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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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LOYE HER STILL . Love her still ! She hath fallen very low—Thou "who knew ' st her long ago , Little , little canst thon see Of her girlhood ' s parity ; But , though sin hath left its trace On her once sweet happy face , And that innocent maiden brow Droopeth in dark shadow now—Though life ' s glory all hath fled , And life ' s sbame in tier ' s instead . Lore her still !
love her ! let no harsh cold word , Man , from lips of thine be heard ; "Woman , with no lifted eye Mock thou her deep agouy ; Weep ye , —tears , give tears alone To our world-forsaken one-Love her still ! Love her—let her feel your love ; Summer showers that fall above Fainting blossoms , leave with them Freshened leaf and straightened stem Sunshine oft doth give again Bloom the biiter storm hath ta'en ; And this human love of onrs , To the world ' s poor faded flowers , May be fonnd as dear a boon As God ' s blessed rain and sun To restore their native hue , And their native fragrance too ;— - Love her still !
Gather round her , weep and pray—Clasp her , lead her from the way She doth fouraey—tenderly Prom the wrong and misery , To the better paths , where peace "Waiteth her , with sweet release From life ' t Seart-ache;—so , once more In her breast the hope of yore May be lit , that holy hope , That with earthly loss dotlicope , Earthly sin and earthly shame , Till all earth is hut a name , And the rescued soul is given , "With its treasure , tmto heaven ' Oh , Rethink ve of the bliss That will fill your hearts for this , Lovir . g friends , what time ye see Shadow after shadow flee
Prom her pa'e sad face ;—what time , Soaring in a thought sublime , Te shall hiow , the while ye pray , To his anads God doth tav , " ' Love her still 1 " T . WESTffOOB
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The Girlhood of Shaispeare ' s Heroines . Tale 1 . Portia , the Heiress of Belmont . By Makt Cowdex Clarke . Novello , Deanstreet , Soho . Who that knows anything of Shakspeare does not know that there is in Mm a rich mine of intellectual wealth—bnt half worked ont and promising inexhaustible mental riches to those "who explore it . Minute as lie
sometimes is , " wl » en it suits his purposes , unweariedl } as he piles trait upon trait to complete a character , yet he is so rich in the materials of thought , as well as in thought itself , that his slightest hints may often well serve for the basis of a new creation . The gems of mind Are eo plentiful with him that lie throws them about with a wild , reckless profusion , and once dropped , others came so readily to his land that he can afford to let the rich
droppings remain untouched for those who choose to stoop to pick them up . Like a spendthrift , but a spendthrift with au inexhaustible treasure at his disposal , he is careless and wanton in Ids prodigality . Sometimes , too , he seems as though he indulged in ¦ whims and fancies as quaint and curious as the conceits of his own " Midsummer ^ Night ' s Dream ; " for , while occasionally he is
like the lapidary , who thinks only the magniacient stones -worthy of his trouble , and throws aside the tiny brilliants , to be cut and polished by humbler hands , at other times ho disregards the magnates of the mines , and bestows all his cares upon some poor chrystal , till , bj the glow and fashion he imparts to it , and the quaint richness of its setting , it becomes more attractive and valual If than the
richest and most gigantic jewel . It must , to some extent , he a characteristic of all dramatists , but , more especially , of one of such everflowing power SBI fertility as Shakespeare—that they must ?« W- ' behind them much of unfinished material . They are necessarily limited , by the reqiirfinents of Btage-action , to a few incidents and a comparatively short space of time . If they wish years to " elapse between the commencement and the completion of a plot , they must suffer a long interregnum to take place , the results of -which are indicated rather than detailed
in a few -cords of dialocue . They are compelled to leave much to the imagination of the spectators . The privileges which the novelist or the roniancist has , of carefully elaborating a story , they are debarred from—they are compelled to pile incident upon incident , affect upon effect , and to keep up a continuous cnain of action . Developed thought , shown forth in all the stages of its gevelopement , is a machinery they are unable to use ; they must often he fragmentary , and now and then obscure , for want of opportunity for clearness and precision . Thelowest attention to
dramatic unities leaves but scant mental elbow room for the free display of power . Hints upon which chapters might be written , suggestions shadowing forth , whole romances , inuendoes containing the rudiments of a series of stratagems , are used , thrown down , and left behind almost before we have time to ascertain their latent value . The story must go on . Tears have to be condensed intotwoshort hours of mimic reality , and there is no time for moralising on speculation . Indeed moralising and speculation would too often upon the stage be sadly ont of place . The desire of the spectator for effect , action , excitement , is irrepressible , and passages which we should bend over with delight in the closet would
fall comparatively dull and prosy in the theatre . Hence it « that the most beantifolly developed and thoughtful dramas are too often—too generally indeed—unfit for acting . A real stirring drama often calls up to our mind a crowded picture gallery , through which we are hurried with just time to note the character of each varying face , and to receive an impression , but without time for analysis , or comprehension in detail . -Kere we stand before a stern warrior , whose strong lines speak of courage ana firmness , and Tvhose reddening scars tell of many a " f ™*™** field . " How did that man live ? How did hedie ? What breeding did he have . < What enemies did he overthrow ? What friends
did he support ? Tbe questions rise , but pass away unanswered , for the Cicerone bids us to pass on . Here again is another face with a history worth perusing . High thoug ht sits npon the bro w , deep beueveleuce beams from the eves , calm meditation hovers on the halfopened lips- Surely that was a philosopher and a p hilanthropist , as good as he was wise , bnt we know him better . But •* move onward" resounds again , and we press forward . Once more another figure arrests us . What
a tale of war it spealcs-what misery p <* r 8 from under its cavernous brows—what deep hollows suffering has dug in the wasted cheeks and thin temples—like pits where happiness lies buried—what rigid despair there js m those closely compressed lips—what loregrae history belongs to that picture of pain i \\ e have bat time to ask before we are spun pushed forward , and so on to the end of the chapter Old Time move 3 iast enough with « H of us . bringing a termination to our mortal
tales bnt with the dramatist he flies , it is for the novelist alone to work out the details of life—to show event hanging upon event , till fhe great chain of life is complete . ^ We cap almost imagine that some snch thoughts " as these occurred to Mm . Clarke befo re she solved to give to the world { he girlhood of Shakespeare ' s heroines . YY ho that
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loves Shakespeare , and hangs delighted over his splendid creations , does not -wish to know more of them , to understand wh y they are what they are , how they became bo , and to understand the phases through which they passed ; the course of Me in which thsy were trained before they shone out upon the pages of these gorgeous dramas ; to know what manner of children they were , who afterwards grew up into Buch entrancing maturity . lores Shalcespeare . and hangs Hoii ^ toH »™ ,
The dramatist could not tell us this , he had no arena in which to do it ; but it befits one who knows his spirit well , and , above all , who loves him , to depict that which , perforce , was left untouched ; aud who , is Shakespeare ' s case , go fitted for the task ub Mrs . Clarke , whose intellect and devotion are so well proved by these Shakesperian works , which will carry down her name to posterity , linked with that of the greatest of the poet teachers of humanity ?
So -we have here , in a modest unpretending little pamphlet , the first of the series of Shakespeare ' s heroines in their girlhood in Portia , the heiress of Belmont . We all know the Merchant of Venice , and it needs not here to tell of that Portia , who , when her lover ' s friend was in danger of a cruel death , seems to set aside the shrinking delicacy of the woman ' s character , by assuming the character and the dress of an advocate , but who , in that trial scene , makes her woman ' s nature radiant as an angel ' s , by mingling into one Justice , with its stern behests ; Mercy , with
ita tender gentleness , and Charity with its loving forbearance . How was that woman trained ? What were the circumstances which made her what she was ? These are the questions which Mrs . Clarke has set herself to answer , and well is the reply given , and in a truly Shakesperian spirit . The obvious requisites for drawing the youthful character of Portia , for bringing forth what is a new and a beautiful creation , are that each event of her foregone life , each link in the chain of her destiny , should be accessory to the known developement , should bend towards the formation of the character
revealed by the great dramatist , and strictly is this essential complied with . The mother of Portia is pictured as the Bister of the learned advocate Bellario , then a poor student , cheering him on his studies , and making his poor home beautiful by her sympathy , her devotion , and her wisdom . Her father , the Count Guido , becomes enraptured with the beauty of body and mind of the poor stu ^ dent ' s sister , and disregarding the conventional attributes of rank , makes her his wife . The birth of the younger Portia is the death throe of her mother ; so life and death walk hand-in-hand amid the
mysterious decrees of fate . The Count Guido , in the madness of despair , leaves his home and danghter to become a pilgrim in strange lands ; and Bellario , now a doctor of eminence , becomes her guardian . Dame Ursula , the strict old duenna , as ri g id in her freezing propr iety as a marble statue , has her share in moulding the character of the youthful Portia ; but the dame's asperity is tamed down by the love of the old bachelor uncle , who finds his youth renewed by the feelings which warm his heart to the tiny image of his dead sister . It is beautiful to read how he lures the
child on to love him—how he watches every budding of her infant mind—how he delights in every developement of the immature beauty of her form—how he tempts , not drives , her on to love learning—and thus fits her to become , as Sirs . Clarke says , *• the fairest lawyer on record . " And then there comes the natural thoughtful fear of the good Bellario , that the young Portia may grow too dull and serious in such company as his ; and to still this apprehension there comes Nerissa , the
future pert but affectionate maid , an orphan niece of Dame Ursula ' s , who 3 e ready merry laughter dispels all thoughts of gravity too profund and melancholy too deep , in the young heiress . In good times , when Portia ha-s grown to be woman , her truant father , too , comes back , and finds in the recovered daughter a solace for the lost wife ; and lovers appear on the stage , and among them , but apparently , as yet , undistingnished , the youthful Bassanio—the scholar and true gentleman—her future husband . And then the
Count , prompted by a fanny that chance combined with judgment are the true rulers of life , caused to be made the three caskets of gold , silver , and lead with their mystic inscriptions , and to connect with them Portia ' s future fate . Shortly after this , death seizes the Count , and Portia is again left to the guardianship of her uncle ; and when the time of mourning expires is again snrrounded by suitors ; and on a certain day there came to Belmont , attracted by the beautiful and rich heiress , " a Neapolitan Prince , a County Palatine , a French Lord , an English Baron , a Scotch Earl , and a German Duke ' s nephew ; " and Portia , sitting in her fovouriteroom , sayspoutingl y to-Nerissa , "By my troth , Nerissa , my little body is a weary of this great world . "
What Jferissa answered , we all know orought to know—her words are to to be found in the second scene of a certain play ; where ' my master desires to speak with you . ' We hope we have said sufficient to indicate our high appreciation of the beauty of Mrs . Clarke ' s idea , as well of the truthfulness of its execution , and to tempt our readers to make themselves as well acquainted with the girlhood of Shakespeare ' s heroines as we trust they are with the heroines themselves . We have but little space left for extract , but we take the following as a bait , that the mothers of England may learn from Mrs . Clarke how much higher is the education of
love than that of fear . One morning , after breakfast , there happened to he fewer law papers than usual to examine , and Beilario told his little Portia that if she would be quiet for an hour , he would then be' ready to take her out for a long , long ride ; and he asked Madame Ursula to he so good as to let them have a little basket with something nice to eat while they were out , in case they were away some hours . The t ' ame made a curtsey of acquiescence ; then turning to the child . ^ she added : — "Now , Contessina-come with me . " TBl little oirl arose , and followed her half way towards the door , then stopped .
Madame Ursula looked back , and seeing the fixed attitude in which the child stood , in the middle . of the room , frowned Leavily , saying : —" Did you hear me ? Cornel" * Bellario quietly watched this scene though his head was bent over his papers ; and he observed an obstinate inflexibility take possession of the little girl ' s face and figure , as she replied : — " Not unless you promise that I shall eome back in time for the " I shall promise nothing . Come this instant I " said Madame Ursula ; then glancing at Bellario , fin-1 seeing as s&e thought , that he was absorl . ed in his occupation , she added , in a stern low tone : — " Remember 1 " ¦ . _ , , . _ moved for
Portia ' s fcce flashed scarlet , flftd she - tt ^ vxKsss&xsi i sfeffS ! SSfisr « . «*« - ? 7-i « v 3 r ^ SW " - ;~ Ursula . " 1 irsist upon your coming to youi tasks , " •' BuS ^' achit-rm brim of Belmont-Lisettatold me so ; and she said I need ? , t lciin my letters if I didn't like—and I don t JiKc . uoswles , I want to ride with cugino mio ; and 1 won t say my letters till you promise I shall have done »> tin e to conse back for mv ride . Nasty letters . i hale them . " And the child uttered the last words with flashing eyes and an insolent lip . .
, ,, Madame T 3 ysu \ a stalked back , and seized tho httlo rebel whom her own injudicious unrelen'ing had crcattd . As she clutched Portia ' s wrist , the child uttered a piercing scream ; but the next instant sup seemed to i « memW her promise not to disturb Bellario , for she looked towards him hastilv , and then , checking herself , writhed and struggled mutely in the housekeeper ' s grasp . " Bellario now thought it time to interfere . " Madame UrBula , " said he , " why do you wish the Con-
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——¦ -, ' | ^——*—tessina Portia to go with you ? May Bho not stay here , as usual ? " ' J « , " ! need hardly tell il signor Dottore , " replied the dame "that it would be disgraceful for a young lady ot the Gontessma ' s distinguished station to be brought up in ignorance . I have therefore thought ltmy duty to teach her letters , that she may one day know how to read . I presume so illustrious and learned a gentleman as yourself knows the importance of early tuition ? " " But did-I not hearsomething about 'beating , ' T l . ¦ . Snrely that is not part of your system ?" said Bellario . " Oh , a birch-rod , merely hungup in my room by way of a threat , signor . We all know that a threat is sometimes as effectual as a punishment , " replied k' ! an <* tueContessina ' s pride makes her dread the shame of a whipping , as much as the rod itself . tn .. in , p .. . ^ „ -, x ,. ' „„¦ ....
Do you know , I am not a great advocate for either shame , or the rod , Madame , in teaching . " Bellario saw the scarlet mount to the child ' s brow asam , at the mention ofthe birch-rod ; but he saw also a look of triumph , as if she understood that Madame was being rebuked instead of herself . He was vexed at being thus compelled to . discuss the matter in her presence at all , but as it was hardly to be avoided after what had passed , he added : — " Ifjou please , we will , for the present , allow this little lady to go on in her ignorance . She will one day find what a pleasure it is to read , and will wish to learn , and bo grateful to those who will take the trouble to teach her . Allow me to thank you for that which vou have already taken , Madame Ursula ; although I request you will indulge me by letting the lessons cease , until Portia is wise enough to wish for them uerteif . "
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Ancient Egypt under the Pharaohs . By John Kenriqk , M . A , TwoYols , London-Fel « lowes , Ludgate-hill . It is a peculiarity of tho . Egyptian and Tuscan people , that while we know little of their public history , we know a great deal of their private life , and of their manners and customs both private and public . It is questionable , indeed , whether a fuller idea hae been gained of the habits ofthe Greeks and Romans , with all the
literary pictures and works of art they have left us , than has been obtained by a half century ' s examination of the paintings and tombs of the Egyptians . It is , therefore , with judgment that Mr . Kenrick devotes the earlier and larger portion of hia work to a general description of the arts , manners , and amusements of Egypt under the Pharaohs—in short , of all those things which go to make up the life and business of a people .
He opens his book with a description ofthe river and valley of the Nile , and of its monuments ; inferring from the remains and the nature of the case , that civilisation ascended from Lower Egypt , and did not descend from Ethiopia . He next considers the characteristics and language of the people ; aud describes the two great wonders ofthe world , the Pyramids and Thebes . Having finished the natural features ofthe country , its existing remains , and the ethnography ofthe people , Mr . Kenrick proceeds to what may bo termed in a large sense the social condition ofthe ancient Egyptians . The amount of the population , ita
industrial arts in agriculture , horticulture , hunting , fishing , navigation , commerce , and mechanical trades , are investigated , as well as the military equipments and modes of warfare , domestic life and manners , dress and amusements . Fine arts , letters , and practical science , ( for Mr . Kenrick denies the Egyptian science in the proper sense of the term ) , are next considered under the heads of architecture , sculpture , painting , music , the various modes of writing , with geometry , astronomy , gstrology , arithmetic , medicine , and mechanics . The religion ofthe Egyptians is then elaborately examined ; and the survey closes with an account of their constitution and laws .
The whole of these topics are , to a great extent , independent of each other , and form , in fact , a series of essays or papers , in which the author brings together the pith of extensive reading and inquiry , classical and modern . As furnishing a complete coup d ' ceil of the subject of ancient Egypt and its people , ~ the work supplies a want ; and , combining critical acumen with historical elevation , it suppliea it well . At the same time , it involves more of compilation from well-known , and in some sense almost popular books , than of the original research among volumes rarely referred to , which historians are usually called upon to rnake . -
Tho history proper- of Egypt—the chronology of kings and an account of their public acts—is prefaced by a review of the ancient classical authorities , both Greek and Egyptian ; in which the author gives a critical estimate of their value , and compares them with the results of the information furnished by the monuments ; Mr . Kenrick assigning a high place to the fragments of Manetho , even , as they have come to us , at second or third hand , Hh then proceeds to use the whole of these authorities , in conjunction with the results of modern interpretation , to present a consecutive view of Egyptian history , from its doubtful
and uncertain glimmerings under the first dynasty , till the Persian invasion by Canibyses during the twenty-sixth , and then , with fuller lights , till the final conquest of Egypt by Alexander , after the Persian had a second time been victorious , over the thirtieth and last dynasty . In this , as in the former part of his work , the author displays a wide and sound acquaintance with his subject , a critical judgment , an < l the power of exciting interest by vivifying the past in general description . The reader , however , who looks to have a distinct idea of the great masses of Egyptian history presented to him , will probably be disappointed .
The first thing in Egyptian story is tho evidence on which the monumental inscriptions rest . This , as is well known , originated in the discovery , by a French engineer in Buonaparte's expedition , of a tablet with an inscription in three different characters . One of these being Greek , it was soon ascertained that ihe purpose of its erection was to acknowledge , on tho part of the high priests , prophets , and other sacred functionaries assembled at Memphis , in the year 196 B . C ., at the coronation of Ptolemy Epiplianes . the servicesrendered to the sacerdotal order and to Effvot scnerallv by the vouiik king , and to
decree him certain honours . Tho Greek contninsji command that the decree should be inscribed " in the sacred letters , and letters of the country , and Greek letters ; " and it was obvious from the inspection of the characters that the first are what we c ; . ll hieroglyphic , and the second what Herodotus arid Diodorus call demotic or demodic , and Clemens cpistolojrraphic . It was natural to conclude that each of the inscriptions was substantially the same ; and as the numerals for first , second , and third were found in the same relative position at the em ! of the hieroglyphic and demotic as the corresponding words in the Greek , it became probable that there was even a literal agreement .
The antiquity , the magnitude , and till withio these few years the mysterious purpose of the Pyramids , render them an object of unceasing interest , when the writer is at all equal to his theme . In the present case , thsy will furuish more conveniently than anything else an example of Mr Kenrick ' s power of dialing with the loftier topics that are continually turning up in treating of ancient Egypt . The Pyramids of Gizeh aro nboui five miles distant from the bank of the Nile . As the traveller approaches them first across the plain and then the sandy valley to which the inundation does not extend , he is usually disappointed by their appearance , which falls shoit of the conception which their
tamo had raised . Their height and breadth are lessened by the hills of sand and heaps of rubbish which have accumulated around them . The simplicity and geometrical regularity of their outline is uiifiivouiviblc to their apparent magnitude ; there is nothing near them by which they can be measured ; . ' . mi it is not till , standing . it their base , ho looks up to their summit , and compares their propoi tions with his own or those ofthe human figures around them , that this first error of his judgment is corrf-ctol And when Ue logins to inquire into thenhistory , and finds ' that 2 , 300 years ago their first ilescriber was even more ignorant than ourselves ot the time and purpose o ( their erection , he feels how remote must he their origin , which even then was an insoluble problem . * *
, . , No reasonable doubt can any longer exist respectinc the destination of these groups of pyramids . Not only is it evident that they 1 ave been places of intcracnt . the only rational purpose that vas ever
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beenfnirf il , ' wl «* e : any inscriptions have Em tn tl thelconeurwitl 1 tradition In showing < S ? nL * V 6 ^ en the sepulchres of kings . Vmties of E ^ vnff'K ' 0118 - el <»* to the earliest dynasnrfo 2 S ? tt ? the -tanS 11 whom Manetho places hSdRs ^ W 131 ? 11 Of the Shepherds , and of whom , SdSrKM ;? ¥ * > five dynastlea are 2 ES . S-S Memphite . Around the larger S 2 t chi ; f ' ' edilie bodielof the lungs t lW smaller pyramids ,. in which queens Son P 0 Slte 1 « ad- . ttao chief officers of state and £ S J ?? - buried in excavations , near the re-SKnfi * r masters > Th «« nimal 3 * hom the ; ' „ j lu most re ? erenced had-also a place assigned them near tho highest : per 9 onages of the L . nd as we find that at the Labyrinth the bodies of the Kings and the sacred crocodiles rested together in the subterraneous chambers . _
Tho-Sphinx " restored , " as an architect would say , will give an idea of the author ' s descriptive power in matters of arti The Sphinx is , next to tho Pyramids , the most remarkable object which the hill of Gizeh exhibits . It is near the eastern edge of the platform on which they stand , and its head h turned towards tho river . It is nearly in _ a line with the southern side of tho second pyramid , but on somewhat lower ground , and has been excavated . out of one of tho faces of the Libyan chain . Its elevation of forty feet above the present level of the soil serves as a " measure of the extent of rock which has been cut away to build the . pyramids . Neither Herodotus , nor Diodorus , nor any ancient author before the Eoman age ,
mentions it ; and as it is now known from its inscription to bo at least as old as tho reign of Tbothmes IV ., we learn the hazard of relying on negative arguments merely in proof of the non-oxistence of monuments of antiquity . In its present state , with only the head and shoulders visible abovo tho sand , which ia accumulated by the western winds in the hollow space around it , the original form and dimensions of the Sphinx cannot be recognised . But a few years ago , by the exertions of Caviglia , tho Band was celared away , and- some important discoveries made . Approaching from the Kile when all was uncovered , a sloping descent cut in tho rock for 135 feet ended in a flight of thirteen steps and it level
platform , from which another flight of thirty steps descended to the space betwixt the Sphinx's feet . This gradual approach , during which tbe Sgure of the Sphinx was kept constantly iu tho spectator ' s view , rising above him as he descended , was well , adapted to heighten the impression made by . its colossal size , its posture of repose , and calm majestic expression of countenance . Tho height from the platform between the protruded paws and tho top of tho head is sixty-two feet ; the paws extend fifty feet , and the body is 140 feet long , being excavated from tho rock , excepting a portion ofthe back and tho fore-paws , which have been cased with hewn stone . The countenance is now so much mutilated that the outline of the features can with difficulty be
traced ; but there is no reason to believe that they exhibited more ofthe Negro conformation than belongs to the Egyptian physiognomy generally . The head has been covered with a cap , the lower part of which remains ; and which probably terminated when entire in an erect urreus , such as is seen in the figure of the Sphinx on the tablet which represents the offerings of Thothmes and Rameses . It had originally a board , fragments of which were tound below . Tho space between the protruded paws appears to have served as a temple , in which , at least in later times , sacrifices were performed to the mysterious deity . Immediately undoi 1 the breast stood a granite tablet , and another of limestone on either side resting against the pa \? E .
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The History of Winchelsea , one of the Ancient Towns added to the Cinque Ports . By 'W D . Cooper , F . S . A , London ;¦ ¦ Smith , Among the most interesting of our ancient towns , whether their mercantile or their political importance he considered , are the Cinque Forts . Although not originally one of the " Cinque Ports "—for the five maritime towns on which Edward the Confessorconftived those especial privileges were , Sandwicl- , Dover , Hythe , Romney , and Hastings- — Winchelsea at as early a period was distinguished as a seaport ; and about the middle of the following century , that , together with Rye , was admitted to the same high station , and dignified with the same title : —the Cinque Ports , from thenceforth being actually seven .
Although not mentioned iu ) the Saxon Chronicle , nor b y name in Doomsday , Winchelsea was certainly a town in Saxou times ; King Edgar having had a mint there , audit having been granted by the Confessor , together with the adjacent town of Rye , to the abbot and monks of Feschamp , In Doomsday , this town is mentioned as " a new burgh , " having sixtyfour burgesses . Extensive salt-works are also specified , and " a wood , yielding pannage for two hogs . " This must have been a very small portion of forest ; but the entry is curious , as supplying proof of one having existed in those
parts , aud extended even to the brink of the sea . This is supposed to have been the ferest called Dymsdale , which extended beyond Hastings ; and " near Pett , at low water , during spring tides , the remains of a wood may be seen embedded in the sand , consisting of oak , beech , and fir , the former sound and nearly black ; and on the whoie line of this coast , wherever ditches and d ykes have been cut in the marshes , the roots and limbs of forest trees have been met with in vast numbers . " The town of Winchelsea at the time of the Conquest , and for centurieB after , was
a most convenient port for communication with France , The first Plantagenefc , on Stephen ' s death , lauded here ; and his sons always bestowed on it their especial favour . Probably it was from this circumstance of Plantagenet landing there when he came , not to contest , but to assume the crown , that Winchelsea was indebted for her admission among the Cinque Ports , and consequent participation , in their rights and privileges . In the reign of John , old Winchelsea was in the height of its prosperity . An old writer , Norden , states that it then contained seven hundred
householdersa rather large number in those early days , when none save thoso compelled by trado resided in towns , and when households were far larger than now . During the wars of John with his barons , the Cinque Ports Bided with the king . In tho struggle under Simon de Montfort , the Cinque Ports , however , took part with the barons in the cause of freedom . Meanwhile , a succession of storms , attended by heavy tides , did much injury to the old town ! and even as early a 91236 , we find that the sea was encroaching on the adjacent marshes . In October , 1250 ,
however—The moon being in prime , the sea passed her accustomed boundaries , flowing twice without obb , and . made bo horrible a noise that it was heard a » rftat way within land , not without the astonishment of the oldest nian who heard it . Besides this , at dark at night the sea . seemed to be a light-fire , and to hurni inasmuch that it was past tho mariner ' s skill to save the ships ; and to omit others , at a place called Huckeburn ( probably East or Hitherhourne ) , three noblo and famous ships were swallowed up by the vjoleut rising of the wares and were drowned ; and at TYinchehea a certain haven , eastward , besides cottages for salt , fishermen ' s huts
uridgcB , and mills , abovo 300 houses , by the violent rising of the waves , were drowned . Io is probable that at this inundation Eromhill church was lost . Matthew Pans tells us , that on the octave of the Epiphany also , in the year 1252 , during the day and night a terrible south-west wind prevailed , that it drove tho ships from their anchorage , raised the roofs of houses , many of which woro thrown down , uprooted completely tho largest trees , deprived churches ot tlieiv spires , mado the lead to move , and did other great damage by land , and especially
at the port of Winchelsea , " which is of such use to England , and above all , to the inhabitants of London , " the waves of the sea broke its banks , swelling the neighbouring rivers , knocked down tho mills and the houses , and carried away a number of drowned men . And at . the close of tho following yoi'i-tho sea again , broke its bounds , and left so much salt upon the land , that in the autumn ot 1254 'the wheat and other crops could not be gathered as usual ; and even the forest trees and hedges could not put out their lull foliage .
It does not . seem , however , that tho inhabitants suffered bo greatly as might have been supposed . They &eut forth their vessels during the subsequent year , and swept " the narrow seas , '' to tho sore dismay both of countrymen and foreigners , to whom tbe very name of " mariner o { the Cinque Ports'' was ¦ " a word of fear . " They were , indeed , ferocious pirates ; and subsequently to the battle of Evesham , Prince Edward attacked Winchelsoa , and put the chief inhabitants to the sword . This , perhaps , added to the still encroaching inundations , completed tho ruin of the old town . Soon utter Edward ' s accession , measures
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were taken for the transfer of the town to a more favourable site ; nor were they premature , for , in 1287 , the sea rose so high that the greater part of Winchelsea was submerged . The site chosen for the new town was " a hill at a place in the adjoining parish of Icklesham , then called Ham . It was principally an uneven sandstone rock , fit only for , and used as , a rabbit-warren . " It is now , however , table-land , "and seems tohavebeenmadelevel by using the surface stone for the buildings required in the new town . The -whole land ultimately assigned was 150 acres . " The
description of this new town is very interesting . It was surrounded by a stone wall on all sides except that which commanded the sea ; and along this Bide an earthen rampart was carried , with spacee between , and which doubtless were intended for the cross-bowmen in case of invasion . A castle guarded the northwest corner . There were within the Avails two " gveens "—one of twelve acres , called "the King ' s green , " and another called " Cook ' s Green . " Water was supplied from six open wells—to one of which , St . Leonard's Well , was appended the popular belief , which yet
remains , that whoever drinks its waters , never leaves the town , or else , leaving , ever longs to come back . There were two markets , several windmills , and a goodly number of churches and convents . The ground on which new Winchelsea was built was divided into thirty-nine parts ; and the exact sites of the streets and places , together with the names of the first owners , are fully set out in a return made in the 20 fch Edward I . ( 1292 ) . Mr . Cooper has given large extracts from this important roll , and the complete list of names of the first householders in the" new , " but now
ancient town . These last are curious to the Inquirers into "the history of surnames /' The English names are mostly derived from places or from trades . Nicknames , so common at the period , are not to be found in this roll—except in one instance , where two persons , probably mother and son , bear the name " Piggestayle . " One lady of the name of Lucy , is specified as being also called ' * Douce Martin "—perhaps from her kind disposition . It is ti curious feature in this roll , that in a list of above seven hundred houBeholdera between fifty and sixty should be women . If
they were all in independent circumstances , the general prosperity of that period must have been far greater than that of modern times ; but if , as seems more likely , some must have been engaged in trade , it would be a not uuinteresting task to attempt to ascertain what trades they followed . That they were women of good character is evident from their being allowed to keep house within the city ; and as they appear to have been very equally distributed throughout the various quarters , it seems to us to prove that in those early days the widows or daughters of tradesmen , where theve were no sons , earned on
the business of the husband or father . In the ancient rules of some ofthe London companies , there are very admirable provisions to this effect , which prove that the chivalrous feeling—we speak of it in its hi gher manifestation—pervaded all society , and' that women were not shut up in the convent , as their only asylum , as has generally been supposed . The names of these female burgesses afford strong proof that Winchelsea was at this period inhabited by a foreign as well as a native population , " The new town soon realised the hopes of its founders , " —and new Winchelsea , even as the old , retained its superiority among the Cinque Torts : —
When Edmund , the king ' s brother , was about to sail for Gascony , the king , on the 3 rd of September , 1294 , directed the ships of the five ports to attend him . _ A general writ was directed to the warden of the Cinque Ports : and there was a separate writ to the biiions and bailiffs of tho two most important of the ports , Winchelsoa and Sandwich . An account ot ' the Cinque Ports ' ships furnished for this , expedition is preserved among the MSS . in Ciirltou
House Rule , in a petition for payment of tho wages to the seamen for going aud roturnino , between tho 7 th of March and the 3 rd of May , viz ., sixpence a day for each master , sixpence for each constable , and threepence for every seaman . So leas than fifty ships were furnished ; or' which Winchelsea supplied thirteen , Sandwich twelve , Dover seven , Rye seven , Romney five , Hythe three , and Hastings taree .
The names , of these Winchelsea vessels , with thoso of their masters and constables , are given , —as also some others . In most cases the names of saints appesr to have been assigned to Vessels , —probably by way of placing them under their especial protection ; when thia is not tbe case , such names as tho Falcon , La Blithe , and LaLightfote wore given . Winchelsea during tho reign of Edward the Third stood prominent in naval conflicts , both with the French and with Spanish fleets . It was off Winchelsea that the celebrated
engagement with the Spaniards iu August , 1350—when Edward , assisted by the Black Prince , gained so complete a victory—took place . ter Winchelsea subsequently suffered severely from the attacks of the French ^—and towards the close of this century its importance seems to have declined . It now became a favourite port for pilgrims bound to the shrine of St . James of Compostella . The numbers that went may be imagined from the single entry of a licence in 1456 to Simon Famcombe to carry fourscore pilgrims to St . James ' s , in
the good ship La Helene , of Winchelsea . In the same year ships bound to tbe same destination went also from Portsmouth , Weymouth , Plymonth , and Bristol . The day of new Winchelsea ' s prosperity was , however , now rapidly passing away , —even as that of the old ; but , singularly enough , from a directly opposite cause . Tho ancient town was submerged ; but ironVthe new town the sea gradually receded , until at length it was left "high and dry , " —the sand in time becoming marsh land , until in 1575 Lambard declared
that " there were not above sixty households standing , and these for tho most part poorly peopled , all which happened b y reason of the sea having forsaken the town . " Since this time the sea has receded nearl y another mile , and it is now a mile and a quarter from Winchelsea . —At tho last census the number of inhabitants was 687 , with only 127 inhabited houses . There is something melanchol y in this story of an ancient and important town sinking twice into ruin in tho midst of tho growing prosperity of the country to which it belongs ,
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Zenobia ; or the ] Fall of Palmyra , Parlour Library . London : Simms and M'Intyre . This is a standard aud highly-esteemed work . It brings vividly before the reader a by-gone stage of civilisation . Prio , the imagined author of the letters , is described as a noble Roman who visited Palmyra at the close of tbo third century—to have become acquainted with Tenobia and her court when at the height of her magnificence and power—to have seen the city in all its glory—and lastly , to have witnessed its destruction by Aurelian in the year 273 . The work is . agreeably written ,, aud shows an intimate knowledge of classic history , ae well as great powers of description ; and we recommend it as a capital fireside book . for the winter evenings .
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If , a man could have half hia tvishea lie would double his troubles .
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cokfe ? TOKG --SittiD S D P ° rock sipiiDlg ^ thp ' hoSTLiSlfft had b ? en Put t 0 the " rae ^' W # i tyorse said after standing all night at an empty-SS jpi ^ t ^ &Sr ' A TOADBBMAKin Bedford , having bought a large quantity of foreign lard , has discovered that it is extensively adulterated with rice . Destiny . —The scapegoat which wo make responsible for all our crimes and follies ; a necessity which we Bet down for invincible , when we have no wish to strive against it .
A Hit . — ' You have stolen my soul , divine one ! ' exclaimed Mr . Sickly to Miss Sensible . " . Pardon me , " responded the lady , " I am not in Ike Lahit of picking up little things . In London there are 3 , 000 omnibuses , each running a distance of sixty miles , snd carrying 300 paesengers per day , or altogether 300 , 000 , 000 in the year . Rather too Hard . —The editor of a down-east paper , a bachelor , suys , "the reason why the women do not cut themselves in two by tight lacing is , hecause they lace around the heart , and that is so hard they cannot affect it . " Never thim the hair from the ear of yonr horse . It is placed there by nature to protect the orifice :: nd drum of the ears from insects , dirt , and sudden change of weather .
Good from Evil . —An artilleryman was obliged to undergo amputation . Seeing the attendants carrying off his leg , he called out— " I say , comrade , give mo back my shoe ; 1 had only one pair—that will now make t * e two . " A Man in Michigan , not long since , committed suicide by drowning . As the body could not be found , the coroner held an inquest on bis hat and jacket , found on the bank of tho lake , Verdict" Found empty . " California . —An Irishman writing from California , says : — " It ' s an illegant counthry . The bed bugs are as big as dinner pots , while the fleas are used for crossing creeks with—one hop , an' they are over with two on their backs . ' '
More Zeal -withoutDiscretion . —Wehavelately heard of a Protestant with rather more sincerity than judgment , who has just discharged an old and faithful servant because the poor fellow happens to have a Roman nose !—Punch A Roland tor an OLiTEB . ~ "When are you going to commence the pork busiaees ? " asked a person of another , who had a sty in the eye ;—• " Explain , " said the afflicted one . — " Why , I see you have your sty ready . "— " True , " was the reply , '' I have got a hog in my eye now . " USEFUL Recipes . —A foreign paper gives the following as sovereign remedies for afflicting diseases : — "For the gout , toast and water ; hooping cough , ipecacuanha ; bile , exercise ; corns , _ easy shoes ; blue devils , employment ; rheumatism , patience and new flannel ; toothache , pluck it out ; debt , retrenchment ; lovei matrimony .
Porpoise Leather and Oil ; — The leather tanned from the skiu of the white porpoise , specimens of which were exhibited at the Quebec mechanical fair , attracted general attention . 'Ihe strength and the beautiful fini-h of the leather were much , admired ; it is equal in the latter respect to the finest calf-skin , and in the former quality is much superior . —Quebec Gazette . Religious Warmth . —An advertisement in the Kmss announces a plan for Heating churches by means of hot water . We wonder if the patentee haB any testimonial to show from Mr . Bcnneitj or or any other ofthe Puseyite priests who have introduced into the Church more hot water than has been known there for the- last hundred years . — Punch .
Get Knowledge . — " In one of my visits , very early in life , to that venerable master , Dr . Pepusch , " says Dr . Burney , "he gave me a short lesson , thafe made so deep an impression that I long endeavoured to practice it . ' When I was a young man , ' said he , ' I determined never to go to bed at night till I knew something that I did not know in the morning . '" Dividing the Spoils—The following , though old , will be interesting to those who are fond of sausages : —A lady having purchased some sausages of a couple of boys , overheard them talking about the money . — " Give me half of it , " says one . "I won't , " said the other . — "Now that ain ' t fair , you know 'taint , Jo . for half tbe pup was mine . "
Lord Byrox . —One morning a parts came into the public rooms , at Buxton , somewhat later than visual , and requested some tongna . They were told that Lord Byron had eaten it all . "I am very angry with his lordship , " said a lady , loud enough for him to'he ^ r the observation . " I am sorry for it madam , " retorted Lord Byron ; " but before I ate the tongue f was assured you did not want it . " Curious Ordeai / in India . —There is a curious ordeal in India , which shows the action of fear upon the salivary gliuids . If a wrong is committed , the suspected persons are got together , ami each is required to keep a quantity of rice in his mouth for a certain time , and then put it out ajain ; and with the greatest certainty , the man who has dona the deed puts it out almost dry , in consequence ofthe fear of his mind keeping back the Sciiiva . .
Di'mestick Reseat . —Ta Cure Tongue ? . —Tack yer tongue , if it be a longan , an keep it nicely within yer teeth for two full calender munths . After that tack it to where thesze a tea drinking , an , if yo find , when ' yo want ta uze it , at its not shorter with pickje , go home direcktly , and tack it between yer teeth ) ( nah mindi this iz varry iniportantl—thafc bein done , let sumady fetch yo a good saand rap ovver ' t top at head we a rowlin pin . an if't tongue end bleeds , or flics off , its a sign its cured . —Pogmoor Olwcnacl ;
Bookbinding . —Messrs . Leighton and Son , Shoo Lane , London , have invented a waterproof cloth , for covering boobs , that is not affected by damp or wet , and from which even spots of ink may be wiped off . It is not so liable to fade as ordinary cloth , but preserves its freshness and beauty for a much longer period . Mr . Starr , of the American Bible Society , New York , has invented fcivo Machines , one for backing-books , and the other for finishing them . " Both machines perform well , and execute good work ; they will be exhibited at the World ' s Fair , next year , in London .
A Wise Choice . —A lady wrr . te to her son recently , requesting him to look out for a young lady , respectably connected , possessed of various elegant accomplishments and acquirements , skilled in the languages , a proficient in music , and above all of an unexceptionable moral character ; and to make her an offer of £ 20 a year for her services as governess . The son wrote in reply as follows : —'' My dear Mother , —I have long been looking out for such a person as you describe ; and when I have had the good fortune to meet with her , I propose to make an offer , not of £ 20 a year , but of ray hand , and to ask her to become , not your governess , but my wife . " Hb that does good to another man , does good alfo to himself ; not only in the consequence , but even in , the very act of doing it ; for the conscience of welldoing is an ample reward . —Seneca .
A Miserable old lady , during the war , kept an inn . One day a famished soldier called on her for something to ear . Some bones , that had been pretty well picked , were placed before him . After finishing bis dinner , a little son ofthe landlady , noticing that the soldier found it very difficult to make out much of a dinner , put some money iu his hand as he stepped out of the door . When his mother came in , he asked her how much it was worth to pick those old bones . "A shilling , my dear , " said the old lady , expecting to receive the money . "I thought so , " replied the boy , " and I gave the old soldier a shilling for doing so . "
The New Eaglander gives a rhapsody proceeding from a western editor , on the birth of his first child : — " I am this day multiplied by two—I am a duplicate—I am number one of an indefinite series , aud there is my continuation ! And , you observe , it is not a block , nor a block-head , nor a painting , nor a bust , nor a fragment of anything , however beautiful , but a combination of the arts and sciences in onepainting , sculpture , music ( hear him cry !) , mineralogy , chemistry , mechanics ( see him kick !) , geography and tho use of the globes ( see him nurse !) . And withal , he is a perpetual motion—a timepiece that will never run down ! And who wound him up ?" ECCLESIASTICAL STATISTICS . In England there is , in connexion with tue Establishment , one clergyman for every 333 adherents , at an income of £ 431 each , on an average } or £ 1 , 206 , 000 per milion adherents .
In Ireland , the Church of England has a clergyman for every 235 adherents , maintained at an nverage income of £ 850 , or at the rate of £ 3 , 250 , 000 for every million of her adherents . The Churcii of England maintains one prelate for every 23 , 000 of its adherents ; and in Ireland there is a prelate for every 2 S , 000 adherents . Is Catholic France there is one clergyman for every 1500 of ihe population ; there salary from the State being from £ H per annum for the lowest Cures , to £ 500 each for the highest class of Bishops , the average yielding £ 56 15 s . each . • nrn ,. In Italy , there is one clergyman for every 9 S 0 ot incomemctans
the population , and there average , that of the dignitaries , being £ 55 each , oi- £ 40 , 000 per million of adherents . , . ' , According to" » general estimate given by the Popular Encyclopedia , there are , 111 the enure cSinwMld ; 124 . 072 , 000 of Catholics , whose clSvreceS 100 . 000 per annumn j 54 . 00 tt . 0 W ) of ProtesUnts . whose clerical revenues are £ 11 , 900 , 000 ; nnd 41 500 , 000 members ofthe Greek Church , whose priests ' reeeiva £ 7 tt . 000 . Ofthe allowance to ' tho - P rotestant clergy , the Church of England pays £ 7 , 300 , 000 , baipg . more by a million , than tlie I ' ope . ; and all the priests under him derive , ntdnearly two'thirds of the entire sum paid by al ! the Protestant m rid besides , - ' ' ^ rfifl
£Ttthexd8.
£ tttHeXD 8 .
^Octrp. 39octr».
^ octrp . 39 OCtr » .
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An Appeal to the Memlers of the SloJccsley Mechanic Institute , by their late Secretary , and now esspeUed Mmb ' ert George Twedell . Richardson , Middlesboro ' .. It appears that Mr . Twedell waa too blunt in his speech for the delicate respectability of the Oommjttee of the Stokosley Institute , and was therefore expelled . He appeals against this decision ia a very vigorous manner ; and it appears to us , that the Institute will lose more by the transaction than Mr . Twedell .
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Dec ™ ' 185 ° - THE NORTHERN STAR .. .. - — . .. . ~ ,. ' ¦¦¦ »¦"¦¦'¦ ¦— — ¦ * V . —^
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 14, 1850, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1604/page/3/
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