202 FORTY DAYS OF ST. SWITIJIX. 



JULY 20. St. Margaret, virgin, martyr, a.d. 

 St. Jerom Aemilianus, c. 

 St. Joseph Basabas, confessor. 

 SS. Justaand Rufina. martyrs, 304. 

 St. Cestas, confessor, 1242. 

 St. Aurelius, abp. 423. 

 St. Ulmar, abbot, 410. 



O'^s. St. Joseph was one of the seventy two disciples of our 

 I,ord, and was put in competition with St. Matthias to succeed the 

 traitor Judas. 



St. Margaret was born at Antioch, and was the daughter of a 

 Pagan priest. She is one of the tutelar saints of Cremona, and 

 Vida wrote two hymns to her. Olibius, president of the East under 

 the Romans, wished to marry her ; but, finding that JMargaret was a 

 Christian, he postponed his intended nuptials until he could prevail 

 on her to renounce her religion. St. JMargaret, however, was in- 

 flexible, and was first tortured, and then beheaded, in the last gene- 

 ral persecution at Antioch in Pisidia. 



St. Margaret's Day used to be celebrated with much festivity and 

 several very curious rites. From the Star Newspaper of June 12, 

 1820, we insert the following sonnet to this saint, written on viewing 

 Raphael's picture of her : 



To St. Margnret. 

 Hail, Saint! svliose form tlie pencil yet pourtrays, 



t'alllri? our mimls to liallo'ved times of old. 



When pastors urave, to guard their wanderinjf fold. 

 From prowling Wolf that on meek virtue preys. 

 Gathered tlieir Hocks on holie ground to graze. 



By fountains pure, where sacred waters rolled. 



And when at eve the vespers hell had tolled. 

 Around tlieir hopes the pen of failh diil raise, 

 Ijispire nie to exhort our faultering race ; 



To strive with him thou, martyi'ed virgin, trod. 

 Then chere thou with thy form aiid tranquil face, 



Christ's sheep awaiting his ilirecting nod. 

 Who wliylonie held on earth the hiavenlie mace. 



And hroUL'I't them hack to their appeased God. 

 See Mr. Milmnii's celebrated Poem on the Mailyrdom of St. Margaret. 



The picture of St. .Margaret hy Raphael, ahove alluded to, was imitated by 

 Pnfresnov, in a picture now preserved in the Gallery of the l-ouvre at Paris. 

 In the Gentleman's Magazine for 1823 is a letter on the subject of this and of 

 ilie several other saints who bear the same name, together witli some critical 

 inquiries into the origin of the emblem of the vanquished Dragon which makes 

 a part ot every pictuieof St. Margaret. 



Dragon's Head Dracocephalum Virginianum fl. 

 China Aster Aster Chinensis fl. 

 African Marigold Tagetes erecta fl. 



It is oulv ill early years that the China Aster and the French Marigold 

 flower at tliis time anii tlieir early blowing depends also on the early sowing 

 (if the seeds, and raising the young plants under a glass. It is not before 

 I.ammas lide that these plants become common. They lOnlinue to llower all 

 the autumn, till cut off by the frost. 



