope that was called Sergius, and when he saw Christian people drawn to this false maumetry' and untrue belief, he thought to undo this foule use and custom, and turn it unto God's worship and our Lady's, and gave commandment that all Christian people should come to church and offer up a candle brennyng, in the worship that they did to this woman Februa, and do worship to our Lady and to her sonne our Lord Jesus Christ. So that now this feast is solemnly hallowed thorowe all Christendome. And every Christian man and woman of covenable age is bound to come to church and offer up their candles, as though they were bodily with our Lady, hopyng for this reverence and worship, that they do to our Ladye, to have a great rewarde in heaven," &c. 1 Idolatry. Halliwell's Dictionary, p. 545. The Festyvall adds, "A candell is made of weke and wexe; so was Crystes soule hyd within the manhode: also the fyre betokeneth the Godhede: also it betokeneth our Laydes moderhede and maydenhede, lyght with the fyre of love!" In Dunstan's Concord of Monastic Rules it is directed that, on the Purification of the Virgin Mary, the monks shall go in surplices to the church for candles, which shall be consecrated, sprinkled with holy water, and censed by the Abbot. Let every monk take a candle from the Sacrist, and light it. Let a procession be made, Thirds and Mass be celebrated, and the candles, after the offering, be offered to the priest." See Fosbroke's British Monachism, i. 28. A note adds: “Candlemas Day. The candles at the Purification were an exchange for the lustration of the Pagans, and candles were used from the parable of the wise virgins." (Alcuinus de Divinis Officiis, p. 231.) It was anciently a custom for women in England to bear lights when they were churched, as appears from the following royal bon mot. William the Conqueror, by reason of sickness, kept his chamber a long time, whereat the French King, scoffing, said, "The King of England lyeth long in child-bed;" which when it was reported unto King William, he answered, "When I am churched, there shall be a thousand lights in France;" (alluding to the lights that women used to bear when they were churched :) and that he performed within a few daies after, wasting the French territories with fire and sword.1 In a most rare book entitled The Burnynge of Paules Church in London, 1561, and the 4 day of June, by Lyghtnynge, &c. 8vo. Lond. 1563, we read, "In Flaunders everye Saturdaye betwixt Christmas and Candlemas they eate flesh for joy, and have pardon for it, because our Layde laye so long in child-bedde say they. We here may not eat so: the Pope is not so good to us; yet surely it were a good reason that we should eat fleshe with them all that while that our Lady lay in child-bed, as that we shuld bear our candel at her churchinge at Candlemas with theym as they doe. It is seldome sene that men offer candels at women's churchinges, savinge at our Ladies: but reason it is that she have some 1 Camden's Remains, edit. 8vo. Lond. 1674, p. 318. preferement, if the Pope would be so good maister to us as to let us eat fleshe with theym." In Lysons' Environs of London, i. 310, among his curious extracts from the churchwardens' accounts at Lambeth, I find the following:- "1519. Paid for Smoke Money at Seynt Mary's Eve, 0. 2. 6." This occurs again in 1521.-"Paid by my Lord of Winchester's scribe for Smoke Money, 0. 2. 6." The following is Barnabe Googe's Translation of Naogeorgus, in the Popish Kingdome, f. 47 : "Then comes the day wherein the Virgin offered Christ unto The Father chiefe, as Moyses law commanded hir to do. Then numbers great of tapers large both men and women beare To church, being halowed there with pomp, and dreadful words to heare. Nor fearefulle sprites that walke by night, nor hurts of frost or haile." We read in Wodde's Dialogue, cited more particularly under Palm Sunday, "Wherefore serveth holye candels? (Nicholas). To light up in thunder, and to blesse men when they lye a dying." Thomas Legh, in a letter to Lord Cromwell, of the time of Henry VIII. (MS. Cotton. Nero. b. iii. f. 115), finishes, "Valete Hamburgiæ in fasto Purificationis Beatæ Mariæ quo Candelas accensas non videbam, satis tamen clara dies." "1 In some of the ancient illuminated Calendars a woman holding a taper in each hand is represented in the month of February. In the Doctrine of the Masse Booke, &c. from Wyttonburge by Nicholas Dorcaster, 1554, 8vo. we find "The Hallowing of Candles upon Candlemas Day." The Prayer. "O Lord Jesu Christ, I-blesse thou this creature of a waxen taper at our humble supplication, and by the vertue of the holy crosse, pour thou into it an heavenly See on this subject Dupré's Conformity between Ancient and Modern Ceremonies,' p. 96, and Stopford's 'Pagano-Papismus,' p. 238. |