ON THE BURLESQUE FESTIVALS Onate description has reached us F THE BOY BISHOP a more mi than any of the former parodies, owing to the discovery of a monument in the Cathedral Church of Sarum of a little boy in an episcopal habit, with a dragon at his feet. This figure bad lain for many years under a seat near the pulpit, at the removal of which it was discovered, and placed in the North part of the nave, between the pillars, "not without a general imputation of reverence; it seeming impossible to every one, that either a Bishop could be so small in person, or a childe so great in clothes." Bishop Mountague, whose controversial engagements afforded him no leisure for the study of antiquities, directed the learned John Gregory to investigate the circumstance, which he commenced by examining the Statutes of that church, and, by a felicity of research, was enabled to compile a full account of the monument and its origin. The publication of his labours was delayed by the author's death; but they were given to the world in his " Posthuma," edited by his friend John Gurgany, under this title: "Episcopus Puerorum in Die Innocentium; or, a Discoverie of an Antient Custom in the Church of Sarum, making an Anniversarie Bishop among the Choristers. London, printed by William Dugard, for Laurence Sadler, and are to be sold at the Golden Lion, in Little Britain," 1649, 4to. * This ceremony, as the title intimates, was one of the numerous commemorations of the Murder of the Innocents, still observed at the feast of Kildermas, Without examining into the traditions of the Jews relative to that event, the celebration seems to have originated in the Christian Church of Ethiopia, at their Corban or Communion; but so tardy was its progress, that in the reign of Justinian it was unknown at Constantipople: succeeding ages, however, gave rise to numerous and diversified Festivals, which, while they kept the memory of their origin alive, added *Pp. of the volume from 95 to 123 inclusive. to the monastic influence in Europe. It is recorded of Louis XI. that he transacted no public or private business on that day, so profound was his veneration for this solemnity; other persons entertained a different idea of celebration, and inflicted a severe flagellation upon children, with the intention of adding a reality to the gloom of the Festival*. Absurd as these remembrances may seem, the ritual of Oseney enjoined one pecoliarly indecent to its religious; the foot of a child was there kept in the vestry, for the purpose of being carried among the congregation on that Festival, as an object of adoration t. But the most " commensurate recollection (says Gregory), did not the superstitious part spoil the decorum," is this, namely, the Boy Bishop: his account, collected principally from the Statute of Salisbury, "De Epis copo Choristarum," is the most perfect one extant, although it has not had the fortune to be republished in this age of dissertation and research; from that source, therefore, must our chief information be drawn, while we consider the Boy Bishop in his pomp, office, and decline.. I. The Bishop was chosen by his fellow children on St. Nicholas' Day (whether by lot, suffrage, or seniority, is uncertain), and retained his dignity till the close of Childermas. He bore the name, enjoyed the state, and carried the crosier of a prelate, with a mitre more costly than those of real episcopacy; while the other choristers assumed the part of Prebendaries, yielding to their superior canonical obedience, and performing the accustomed service, Mass only excepted, the celebration of which was committed to none but priests, as successors to the Apostles, to whom alone that authority was given §. On the eve of the Festival of Innocents, Gregory. + The Rubrick has these words, “Item notandum quod in Die Innocentium, post Primam, preparatur Pes innocentis; videlicet, cum rubro auriculari, nigroque panno super auricularem posito, qui jacet in quadam cista in Revestuario, et postea in Karola deferatur, ut adoretur à populo." "Multis Episcoporum mitris sumtuosior." § See Langley's "Abridgeme't of the notable worke [de rerum inventoribus] of Polidore Vergile," 1546, fol. c. xiii, b. 1821.] On the Burlesque Festivals of former Ages. a solemn procession was made to the The procession entered the choir by the West door, after which the Bishop seated himself at the upper end, the Chaplains in the middle, and the Dean at the lower*. During the first anthem, he fumigated the altar and image of the Trinity, and repeated the verse Lælamini, &c. to which all present responded. After a short prayer, similar to the collect now used t, the chaunter-chorister commenced the De Sancta Maria, which was succeeded by the Prelate's benediction, who, receiving the crosier from one of his attendants, figured a cross on his forehead, exclaiming, "Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini," the congregation answering, "Qui fecit Cælum et Terram." Some other ceremonies having taken place, be dismissed them with these words: "Benedical vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus."The procession then returned in the same order as before. 199 faint idea of his office and duties, as At "A Bishoppes roume is not so muche an honour as it is an heuye burden, not so muche a laude as a lode. For his deutie is not onely to weare a mitre and crosier, but also to watche over the flocke of the Lorde vigilantly, to teache with the worde diligently, with example honestly, and in all thynges too go afore them uprightly, Amongst the various imitations of and leade them in the waie of trueth, that thei maie folowe the patron of his godly dignity which distinguished these Fes-lyuyng, and there as it were in a myrroure tivals, the Boy Bishop claims a high beholde howe thei oughte too refourme and distinction, as well for its solemnity, confourme their lyvyng."+ as its observance of decency and order; and so great was the respect entertained for its observance, that all persons were forbidden, under pain of anathema, to disturb the children during their divine service; nor was any priest, of whatever degree, allowed to ascend the upper step of the altar till the procession of the following day should be finished. II. From the different authors who mention this Prelate, we have but a "Ut Decanus cum Canonicis infi mom locum; Sacellani, medium; Scholares verò cum suo Episcopo ultimum et dignissimum locum occupant." Statute of Sarum, apud Gregory. + Deus, cujus hodierna die præconium Innocentes Martyres non loquendo, sed moriendo, confessi sunt, omnia in nobis vitiorum mala mortifica; ut fidem tuam quam Lingua nostra loquitur, etiam moribus vita fateatur ; Qui cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto, &c. Whether this office was lucrative The Boy remains to be discovered. Bishop of Cambrai is the only one of whose revenues and patronage any idea can be formed; he was in the receipt of eertain rents (though to what amount is not said), and had the disposal of whatever prebend became void in his time, which he usually bestowed on his preceptor. His power was of short duration, being limited to a month, but seems to have been more extensive than that of the petty prelates in this country. Nor has the Antiquary informed his readers if the honours of the chorister ceased with his episcopal functions, whether he still retained a superiority among his companions, or sunk into the condition of a chaunter-boy, undistinguished and unregarded. One thing alone is certain. In case of a Bishop dying within the appointed term, he was buried with a melancholy pomp, in all his ornaments; the figure of a prelate with a dragon at his feet, in allusion to a passage in Scripture*, being placed on his tomb. Ill. The decline of this Festival throughout Europe may be attributed to two reasons, not entirely independent of each other. On the Continent, after surviving the numerous parodies of religion, the Boy Bishop appears to have sunk into disuse, from the causes which combined to subvert the Catholic faith, and the corruption occasioned by time. With these ideas, the Council of Basil prohibited the Feast of Innocents, together with that of Fools, as an abuse of Religion. In England the cause was somewhat different, for it fell with the faith to which it was appendant. Yet it is but just to observe, that one whose name is sufficient to recommend his opinions, conceived the idea of rendering it serviceable in instruction; it was COLET, Dean of St. Paul's, and founder of the School, who added to the importance of a ceremony, already on the verge of abolition. In the statutes of his foundation, drawn up in 1512, he directs that the boys "shall every Childermas Day come to Paule's Churche, and hear the Childe Bishop's sermon; and after be at hygh Masse; and each of them offer a penny to the Childe Byshop, and with them the maisters and surveyors of the Scholet." This worthy priest did not live to see the suppression of his favourite custom+, which was abolished by an Order of Council in 1536, during the progress of the dissolution of monasteries. The order, which is extremely curious, contains some notices of this remarkable Festival: "Whereas heretofore dyvers and many superstitious and chyldysh observances have been used, and yet to this day are observed and kept in many and sundry places of this realm -; children be strangelie decked and apparayled to counterfeit priests, bishops, and women, and so ledde with songs and dances from house to house, blessing the people, and gathering of money; and boyes do singe masse, and preache in the pulpits, with such other unfitinge and inconvenient usages, which tend rather to derysyon than anie true glorie of God, or honor of his sayntes." Although this denunciation attacks nothing but what was agreeable to the humour of the people, and consistent with a custom which produced no great evil, in consequence of the rage for abolishing every thing established as Catholic or profane, the Boy Bishop shared the fate of his religion. During the short reign of Mary, this Festival experienced a temporary revival t; but her decease, and the subsequent regulations, gave the death-blow to an institution, which, as Gregory justly observes, "deserveth to be remembered, tho' it were not fit to have been done." The triennial procession of the Eton scholars ad montem is by many conjectured to have originated in this custom; and some traces of this imitation of dignity may be discerned in the Captain of the Collegiate School of Westminster: both of these foundations were originally of a monastic character, and the effect of scenes to which their members were once familiar, is yet to be found within their walls. (To be continued.) Mr. URBAN, IN Sept. 4. N reply to a question (p. 124), I wish to state, that Sir John Pakington, the second bart. of the family, married a daughter of Thomas Lord Coventry, Lord Keeper, the supposed authoress of the "Whole Duty of Man," by whom he had an only son and two daughters, of whom the eldest was the wife of Antony Eyre, of Rampton, Nottinghamshire, esq. I wish you had asked Father Gan dolfi (p. 185), what was his reason for wishing to disguise his name. I remember, about 1760, two merchants in London of that name, which they had no wish to disguise, Italian Catholicks of high credit, who might, perhaps, be his father and uncle: he was a bigoted, unrelenting priest; but it cannot be denied that he said some things to the present Bp. of Peterborough, which that Right Rev. Prelate could not easily parry. J. B. Cotton MS. apud Strutt. + Strutt. Warton, II. 16. Mr. Godwin calls the procession biennial. Some |