from the people. As soon as the king was sate, one of the clerks of the closet stood at the right side of his chair, holding on his arm as many gold angels (every one tied in a ribbon of white silk) as there were sick to be touched, which were in number fourty-eight. Dr. Brown, the chaplain of the princess of Aurange, performed the place of the king's chaplain, as he did all along at Breda, on the same occasion. The chaplain then read the sixteenth chapter of St. Mark, from the fourteenth verse to the end; and then the chirurgeon presented the sick, (having examined them to see that it was the evil), after three reverences, on their knees, before the king, who, whilst the chaplain said these words in that Gospel They shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall be healed,' lay'd his hands on the two cheeks of the sick, saying I touch thee, but God heal thee!' The chaplain then begun another Gospel; and whilst these words were pronounced out of the first chapter of St. John, This was the trew light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,' his majesty took the pieces of gold, and put them on the necks of the disseased, the chaplain repeating the words as many times as there were persons to receive them, concluding with a prayer, That Almighty God would bless the ceremony; then, after reverences as before, they retired. The earls of Middlesex and St. Albans held the bason, ewer, and towel, whilst the king washed."

SINGULAR SUICIDE.

In the year 1600, on the 10th of April, a person of the name of William Dorrington, threw himself from the top of St. Sepulchre's church, in London; having previously left on the leads or roof, a paper, of which the following is

a copy:

"Let no other man be troubled for that which is my own fact. John Bunckley and his fellows, by perjury and other bad means, have brought me to this end: God forgive it them, and I doe. And, O Lord! forgive me this cruel fact upon my own body, which I utterly detest, and most humbly pray him to cast it behind him; and that of his most exceeding and infinite mercy he will forgive it me, with all my other sins. But, surelye, after they had thus slandered me everye daye that I lived, was to me a hundred deathes; which

caused me rather to choose to dye with infamye, than to live in infamye and torment.

O, summa Deitas, quæ cœlis et superis presides, meis medere miseris, u spretis inferis, læter superis, reis dona veniam.'

"Trusting in his only passion and merits of Jesus Christ, and confessing my exceeding great synnes, I say- Master, have mercy on me!"

This paper was folded up in the form of a letter, and indorsed-"Oh, let me live, and I will call upon thy name!"

CHARACTER OF A TRUE ENGLISHMAN.

THE following admirably drawn character of a true Englishman, was written, in 1680, and was inscribed to the Pope by the author, who signed it PASQUIN.

The free-born English, generous and wise,
Hate chains; but do not government despise.
Rights of the crown, tributes and taxes they,
When legally exacted, freely pay.

Force they abhor, and wrongs they scorn to bear,
More guided by their judgment than their fear-
Justice, with them, was never held severe.
There, pow'r by tyranny was never got!

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Laws might, perhaps, enslave them; force cannot.
Kings are less safe in their unbounded will,
Join'd with the wretched pow'r of doing ill:
Forsaken most when they're most absolute:
Laws guard the man, and only bind the brute.
To force that guard, with its worst force to join,
Can never be a prudent king's design:
What prince would change to be a Cataline?
Break his own laws, shake an unquestion'd throne!
Conspire with vassals to usurp his own!

Let France grow proud beneath the tyrant's lust,
While the rack'd people crawl, and lick the dust:
The manly genius of this isle disdains

All tinsel slavery, or golden chains.

England to servile yoke could never bow:

What conqu'rors ne'er presum'd-who dares it now?
In vain your Holiness does rack your brain!
No son of yours that happy isle can gain.
Arm'd with one Gospel and undated law,

They guard themselves, and keep the world in awe!

THE CRIPPLE OF BETHESDA.

THE following beautiful and pathetic lines were written by the Rev. Alexander Montgomery, a native of Enniskillen, who, in the year 1780, was curate of Scrabley, near Granard, in the County of Longford. They appear to have been composed at a time when the author felt his sensibility roused by neglect.

At fam'd Bethesda's pool, near Salem's gate,
While Salem flourish'd in her regal state;
Still crowds of cripples in arrangement lay,
Impatient waiting the restoring day;
Where, at set times, as we recorded find,
An angel, in compassion to mankind,
By tinge divine, such efficacy gave,

Who first immerg'd was rescued from the grave,
And, quite forgetful of his former pain,
View'd his less happy brothers with disdain;
Yet still, but one at one immersion cur'd,
The rest their pains another year endur'd;
Whilst he who no kind aid had hardly got,
In sight of health, might on the margin rot.
A cripple here for years neglected lay,
Still hoping ev'ry turn to get away;
But friends in town, still otherwise employ'd,
Forgot his pains as they their health enjoy'd;
Not so they promis'd, when they left him there,
But words are wind, and vanish into air!

The blest Redeemer at the pool appear'd,

The lazar's tale of woe he knew ere heard;
"Take up thy bed and walk," the Saviour cries;
Lo! strength through all his limbs like lightning flies.
Elate and wond'ring, on his feet he stood,

Burst into tears, and glorified his God.
So, when death's angel, with a cold embrace,
Welcomes a rector to the throne of Grace,
Each lazar curate, in his fortune lame,
Strives to immerge into preferment's stream;
Each has his friend to aid him on the way;
They plunge, emerge, then cast the crutch away,
Forget their cot, small beer, and rusty gown,
Get taste for wine, and residence in town,
Grow dull and ruddy, insolent and chuff,
And think their quondam brethren have enough.
Whilst cripple I, of interest bereft,

Still on the clay-clod margin here am left,

No friendly hand its timely aid supplies,
And still I totter, as I strive to rise.

Yet, twelve long years have I this station kept,

Of all the joys of social life bereft;

Banish'd from friends, from town, and all most dear,
To starve genteel on forty pounds a year;

Three helpless babes, a sister, and a wife,
To furnish with the requisites of life;

A purse-proud upstart sneering on my farm,
Who'd pledge his soul to do a gownsman harm.
Of fam'd Astrea here no trace is found,
Her feet so tender, and so hard the ground.
Thou, who in time couldst to the cripple send,
By all deserted, so divine a friend;

Who by a word could former health restore,
And break those bands that fetter'd him before ;
With pity touch thy lov'd apostle's breast,
To ease my wants, or take me to thy rest;
Small's my request, as little I deserve,
"Tis only that I may not preach and starve;
Since sacred writings these directions give,
Who at the altar serve, shall by it live.

ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

The following record furnishes a remarkable instance of the strictness of ecclesiastical discipline in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

"Decimo Martii, A Confession to be made by John Asp

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land, of Witcham.

1595. "The sayd partie shell upon Sunday, being the 4th day of June next commeng, come forth of his seate in the parish churche of Witcham aforesaid, into the middle alleye there, ymediately after the reading the Gospel, and there shell stande, and with a loude voyce shell say and confesse as followeth,

viz.

'Good neighbours, I acknowledge and confesse that I have offended Almighty God, and by my evill example you all, for that I have used to sleepe in the churche, for whiche I am most heartely sorry, and I aske God and you all, most heartely, forgiveness for the same, promising by God's help never to offende hereafter in the like againe.'

"And at the doing hereofhee shell, under the hands of the minister and churchwardens, there personally certife together with these presents upon Munday, being the 22a day of July

next, at Trinity parish churche in Ely, and then and there receive such further order herein, as shell be appointed.

66

Concordat cum artis cur.

"Ita testor Tho. Arny, notrius public.

"John Aspland hath done the penance prescribed, within the churche, the date and yere above written. Signed by us,

"GEORGE WRIGHT, wardens.

"To my loving frend the vycar of Witcham, or his curate there, give this."

THE BIRTH-PLACE OF SHAKESPEARE.

THOUGH the shrine of many a Catholic saint has had more numerous, yet none had ever more sincere or enlightened devotees, than those who have paid homage to the genius of Shakespeare, at Stratford-on-Avon. The room which is there shown as that in which the immortal bard was born, is covered in every part with the names of visitors; even the ceiling, the sides, the projecting chimney, and every partition of the surface, have been written on. A list of the names would exhibit all the rank, character, and genius of the age. Among these names are those of his present Majesty, the duke of Clarence, and of at least one half of the members of both houses of parliament; as well as those of many distinguished foreigners, among whom are Lucien Buonaparte, and the Russian and Austrian Princes, who visited England since the peace. Even the tomb of Shakespeare, and his bust, are in like manner covered with names, proud of an association with him, "who was not for an age.' On the scroll, under the effigy, is the name of "Wellesley," inscribed by the successive viceroy of Hindostan and Ireland himself, and near it, the name of Lucien Buonaparte, with the following lines :—

"The eye of Genius glistens to admire,

How memory hails the sound of Shakespeare's lyre;
One tear I'll shed, to form a crystal shrine

Of all that's grand, immortal and divine.