348 



ADVENT. 



DEC. 13. St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, a.d. 304. 



St. Jodoc or Josse, confessor, 669. 



St. Kenelm, king and martyr, 820. 



St. Aubert, bishop of Cambray and Arras, 669. 



B.John Marinoni, confessor, 1562. 



St. Othilia, virgin and abbess, 772. 



St. Adelbert, bishop. 



Obs. St. Lucy was very young when she offered the flower of her 

 virginity to God, Her mother, unacquainted with her vow, pressed 

 her to marry a young nobleman, but on knowing her design left her 

 at full liberty to pursue her pious inclination. The infernal villain, 

 in the rage of his disappointment, accused her before the governor 

 Paschasius as a Christian. After a long and glorious combat, she 

 died in prison of the wounds she had received, about the year 304. 



St. Kenelm of Mercia was son of Kenulph, of royal blood, de- 

 scended from Wibba, father of King Penda. He was murdered 

 very young, but, as the legend goes, being a pious child, the place 

 of his murder was discovered by a ray of light over the corpse, and 

 by these words in Saxon found somewhere inscribed : 

 In Clent Cowpasture, under a thorn, 

 of head bereft, lies Kenelm Kingborn. 



St. Othilia was a native of Strasbourg, and was baptised by Bishop 

 Erhard at Ratisbon. She afterwards cotiducted above a hundred 

 nuns in a convent in Alsase, built by her father. 



Sapientia is the beginning of an anthem in the Latin service to 

 the honour of Christ's Advent, which used to be sung in the church 

 from this day until Christmas Eve. 



Cypress Arbor Vitae Thuja Cypressioides verd. 



It has been justly said that the amusement of the botanist need noi be con- 

 fined to sprins; and summer. He has plants also for autumn, and Fungi, too, 

 for both the early and later parts of that sea«on. In winter he mjy study the 

 Ferns and Mosses, and occasionally Sea Weeds. At the present time the 

 Mosses will beginto occupy his attention. There is also another source of p'a- 

 tificalion in winter, which is the various forms of the branches of trees when 

 their leaves are off, and we can take anollier survey of their varieties in the 

 particular shape and disposition of the boughs and spray, a thing pointed out 

 by Gilpin. 



P.S.— It is a curious coincidence, that afier having written the above obser- 

 vations on bare boughs, we turned to the Ephemeris of Nature to see what to- 

 day was called, and we find it called Bummudin, or BeSirbough Day, the leaves 

 by this time being all fallen, and the branches bare. 



Winter now comes to sway the waning yeare. 



Sullen and sad. with all hisduskie train 



Of vapours, storms, and clouds, and winde and raine. 

 With scarcely any sun the liind to cheere, 

 Unless perchance a beam, more dim than cleare, 



Crosseth the abbey choir at hour of none, 



Through painted window, but it fadeih soon 

 Like some ethereal ray of heavenlie cheere, 



That o'er the aged pilgrim's soul is thrown 

 From the eternal spirit of the skie. 



Tokening that though now grim and dull is grown 

 The spark of life, the sun will by and bye 



Mount the Almiuhty King's eiernal ihrone, 

 Where day no more will set, nor flowers die. 



