ALLHALLOW TIDE. 307 



NOV. 2. All Souls. 

 St. Victorinus, bishop, a.d. 304. 

 St. Marcian, anchoret, 387. 

 St. Vulgan of Ireland, 8th cent. 



Obs. All Souls Day. — This day is set apart by the Christian 

 church for the commemoration of the faithful departed, and for a 

 general prayer for those souls who are detained in purgatory. As 

 the consideration of this day involves the doctrine of purgatory, or a 

 middle state, it may be necessary to give some account of it. We 

 shall, however, refer the reader to Butler's Lives, vol. ii. ; and to 

 Dr. Milner's End of Religious Controversy, vol. iii. What a con- 

 soling reflection it is, contends a modern writer, amidst our lamen- 

 tations for departed beings Avhom we have loved, that we can still 

 be of service to their souls in purgatory, or that we may in turn 

 beg their intercession for us in heaven, and there hold communion 

 with them while we are yet on earth. The passing bell is rung 

 when any one dies to call the faithful to pray for the departing soul. 

 Bourne the antiquary has written on the subject, and contends that 

 this bell, contrary to the present custom, ought to be rung before 

 the parties were dead, that their friends might pray for them ; this 

 was formerly the case, and we doubt not gave origin to the first 

 tolling and then ringing the bell ; for the ringing, which is a ^eater 

 play of the bell, whereby both sides are hit by the clapper, com- 

 menced just at the death of the parties prayed for, in order to direct 

 the change in the form of prayer to begin. 



In a poem, entitled "Honoria, or a Day of All Souls," Lond. 

 1782, the scene of which is supposed to be in the great church of St. 

 Ambrose at jNIilan on this day, when this most solemn service is 

 performed for tlje repose of the dead, are these lines : 



Ye hallowed bells, whose voices through the air 

 The awful summons of afflictions bear. 



In Durandi Rationale we find, " Aliquo moriente Campanae 

 debent pulsari, ut Populus hoc audiens oret pro illo." He is citing 

 Donne's Letter to Sir Henry Wotton in verse : 



And thicken on you now, as prayers ascend 

 To heaven in troops at a good man's Passing Bell. 

 Various customs, such as blessing the beans, making " Soul 

 Cakes," as they do still in Shropshire, are now preserved, but are 

 observed on old All Soul's Day, Nov. 13, not having changed their 

 time of year with the change of the style. 



