THE HAWTHORN. 



189 



brought to Glastonbury a thorn out of our Lord's 

 Crown, and planting it in the earth, it burgeoned 

 and blossomed, and yearly produced blossoms to 

 decorate the altar on Christmas-eve mass — 



" That only night in all the year 

 Saw the stoled priest the chalice rear." 



AVORDSWORTH. 



The Pere seems to enjoy very much the follow- 

 ing anecdote of Charles I., though it was against 

 the Catholics : — ^^Well! " said the King, extend- 

 ing his hand, one Christmas-day, to take the 

 flowering branch of Glastonbury Thorn, " this is 

 a miracle, is it ? " " Yes, your Majesty," replied 

 the officer who presented it, a miracle peculiar 

 to England, and regarded with great veneration 

 by the Catholics here." ^' How so," said the King 

 ^Svhen this miracle opposes itself to the Pope ? " 

 (every one looked astonished in the royal circle, 

 papist and protestant.) ^'You bring me this 

 miraculous branch on Chris tm.as- day, old style. 

 Does it always observe the old style, by which 

 we English celebrate the nativity, in its time of 

 flowering?" asked the King. Always," replied 

 the venerators of the miracle. Then," said King 

 Charles, the Pope and your miracle differ not a 

 little, for he always celebrates Christmas-day ten 

 days earlier by the calendar of new style, which 

 has been ordained at Rome by Papal orders for 

 nearly a centiuy." This dialogue probably put 

 an end to this old custom, which, setting all idea 

 of miracle aside, was a picturesque one ; for a 

 flowering branch on Christmas -day is a pleasing 

 gift, w^hether in a court or a cottage. 



The same authoress thus accounts for the fact 

 that the Hawthorn was selected to be the dis-^ 



