[For the Year Book.] Few Londoners have not, at some time or other "been to Margate," yet, I think I may venture to assert, there are few of its visitors who have visited the pretty village of Birchington, although it is situated at a very short distance from that town. The general gaiety and amusements of Margate usually keep the cockney within its precincts. He has left London, and is at a "watering place," and that is enough for him, who when at home scarce dreams of venturing forth from the city's precincts, beyond the extent a shilling fare by the stage will carry him. "Suburban villas, highway side retreats, hat dread th'incroachment of our growing ets, Tight boxes, neatly sash'd, and in a blaze About four miles west of Margate, on the coast, is situated the little village of Birchington, remarkable, like most other places in the isle of Thanet, for its antiquity. It is within the jurisdiction of the Cinque ports, and is an adjunct to the town and port of Dover. The parish is bounded by high cliffs of chalk, in which are several large apertures, forming convenient passages to the sea side. They are generally presumed to have been worked for the purpose of smuggling, much of which "fair trade" has been from time immemorial carried on in that neighbourhood. The village is on an eminence, and in the midst stands the above church, the summit of which commands delightful prospects of the surrounding country by sea and land, with a particularly fine view of Canterbury cathedral, which forms a conspicuous object, although twelve miles distant. Birchington church is dedicated to All Saints. It is a very handsome building, consisting of a nave and two aisles, with three chancels beyond, one of which formerly belonged to the ancient seat of Quexes in the same parish, and was kept in repair by the owners of that estate. Near the south chancel is the tower of the church, on which is a spire of much service to ships at sea, as a land mark, on account of its raised situation. In the tower are five bells. In the windows are the remains of painted glass sufficient to show that formerly there was much more. The interior of the church contains several ancient and very fine monuments, belonging to the Quexes, the Nenmes, and the Chrispes; and in the chancel of the Quexes are several grave-stones. There are brass plates, and other memorials in good preservation, with effigies of numbers of the above families, and other ornaments. The Quex estate is now in the possession of -Powel, Esq., who resides there, and has lately raised a park, in the centre of which he has built a handsome tower, commanding a distinct view of the French coast. The church of Birchington was anciently one of several chapels belonging to the monastery of Monkton, about three miles distant. It is now the only one remaining of that religious house; but to this day the vicar of Monkton finds a curate to officiate in this church. The parsonage of Birchington, including that of Woodchurch, was many years ago let on a beneficial lease for a long term of years to the family of the Bushells, the living lessee is Benjamin Bushell, Esq., of Clare Court, Monkton. SORTES VIRGILIANÆ. There is a species of divination performed by opening the works of Virgil, &c., and remarking the lines covered with the thumb the instant the leaves are opened, by which, if they can be interpreted in any respect to relate to you, they are accounted prophetic. This custom appears to have been of very ancient date, and was tried with Homer as well as Virgil. They who applied to this kind of oracle were said to try the Sortes Homerica, or Sortes Virgiliana. King Charles I. is said to have tried this method of learning his fate, and to have found the oracle but too certain. The lines happened upon, were At bello audacis populi vexatus et armis, Eneid, lib. iv., l. 615. But vex'd with rebels and a stubborn race, Dr. Welwood says that king Charles I. and lord Falkland, being in the Bodleian library, made this experiment of their future fortunes, and met with passages equally ominous to each. Aubrey, however, in his MS. on the Remains of Gentilism, tells the story differently. He says, "In December, 1648, king Charles I. being in great trouble, and prisoner at Carisbrooke, or to be brought to London to his tryal, Charles, prince of Wales, being then at Paris, and in profound sorrow for his father, Mr. Abraham Cowley went to wayte on him. His highnesse asked him whether he would play at cards to divert his sad thoughts. Mr. Cowley replied he did not care to play at cards, but, if his highness pleased, they would use Sortes Virgiliana (Mr. Cowley always had a Virgil in his pocket): the prince liked the proposal, and pricked a pin in the fourth book of the Enied. The prince understood not Latin well, and desired Mr. Cowley to translate the verses, which he did admirably well." Dr. Johnson, in his Life of Cowley, suspects him to have been tinctured with this superstition, and to have consulted the Virgilian lots on the great occasion of the Scottish treaty, and that he gave credit to the answer of the oracle.* December 12.-Day breaks. h. m. 8 5 Sun rises sets. 3 55 Twilight ends December 13. CELESTIAL APPEARANCES. 6 1 At this season the southern heaven presents a very beautiful appearance through the night. About ten o'clock the Pleiades and Aldebaran are approaching the meridian. Capella is nearly on the zenith; lower down in the south-east is Sirius, distinguished by its brilliancy; above, and a little more east, is Procyon; still higher up and further east are the two stars of Gemini, while the beautiful constellation Orion holds a conspicuous place among the above, in the south-southeast.f December 13.-Day breaks Sun rises sets. Twilight ends. December 14. APPROACH OF CHRISTMAS. h. m. 5259 8 5 355 I accompanied my uncle to his parish church for the first time on Christmas day; with spirits light and buoyant, and free from every care; for the cares of a young heart are as traces upon the sea sand, which each returning wave of pleasure washes away. I never shall forget with what pleasure I gazed upon the villagers dressed out in their Sunday finery, with healthy smiling faces, as they gossipped in groups, or strolled along the well-known path to church. The scenery, too, was imposing. The church stands upon a high ground, and commands one of the finest prospects that the eye can behold. On the one hand, the river is seen appearing and disappearing from its dark deep channel, while, on the other, the ancient castle of the Nevilles stands in gloomy grandeur amidst boundless forests of oak, coeval with itself. and far to the west, the Border mountains tower like a ridge of clouds along the horizon. The church is one of those quaint old-fashioned buildings of grey stone so common to the north of England; and, as you enter the low portal, you are struck with the reverend appearance of the interior-the old oaken pews and benches, all cut and carved into most mysterious hieroglyphics, with a sprig of holly, emblematic of the season, stuck in the corner of each.-What heart does not dilate, with mingled pleasure and regret, at the recollection of the scenes of early life; of the many happy Christmas evenings spent in the society of those who were dearest to us upon earth; where the yule-clog blazed bright, and sent its cheering influence round the social circle; and where happiness was reflected from every face-the schoolboy, eager and impetuous in all his holiday games and tricks-the young and tender female, sitting in sweet retreating modesty, or blushing and smiling in all the charms of innocence and budding beauty-all remind us of days of other years.' I cannot resist the impulse of saluting the joyful season as it passes, and heartily wishing all my kind readers a full enjoyment of its pleasures." A writer in the Worcester Journal says, "Happiness now spreads through the country like an epidemic, and all parties cordially agree in preparing to greet old Christmas with a hearty welcome. It is an extraordinary faculty of the human mind, that we are always enabled to garnish past occurrences with every pleasure and with every scene of joy in connexion with them; while every circumstance that might at the time have cast a momentary gloom over the scene is buried in convenient oblivion. I recollect, when I was quite a boy, with what delightful feelings December 14.-Day breaks. * Brand. + Dr. Forster's Perennial Calendar. With tendrils fast; While through the rainbow drops of tears, For o'er it crowding joys have swept, We measured out the march of time, Though seventy times the chime Since first I saw the queen-like form, Hath haunted, ay, and bless'd me too, Then from the prison of my breast My heart first wing'd, and upon you At parting took its earliest rest; And if it flew A moment thence, in pleasure's search, Or friendship can no longer charm: It rests'twixt you and Death; and Fate May make that eighty years-or eight! There be days lucky and unlucky; and this must be reckoned one of days unlucky; for, of mishap, nothing falleth to it in the Year Book; wherefore be it noticed by notes of ill luck--viz. KNIVES, SCIZZARS, RAZORS, &c. Grose says, it is deemed unlucky to lay one's knife and fork crosswise: crosses and misfortunes are likely to follow. We read in Gay's second Pastoral of the Shepherd's Week: But woe is me! such presents luckless prove, For knives, they tell me, always sever Love. This accords with the vulgar superstition that it is unlucky to give a knife, scizzars, razor, or any sharp or cutting instrument to one's mistress or friend, as they are apt to cut love and friendship. To avoid the ill effects of such a present, a farthing, a pin, or some trifling recompence must be taken. To find a knife or razor denotes ill luck and disappointment to the party.* Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday And on th' affair all can be said, They differ but as stocks and lead. THE CHARTER HOUSE. In the city of London, between St. John's-street on the west, Goswell-street on the east, Long-lane on the south, and Wilderness-row on the north, stands the Charter-house, an edifice originally purchased for the burial of those who died of the plague in 1349. Here sir Walter Manny founded a Carthusian monastery, which, by corruption of the French term, Chartreux, obtained the name of the Charter-house. It shared the common fate of religious houses at the dissolution, and in 1611 was purchased by Thomas Sutton, esq., citizen and girdler, a rich old bachelor, for £13,000. He fitted up the house at an expense of £7000, and endowed the hospital and school with fifteen manors and other lands, yielding £4493 19s. 104d. annually, as a charitable foundation, guaranteed by letters patent of James I., and confirmed by parliament. The income has since largely increased. 66 When Noorthouck, who may be deemed the best historian of London, wrote in 1773, the Charter-house maintained eighty pensioners. According to the founder's direction they ought to be decayed gentlemen, merchants, or soldiers." The pensioners are provided with apartments, and all necessaries except clothes, instead of which, in Noorthouck's time, each was allowed a cloak, and £7 per annum. Their allowances in 1800 are stated below, from an official MS. Besides the adult pensioners there are forty-four boys supported in the house, where they are well lodged and classically instructed. Twenty-nine of these are sent as students to the Universities, with an annual allowance of £20 each, for eight years. Others are apprenticed to trades, with a fee on binding of £40 for each. Nine ecclesiastical preferments in the patronage of the governors are conferred, by the constitution of the foundation, upon those who derive education from it. Both pensioners and youths are received upon the recommendation of the governors, who appoint in rotation. Roast mutton Boiled mutton. Boiled mutton. Flank beef. Lamb at times, while in season. Roast beef and boiled mutton; with plumbpuddings the winter six months. Winter Season. The same as above, excepting Tuesday; then they have roast or boiled pork. Every Saints day in the year, plumbpudding. Michaelmas-day, roast geese. Fair [For the Year Book.] Recollections of Exeter in my youthful days, ye shall stand forth-faithfully portrayed-in black and white! city! thou art endeared to me, by remembering that within thy walls and their precincts I spent the best years of my boyhood-from seventeen to nineteen -when every scene pleased, and few circumstances inflicted mental pain on the mind; when I possessed innocency, health, and high spirits; and sufficient affluence to obtain every object of my simple wishes and humble desires. cherish fond thoughts of the simplicity of manners and unostentatious hospitality of thy worthy citizens; who, generally in easy circumstances, and many of them opulent, gave every one a hearty family welcome in the good old country fashion I |