The Gatherer
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The Plain Truth.—Sir John Trevor, cousin to Lord Chancellor Jefferies, was an able man, but as corrupt as he was able. He was twice Speaker of the House of Commons, and officially had the mortification to put the question to the house, "whether himself ought to be expelled for bribery." The answer was "Yes."
Freaks of Royalty.—James I. in a capricious mood, threatened the Lord Mayor with removing the seat of royalty, the meetings of parliament, &c. from the capital. "Your Majesty at least," replied the Mayor, "will be graciously pleased to leave us the River Thames."
The Original Strand.—In the reign of Edward III. the Strand was an open highway. A solitary house occasionally occurred; but in 1353, the ruggedness of the highway was such, that Edward appointed a tax on wool, leather, &c. for its improvement.
On the laying the first stone of the church of St. Martin's in the Fields, the king (George I.) gave one hundred guineas to be distributed among the workmen.
A swampy Kingdom.—In the reign of Charles II. at the east end of St. James's Park, there was a swampy retreat for the ducks, thence denominated Duck Island, which, by Charles was erected into a government, and a salary annexed to the office, in favour of the celebrated French writer, M. de St. Evremond, who was the first and last governor.
The gold embroidery of the chair of state in Carlton Palace is stated to have cost 500l.
The horse rode by the Champion in the coronation of George the Third was the same that bore George the Second at the memorable battle of Dettingen.
Political Criticism.—The following proof of political prejudice may not be known:—"John Milton was one whose natural parts might deservedly give him a place amongst the principal of our English poets, having written two heroic poems and a tragedy, viz:—Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes; but his fame is gone out like a candle in a snuff; and his memory will always stink, which might have ever lived in honourable repute, had he not been a notorious traitor, and most impiously and villanously belied that blessed martyr, King Charles I."—Lives of the most famous English Poets, &c. 1687, by Wm. Winstanley.
A Pastor.—The Rev. Andrew Marvell, A.M. father of the patriot, was born at Mildred, in Cambridgeshire, in 1586. He was a student of Emanuel College in that University, where he took his degree of Master of Arts in 1608. Afterwards he was elected master of the grammar school at Hull, and in 1624, lecturer of Trinity Church in that town. "He was a most excellent preacher," says Fuller, "who, like a good husband, never broached what he had new-brewed, but preached what he had studied some competent time before: insomuch that he was wont to say that he would cross the common proverb, which called 'Saturday the working day, and Monday the holiday, of preachers.'"
Dryden's Mc Flecnoe.—W. Newcastle has the following excellent lines in reference to Dryden's poem:—
"Flecnoe, thy characters are so full of wit And fancy, as each word is throng'd with it. Each line's a volume, and who reads would swear Whole libraries were in each character. Nor arrows in a quiver stuck, nor yet Lights in the starry skies are thicker set, Nor quills upon the armed porcupine, Than wit and fancy in this work of thine."
SIR WALTER SCOTT.
The long-expected death of this good and great man took place at Abbotsford on Friday, September 21. Our seventh volume contains a Portrait and Memoir of his life to the year 1826; and it is our intention to prepare for our ensuing number, a brief memoir continued to his last days, with a wood-cut portrait from the latest painting. About twelve months since, Sir Walter wrote, with almost prophetic pen, the following passage in the introduction to his last published work: "The gentle reader is acquainted, that these are, in all probability, the last tales which it will be the lot of the author to submit to the public." The sequel has not been so far realized, though the accordance of the closing line with the last hours of the deceased bears a consoling balm: "He is now on the eve of visiting foreign parts; a ship of war is commissioned by its royal master to carry the Author of Waverley to climates in which he may possibly obtain such a restoration of health as may serve him to spin his thread to an end in his own country."
Eating Goose on Michaelmas Day.—Although this custom can be traced through upwards of three centuries, its origin has not been decided by antiquaries. The commonly received belief is that a goose forming part of the royal dinner when the news was brought to Queen Elizabeth of the defeat of the Spanish Armada, her chivalrous majesty commanded that the dish (a goose) then before her, might be served up on every 29th of September, to commemorate the above glorious event. Mr. Douce, the learned antiquarian illustrator, saw the above reason "somewhere" (such is his expression); but Mr. Brand thinks this rather to be a stronger proof that the custom prevailed at court in Queen Elizabeth's time. Its origin, however, is referable to the previous century: since, bringing a goose "fit for the lord's dinner," on this day appears to have been customary even in the time of Edward IV.; and, that it was common before the Armada victory, is shown the following passage in Gascoigne, who died in 1577, or eleven years before the above event:—
"And when the tenauntes come to pay their quarter's rent, They bring some fowle at Midsummer, a dish of fish at Lent; At Christmasse a capon, at Michaelmas a goose, And somewhat else at New Yere's-tide, for feare their leave flies loose."
The reason given by Blount, in his Tenures, is considered far from satisfactory. Beckwith, his editor, says, "Probably no other reason can be given for this custom, but that Michaelmas Day was a great festival, and geese at that time were most plentiful." The origin of the saying that "if you eat goose on Michaelmas Day, you will never want money all the year round," is explained, in the British Apollo, as follows:—
The custom came up from the tenants presenting Their landlords with geese to incline their relenting On following payments.
Again:—
For doubtless 'twas at first design'd To make the people seasons mind, That so they might apply their care To all those things which needful were; And by a good industrious hand, Know when and how t' improve their land.
Ellis, in his notes to Brand, says, "the practice of eating goose on Michaelmas Day does not appear to prevail in any part of France. Upon St. Martin's Day, they eat turkey at Paris. They likewise eat geese upon St. Martin's Day, Twelfth Day, and Shrove Tuesday, at Paris." In Denmark, where the harvest is later than here, every family has a roasted goose for supper on St. Martin's Eve. PHILO.
The reason why Pennsylvania was settled.
"Penn refused to pull his hat off Before the king, and therefore set off, Another country to light pat on, Where he might worship with his hat on." H.H.
"Mollissima tempora fandi."
A translation of the above is requested, in one line, which shall rhyme with the original. H.H.
Motto for a Cigar Smoker.
"Non fumum ex fulgore, sed ex fumo dare lucem cogita." H.H.
St. Cross, Winchester, received some weeks since, shall appear next week.
THE LATE SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART.
No. 203, price Twopence, of
THE MIRROR,
Contains a STEEL-PLATE PORTRAIT and MEMOIR
of the late
SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART.
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