566 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 242. 



HERBERT S " CHURCH PORCH. 



(Vol. ix., p. 173.) 



I venture the following as the meaning of the 

 curious stanza in George Herbert's Church Porch, 

 referred to by your correspondent S. Singleton : 



* God made me one man ; love makes me no more, 

 Till labor come and make my weakness score." 



If you are single, give all you have to the ser- 

 vice of God. But do not be anxious to make the 

 gift larger by toil : for God only requires that 

 which is suitable to the position in which He has 

 placed you. He bestows a certain "estate" upon 

 every man as He bestows life : let both be dedi- 

 cated to Him. For if you give first yourself, and 

 then what He has given you, this is sufficient; 

 you need not try to be more rich, that you may 

 be more charitable. But if you choose a life of 

 labour to gain an "estate" beyond the original 

 position assigned to you in the providence of God, 

 then you must reckon yourself responsible for the 

 "one man" which God "made" you, and for the 

 other which you make yourself besides. 



I conceive the stanza to be a recommendation 

 of the contemplative life with poverty, in pre- 

 ference to the active life with riches. J. H. B. 



ANCIENT USAGES OF THE CHURCH. 



(Vol. ix., pp. 127. 257.) 



As your well-known correspondent from Clyst 

 St. George has addressed an inquiry to you on 

 this subject, it may not be uninteresting to some 

 of your readers to learn that the practice of kneel- 

 ing at funerals still exists in this neighbourhood. 

 On a cold December day have I seen men, women, 

 and children bend the knee on the bare sod, 

 during the Lord's and the other prayers used in the 

 outdoor portion of our service, not rising till the 

 valedictory grace concluded the service. Indeed, 

 I have never known (at least the majority of) 

 those attending our funerals here, omit this old 

 custom. 



That of dressing graves with flowers, at Easter 

 and Whitsuntide, prevails here as in Wales : and 

 the older folks still maintain the ancient practice 

 of an obeisance as often as the Gloria occurs 

 during the ordinary services. The last railful of 

 communicants are also in the habit of remaining 

 in their place at the altar rails till the service is 

 concluded ; but whether these observances are 

 widely spread, or merely local, I have not had 

 sufficient opportunity to judge. J. T. P. 



Dewchurch Vicarage. 



At the church of South Stoke, near Arundel, I 

 have heard the clerk respond after the Gospel: 

 ■ Thanks be to God for the Holy Gospel." 



At Southwick, near Brighton, the rector was 

 wont (about four years since) to stand up at the 

 " Glory" in the Litany. 



The Bishop of London believes bowing the head 

 when the doxology, or ascription of praise, is pro- 

 nounced, to be a novelty in our Church (Letter 

 to the Knightsbridge Churchwarden, March 28, 

 1854). I remember an old woman regularly at- 

 tending the services of Exeter Cathedral, who was 

 wont always to curtsy at the " Glory." And in 

 The Guardian of April 25, W. G. t. alludes to 

 a parish in Staffordshire where the custom prevails. 

 And A. W. says : 



" In the western counties of England there are many 

 parishes where the custom of bowing at the ' Gloria* 

 has been universally observed by the poor from time 

 immemorial. I could mention parishes in Worcester- 

 shire or Herefordshire where it has always prevailed." 



It should be observed, that the custom is not to 

 bow at the " Glory " only, but whenever, in the 

 course of the service, the names of the Three Per- 

 sons of the Blessed Trinity are mentioned. See 

 Isaiah, vi. 2, 3. 



I have heard sermons commenced in the name 

 of the Holy Trinity, and ended with " the Glory," 

 the preacher repeating the former part and the 

 congregation the latter. I believe this is agree- 

 able to very ancient use. Can any one say whe- 

 ther it has anywhere been retained in our own 

 Church ? J. W. Hewett. 



The custom of Lincolnshire mentioned by Mr. 

 Eluacombe as observed by his two parishioners at 

 Bitton had its origin doubtless in the first rubric 

 to the Order for the Administration of the Lord's 

 Supper in our Book of Common Prayer, which 

 enjoins that — 



" So many as intend to be partakers of the Holy 

 Communion, shall signify their names to the Curate at 

 least some time the day before." 



On this Bishop Wilson remarks : 



" It is with great reason that the Church has given 

 this order ; wherefore do not neglect it." 



" You will have the comfort of knowing, either that 

 your Pastor hath nothing to say against you, or, if he 

 has, you will have the benefit of his advice : and a 

 good blessing will attend your obedience to the 

 Church's orders." 



George E. Frere. 



Reverence to the Altar (Vol. vi., p. 182.). — Statute 

 XL Such obeisance was always made in the col- 

 lege to which I belonged, at Oxford, to the Pro- 

 vost by every scholar, and by the Bible clerks 

 when they proceeded from their seats to the 

 eagle lectern, to read the lessons of the day. 



I. K. K. 



Separation of the Sexes in Church. — It was the 

 custom a few years ago (and I have every reason 



