CONCEPTION TIDE. 341 



DEC. 6. St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, a.d. 342. 

 St. Nicholas of Pinara, bishop, 551. 

 SS. Dionysia, Dativa, Leontia, Tertius, Aemilianus, 



Boniface, and Majoricus, martyrs. 

 St. Peter Paschal, bishop and martyr, 1300. 

 St. Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, 190. 

 Obs. St. Nicholas was born at Patara in Lycia : he died in 343. 

 He is called Patron of School Children ; a clue to which is afforded 

 to us by a writer in the Gentleman's Magazine for April 1777 , 

 vol. xlvii. p. 158, who mentions having in his possession an Italian 

 Life of St. Nicholas, 3d edit. 4to. Naples 1645, from which he tran- 

 slates a story, which fully explains the occasion of boys addressing 

 themselves to St. Nicholas's patronage. St. Nicholas was inured 

 from his infancy to the exercises of devotion, penance, and perfect 

 obedience. He was chosen Archbishop of Myro, and in that exalted 

 station became famous by his extraordinary piety and zeal, and an 

 incredible number of stupendous miracles. 



Hospinian says the invocation of St. Nicholas by sailors took its 

 rise from the legendary accounts of Vincentius and Mantuanus : — 

 Solet etiam Sanctus Nicolaus a periclitantibus in mari aut quavis 

 alia aqua, invocari. Huic Idolomaniae fabula originem dedit, quae 

 extat apud Vincentium, libro xiv. capite 70 ; et Mantuanium, 

 lib. xii. Fastorum, ubi sic canit : 



Cum Tnrbine Nautae 

 Deprensi Cilices magno clamore vocarent 

 Nicolai viventis opem descendeie quinam 

 Coelitum visus sancti sub imagine patris 

 Qui freta depulso fecit placidissima vento. 



Hosp. De Festis, 153. 

 Armstrong, speaking of Ciudadella, says. Near the entrance of 

 the harbour stands a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas, to which the 

 sailors resort that have suffered shipwreck, to return thanks for their 

 preservation, and to hang up Votive Pictures, representing the dan- 

 ger they have escaped, in gratitude to the saint for the protection 

 he vouchsafed them, and in accomplishment of the vows they made 

 in the height of the storm. This custom, which is in use at present, 

 is taken from the old Romans, who had it, among a great number 

 of other customs, from the Greeks ; for we are told that Bion the 

 philosopher was shewn several of these votive pictures hung up in a 

 temple of Neptune near the sea side. Horace alludes to them thus : 



1 Me tabula sacer 



Votive paries indicat uvlda 

 Suspendisse potenti 



Vestiraenta maris Deo. Lib. i. Od. 5. 



Mos est plurimis in locis, ut in Vigilia Sancti Nicolai parentes 

 pueris ac puellis clam munuscula varii generis dent, illis opinanti- 

 bus, S. Nicolaum cum suis famulis hinc inde per oppida ac vicos dis- 

 currere, per clausas fenestras ingredi, et dona ipsis distribuere. 



Nestflowered Heath Erica nidiflora fl. 



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