IV. All the Fridays in the year, except Christmas day.-From the tables and rules in the Prayer-Book. CANON XXXI. Forasmuch as the ancient fathers of the Church, led by example of the Apostles, appointed prayers and fasts to be used at the solemn ordering of ministers, and to that purpose allotted certain times, in which only sacred orders might be given or conferred; we, following their holy and religious example, do constitute and decree that no deacons or ministers be made and ordained, but only upon the Sundays immediately following Jejunia quatuor temporum, commonly called "Ember weeks," appointed in ancient time for prayer and fasting, (purposely for this cause at their first institution,) and so continued at this day in the Church of England; and that this be done in the Cathedral or parish Church where the Bishop resideth, and in the time of Divine service, in the presence, not only of the Archdeacon, but of the Dean and two Prebendaries at the least; or (if they shall happen by any lawful cause to be let or hindered) in the presence of four other grave persons, being Masters of Arts at the least, and allowed for public preachers. DEVOTION. Almighty GOD, our heavenly FATHER, Who hast purchased to Thyself an universal Church by the precious Blood of Thy dear Son; mercifully look upon the same, and at this time so guide and govern the minds of Thy servants the Bishops and Pastors of Thy flock, that they may lay hands suddenly on no man, but faithfully and wisely make choice of fit persons to serve in the sacred ministry of Thy Church. And to those which shall be ordained to any holy function give Thy grace and heavenly benediction; that both by their life and doctrine they may set forth Thy glory, and set forward the salvation of all men; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. II. Almighty GoD, the Giver of all good gifts, Who of Thy divine Providence hast appointed divers orders in Thy Church; give Thy grace, we humbly beseech Thee, to all those who are to be called to any office and administration in the same; and so replenish them with the truth of Thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that they may faithfully serve before Thee, to the glory of Thy great Name, and the benefit of Thy holy Church; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. 343 WRITTEN SORROW. "O hyacinth! show your written sorrow."*-MOSCHUS. "A GARLAND of roses weave for me!" said I, when a little child, And my mother culled the blossoms sweet, and tenderly she smiled; She wove a wreath of the dewy buds, and placed it on my brow,"Wouldst know the rose I love best?" cried she; "my darling, it is thou!" "A garland of violets weave for me!" said I, in my early youth, We gathered them 'mid the mosses green, beneath an old beechen tree, "A garland of lilies weave for me," said I, in my summer hours, "In their stately pride and purity, give, give me those snowy flowers!" But a tempest swept o'er the fragile things, the slender stems were broken,"I'll not trust to pride again," thought I, “for this is a warning token." Of ambrosial hyacinths gracefully weave a coronal rich for me, TALKS ABOUT MANY TOWNS AND MANY SIGHTS; OR, ROSA'S SUMMER WANDERINGS. CHAPTER IV. MY young audience must now imagine our little party happily established at Richmond, or (as I might express it) on the "banks of the Swale;" for that is a new name playfully given to Richmond and its environs by a dear old friend in London, whose eyes will glisten when he reads these pages, and whose genial warmheartedness and never-to-be-forgotten kindnesses have gladdened us, even from early years until the present hour. The domicile wherein we secured apartments is a large, oldfashioned, red-brick mansion, situate in the upper (or western) side of the great market-square. The rooms are spacious and airy, and the back of the house commands a view over part of the romantic vale through whose tortuous twistings the ever-varying river winds its mazy course. The drawing-room is quite an old English apartment, possessing no fewer than five doors, four of which open into closets arranged in uniform pairs at either end of *Alluding to the letters "A I," which signify "Alas!" and are to be traced in the dark lines or specs in the petals. the room. The three windows look into the aforesaid broad square, which on Saturdays is wont to exhibit a variegated and animated aspect; for Saturday is the market-day, and stalls of every shape and size then bestud the white pitching. The wide area is thronged with bluff yeomen and their rustic dames, mingled with venders and purchasers of wares, animal, vegetable, and mineral; and the entire scene forms altogether a motley medley, more readily imagined than described. In the centre of this market-place stands a small spiral cross, rebuilt upon the site of a former one, and bearing, on a brass plate, the following inscription : “Rebuilt, a.d. 1771—Christopher Wayne, Mayor.” Near the cross, the tower of the Church (or Chapel) of the Holy Trinity rises high above the houses, which, with unaccountable forgetfulness of good manners, do most unceremoniously intrude themselves into the interstices of the ecclesiastical walls, thereby rendering the body of the Church invisible from many points of view. This Church bears date A.D. 1755. But the principal Church in Richmond is a noble edifice dedicated to S. Mary, erected on the slope of a steep declivity, and thence called the Lower Church, because it stands in a less elevated position than Trinity, or the Higher Church. The period of the foundation of S. Mary's Church cannot be traced with certainty; many of the pillars are Saxon, with Gothic arches: the east window is very fine. There is a handsome font of grey marble, supported by a pillar on a pedestal, and graven with many curious hieroglyphical marks, of the supposed date of 1400. The stalls of the mayor and aldermen are exceedingly curious, being composed of ornamental carving taken from Eastby Abbey; the canopy over them consists of rich open Gothic fretwork. Above the mayor's seat is a shield, with the abbot's name in a curious device. The Friary Tower is one of the most elegant ornaments of the town. This interesting remnant of the Church of the Grey Friars was founded in 1258, by Ralph Fitz-Randolph, Lord of Middleham; and was surrendered in 1539. West of this was a nunnery, the history of which is uncertain. A mile east of Richmond, on the opposite side of the Swale, are the remains of S. Martin's Priory, a cell for nine or ten Benedictine monks, established in 1100. The hospital of S. Nicholas, a mile from the town, was a branch of the Benedictines, and was surrendered in the twenty-sixth year of Henry VIII.'s reign. Richmond and its castle are both of Norman origin, having been founded by Earl Alan Fergaund, (Rufus, or Red,) son of Hoel, Count of Bretagne, a kinsman of William the Conqueror. This monarch, after sweeping along the land with a retinue of mailed knights, who "From Norman blood their lofty line could trace, found himself opposed by the brothers Edwin and Morcar, Earls of Mercia (or Chester) and Northumbria, and brothers-in-law to the late King Harold. These young earls were by far the most popular and powerful of the English nobility who had survived the battle of Hastings; and William, knowing what dangerous enemies they might prove to his government, had at first courted them with great attention, and had even promised Edwin his daughter in marriage. But when the young nobleman claimed the accomplishment of this promise, he met with a denial; at which he was so highly incensed, that he retired into the north with his brother, where they stimulated Saxon revolt; and, though partially reconciled to the court, were confederate with Governor Earl Waltheof, in the defence of York, when William, in 1069-70, laid siege to that city, after the Saxons had put the Norman garrison to the sword. Famine having compelled the besieged to come to terms, Waltheof was received into favour, and articles of capitulation were granted to the citizens; though it would appear, from the subsequent ravages of the Conqueror, that this treaty was little regarded by him. The following year, Edwin was slain by the Normans, after a brave resistance, whilst attempting to make his escape into Scotland. Even the unrelenting William was moved to tears when the head of this noble young earl was brought to him; and he condemned to perpetual exile the treacherous friends who, in expectation of reward, had delivered him into the power of his foes. Morcar took shelter in the Isle of Ely; (named "The camp of Refuge,” because its fens and morasses formed an impregnable barrier against Norman inroads, and afforded a sure retreat for independent Saxons many years after the rest of England had paid homage to the Conqueror ;) he was afterwards taken, and thrown into prison. The great estates of both these noblemen were confiscated; and William, whilst employed in the siege of York, conferred, in 1070, all the lands of Earl Edwin (amounting to nearly two hundred manors and townships) on Earl Alan, who thereupon founded the town and castle of Richmond, for the defence of his riches and honours against the disinherited Saxons; the Conqueror also gave his daughter Hawise to Earl Alan in marriage. After the death of Alan, the earldom of Bretagne devolved on his son, Conan le Gross, the offspring of a second marriage; and * Vide Bishop Heber's "Palestine." + Vide "Henry's History of Great Britain." Alan the Black, son of Hawise, by her first husband, Endo, (son of Geoffrey, Earl of Bretagne,) succeeded to the earldom of Richmond. In subsequent years, the dukedom of Bretagne* and the earldom of Richmond appear to have been frequently held by the same prince or baron. About 1166, we find King Henry II. acting as Regent of Bretagne, for the benefit of his son Geoffrey, Earl of Richmond and Bretagne, (then a boy of eight or nine years,) and Constance, his betrothed bride, only child of Conan le Petit, Duke of Bretagne, who had resigned his duchy in her favour. Geoffrey and Constance afterwards became the parents of the unfortunate Prince Arthur, whose melancholy fate blots the annals of King John with so dark a dye. The earldom of Richmond, after passing through several different families, some of whom were of the blood-royal both of England and France, was granted by Edward III. to his son, John of Gaunt; and on his restoring it in exchange for other lands, the king bestowed it on John de Montfort, (surnamed the Valiant,) Duke of Bretagne, to whom also he gave his daughter Mary in marriage. Between 1414 and 1435, it was held by the accomplished John, Duke of Bedford, third son of Henry IV., and known as Regent of France in the reign of Henry VI. In 1452, the earldom was conferred on Edmund Tudor, (son of Sir Owen ap Meredith ap Tudor, and Katherine, youngest daughter of Charles VI. of France, widow of Henry V. of England, and mother of Henry VI.,) who married Margaret, granddaughter of John of Gaunt by his third wife, Katherine Swynford. This Margaret was the celebrated Countess of Richmond, mother of King Henry VII.; and on his accession to the throne, after the battle of Bosworth, the earldom of Richmond became merged in the crown. In a subsequent reign, the earldom was converted into a duchy; and in 1675, Charles II. bestowed the dukedom of Richmond on his infant son, Charles Lennox, child of Louisa de Queronaille, Duchess of Portsmouth; a French lady, who came over to England with the Duchess d'Orleans, the king's sister, in 1670. And so Charles Lennox became the founder of the present ducal house of Richmond. Richmond Castle is mounted imposingly on a rock, the base of which is washed by the dashing waters of the joyous Swale; it was a strong and almost impregnable fortress. The site, containing nearly six acres, belongs to the Duke of Richmond, and is enclosed Bretagne, or Brittany,—so named from the Britons who took refuge there about the eighth century,-was anciently called Armorica. It forms the most westernly portion of France, lying between the English Channel, the Atlantic, the Bay of Biscay, Poitou, Anjou, Maine, and Normandy. One of its chief towns-Nantes, near the Loire-fills a niche in French history as the place where Henry IV. granted, in 1593, the famous edict in favour of the Protestants which was revoked by Louis XIV. in 1685. This country was long governed by local sovereigns, styled dukes; it was re-united to the French crown by the marriages of Charles VIII. and Louis XII., with Anne de Bretagne, daughter and heiress of the last duke. |