Why is Maunday-Thursday called Shier-Thursday in Collier's Eccles. Hist. v. ii. p. 197?

Are the letters N. or M. in our Catechism, initials of Christian names? If not, why are they selected in preference to all others?

I have frequently met with allusions to a ceremony in the Conclave, that of opening and shutting the mouth of a newmade Cardinal; and wish much to see a circumstantial account of this singular rite. It reminds me of the seven years' silence enjoined to learners by Pythagoras, and of the one year's silence observed by our advocates in Ecclesiastical Courts.

I remain, Sir, with many thanks for the obligations received from your labours,

1779, April.

Your most devoted servant,

CANTIANUS,

MR. URBAN,

YOUR correspondent Cantianus entertains a higher opinion of my petty performances in your Magazine than they can possibly deserve; however, as he has thought fit to mention my name, I will try to give some sort of answer to his queries, though far, as I fear, from satisfactory.

Q. How long has the rose been part of the clerical habit; and is it peculiar to the English clergy?"

A. The rose was anciently thought an emblem of secrecy, as sacred to amours, or to Venus. Potter's Antiq. II. p. 385. Charles Howard, now Duke of Norfolk, p. 96 of Anecdotes, Now, in this view, one would suppose the rose to come into use when auricular confession was practised here, i. e, before the Reformation, the father confessor being ever obligated to the strictest silence, as to all matters revealed to him, though he did not always think himself so in fact, but would sometimes abuse his trust, Fox, Martyrolog, II. p. 237. Hence however, I presume, came the expression, under the rose be it spoken; unless you will suppose it derived from the rose placed in entertaining rooms above the table, formerly, to signify that what was there spoken should be kept private. See Archbishop Potter, 1. c. The rose, I apprehend, is peculiar to the English clergy, (of this, however, I am not certain,) but is now going more and more into disuse, even amongst them.

Q"Why is Maunday-Thursday called Shier-Thursday in Collier?"

A. Cotgrave calls it, by a word of the same sound and

import, Sheere-Thursday. Perhaps, for I can only go upon conjecture, as Sheer means purus, mundus, it may allude to the washing of the disciples' feet, John xiii. 5, seq. and be tantamount to clean. See v. 10; and Lye's Dict. v. seir. If this does not please, the Saxon sciran signifies dividere, and the name may come from the distribution of alms upon that day. For which see Archæol. Soc. Antiq I. p. 7, seq. Spelman. Gloss. v. Mandatum; et Du Fresne, IV. p. 400. Please to observe, too, that on that day they also washed the altars; so that the term in question may allude to the business. See Collier's Eccl. Hist. II. p. 197.-Cantianus may chuse any of these he pleases; or he has my leave to reject them all.

Q. "Are the letters N. or M. in our Catechism, initials of Christian names? if not, why are they selected in preference to all others?"

A. They represent Christian names (and accidentally may prove initials of them), for so Archbishop Wake, and Dr. S. Clarke, to mention no more, understand them. Dr. Duport gives, ò deivani deva, i. e. such or such.-N. I have observed, for Nomen, is commonly inserted in forms or precedents, in the place where the name of the party is to be mentioned, and therefore obviously occurred; as to M. it is arbitrary, and was owing to mere chance. It would have been as well to have put it M. or N. or A. or B. as either of these would be plainer, and have forestalled all doubt.

Q. "I have met with allusions to a ceremony in the conclave, that of opening and shutting the mouth of a newmade Cardinal; and wish much to see a circumstantial account of this singular rite."

A. The best account I have seen of this business is p. 75. of a fol. book, entitled, Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa, printed anno 1670; where, after the Cardinal is nominated, and indeed created, he stays at home till the next public consistory; to which he marches with a very great train, to receive the red cap from the hands of his holiness. Now, please to observe, " In the first private consistory after the public, the Pope did use to stop up the mouths, as it were, of the new Cardinals, by putting his finger upon them; by that ceremony forbidding them to speak their opinion in the consistories or congregations for some time, and depriving them both of their active and passive voices," &c. See there what follows about opening the mouths of the young Cardinals by Pope Pius Quintus, A. 1571.

This, Sir, I hope, may prove sufficient for the information of your friends; I, however, can proceed no further than

just to observe, that in stating the question, shutting the mouth ought to precede the opening; and that the ceremony of shutting respected the consistories and congregations, as well as the conclave.

1779, July.

Yours, &c.

T. Row

MR. URBAN,

LXXXVII. On the Curfew.

He

THE late Mr. Gostling, of Canterbury, was a worthy man, and well respected for his good-nature and pleasantry; but, at the same time, he was very sanguine, and not a little opinionated, insomuch that when he had taken a thing into his head, it was not an easy matter to drive it out. was a great collector of antiquities; and, in a long life, had amassed a considerable number of curious antique articles. Amonst other matters, he had gotten a piece of household furniture, of copper, which he was pleased to call a curfew; and his friends, on account of his years and good-humour, did not care to contradict him. This implement has since been engraved in the Antiquarian Repertory, Vol. I. p. 89, and F. G. who communicated the drawing to the conductor of that work, having without scruple adopted the old gentleman's notion of it, has described it as a curfew, from its use of suddenly putting out a fire; and says, "Probably curfews were used in the time of William the Conqueror, who, in the first year of his reign, directed that, on the ringing of a certain bell, all persons should put out their fires and candles."

Now, Sir, authors agree in the institution of the curfewbell, by William the Conqueror; and it was doubtless a good stroke of policy, imitated afterwards by others on like occasions*: but they call it the corfeu-bell, or the corfeu, in which latter short expression either bell is understood, or the time of night, or the injunction for putting out the fire, is meant. However, not a word is said by any of them, of any particular implement made use of for the purpose of

Antiqu. Repertory, p. 216. As to the use of corfeu in other countries ses Du Fresne, v. Ignitegium

extinguishing the fire; nor do we meet with the name of corfeu, as an implement, in any ancient writer whatsoever; and thereupon I incline to think there never was any such.

But, you will ask, for what use, then, could this old piece of household serve? I answer, you have heard of baking bread or cakes, or other matters, under embers*; and the same is practised now-a-days in most counties where they burn wood. They make clean a place in the bearth, lay the bread upon it, cover it with something (this implement, for example) to keep the ashes from it, and then rake a proper quantity of coals and ashes upon it. This will account for those "others of the kind still remaining in Kent and Sussext," and, in my opinion, for the true use of Mr. Gostling's implement, which does not appear to me, to judge from its elegance in the draught, to be of any such great antiquity as the practice of the corfeu introduced by the Conqueror, since this ceased, as I suspect, temp. Heur. Primi, (for so I understand those words of Knyghton, "Lucernarum usum tempore Patris sui intermissum restituit de nocte in curia sua‡,") though the ringing of the bell continued, and even does so to this day, in many places.

1779, Aug.

Yours, &c.

T. Row.

LXXXVIII. Yew-trees in Church-yards, their probable Use.

MR. URBAN,

Dec. 1.

THE large yew-trees that we see in some church-yards have been supposed to have been originally planted there, either to protect the churches from storms, or to furnish the parishioners with bows. Neither of these reasons seem satisfactory. The slow growth of these trees seems to render them improper for the first purpose: besides, if that had been the design, we should probably have seen the

BA

Genesis XVIII. 6. and Bishop Patrick ad loc. Calmet, Dict. v. Eating. + Antiqu. Repert. p. 90.

Hen. Knyghton, inter X. Script. col. 2314.

See Stow, Hist. p. 155.

Malmesbury, p. 156, who, for tempore patris, has tempore fratris. Knyghton however, evidently transcribes William of Malmsbury

church-yards better furnished with them, than they now are; it being very rare to meet with above one or two of them in the same place. It cannot indeed be denied, but that when they are grown to a great size, their thick foliage may be a good protection from storms, and accordingly, in the Observations on the more ancient Statutes, we are informed, that, upon felling the yew-trees in a country church-yard in Wales, the roof of the church suffered excessively. But though perhaps, in a few parishes, more than usual of these trees might for some reason or other be planted in church-yards; yet, as I observed, their slow growth, and the few remains of them at present, give reason to believe, that they were not in general planted for that purpose. The statute of 13 Ed. I. that settles the property of trees in church-yards, recites indeed that they were often planted" to defend the force of the wind from hurting of the church;" but is so far from giving room to think that yews were planted for such defence, that it appears, that the trees in question were such as were fit for the repairs of the church and chancel, and were to be cut down for no other purpose.

Nor am I better satisfied, that yews were planted in church-yards to furnish bows: at least, our ancient legisla tors appear not to have ordered such plantations; for though there are several laws that encourage archery, and condescend so far as to regulate many very minute particulars relative to bows and arrows, yet I cannot find any statute or proclamation that directs the cultivation of the yewtree in any place whatever; whereas James I. when he hoped to introduce the manufacture of silk among us, wisely ordered that church-yards should be planted with mulberry-trees for the use of the parish. On the contrary, our old laws, though full of complaints of the scarcity and dearness of bow-staves, instead of ordering the cultivation of the yew-tree at home, oblige merchants to import materials for bows from abroad. I shall quote some passages from these statutes as curiosities. One in 12 Edward ÏV. recites, that the King had perceived, by a petition from the commons, the great scarcity and excessive price of bowstaves, and therefore ordains, that every merchant stranger that shall convey into this land any merchandise of the city or country of Venice, or of any other city, town, or country, from whence any such bowstaves have been before this * time brought, shall bring at the same time four bowstaves for every ton of such merchandise. Another in the reign of Rich. III. informs us, that upon the bowyers representing