The Festyvall adds, "A candell is made of weke and wexe; so was Crystes soule hyd within the manhode: also the fyre betokeneth the Godhede: also it betokeneth our Laydes moderhede and maydenhede, lyght with the fyre of love!" In Dunstan's Concord of Monastic Rules it is directed that, on the Purification of the Virgin Mary, the monks shall go in surplices to the church for candles, which shall be consecrated, sprinkled with holy water, and censed by the Abbot. Let every monk take a candle from the Sacrist, and light it. Let a procession be made, Thirds and Mass be celebrated, and the candles, after the offering, be offered to the priest." See Fosbroke's British Monachism, i. 28. A note adds: "Candlemas Day. The candles at the Purification were an exchange for the lustration of the Pagans, and candles were used from the parable of the wise virgins." (Alcuinus de Divinis Officiis, p. 231.)

It was anciently a custom for women in England to bear lights when they were churched, as appears from the following royal bon mot. William the Conqueror, by reason of sickness, kept his chamber a long time, whereat the French King, scoffing, said, "The King of England lyeth long in child-bed;" which when it was reported unto King William, he answered, "When I am churched, there shall be a thousand lights in France;" (alluding to the lights that women used to bear when they were churched :) and that he performed within a few daies after, wasting the French territories with fire and sword. 1

In a most rare book entitled The Burnynge of Paules Church in London, 1561, and the 4 day of June, by Lyghtnynge, &c. 8vo. Lond. 1563, we read, "In Flaunders everye Saturdaye betwixt Christmas and Candlemas they eate flesh for joy, and have pardon for it, because our Layde laye so long in child-bedde say they. We here may not eat so: the Pope is not so good to us; yet surely it were a good reason that we should eat fleshe with them all that while that our Lady lay in child-bed, as that we shuld bear our candel at her churchinge at Candlemas with theym as they doe. It is seldome sene that men offer candels at women's churchinges, savinge at our Ladies: but reason it is that she have some

1 Camden's Remains, edit. 8vo. Lond. 1674, p. 318.

preferement, if the Pope would be so good maister to us as to let us eat fleshe with theym."

In Lysons' Environs of London, i. 310, among his curious extracts from the churchwardens' accounts at Lambeth, I find the following:-"1519. Paid for Smoke Money at Seynt Mary's Eve, 0. 2. 6." This occurs again in 1521.-"Paid by my Lord of Winchester's scribe for Smoke Money, 0. 2. 6."

The following is Barnabe Googe's Translation of Naogeorgus, in the Popish Kingdome, f. 47:

"Then comes the day wherein the Virgin offered Christ unto
The Father chiefe, as Moyses law commanded hir to do.

Then numbers great of tapers large both men and women beare
To church, being halowed there with pomp, and dreadful words to heare.
This done, eche man his candell lightes where chiefest seemeth hee,
Whose taper greatest may be seene, and fortunate to bee;

Whose candell burneth cleare and bright, a wondrous force and might
Doth in these candels lie, which if at any time they light,

They sure beleve that neyther storme or tempest dare abide,
Nor thunder in the skies be heard, nor any devil's spide,

Nor fearefulle sprites that walke by night, nor hurts of frost or haile." We read in Wodde's Dialogue, cited more particularly under Palm Sunday, Wherefore serveth holye candels? (Nicholas). To light up in thunder, and to blesse men when they lye a dying." Thomas Legh, in a letter to Lord Cromwell, of the time of Henry VIII. (MS. Cotton. Nero. b. iii. f. 115), finishes, "Valete Hamburgiæ in fasto Purificationis Beatæ Mariæ quo Candelas accensas non videbam, satis tamen clara dies."

"1

In some of the ancient illuminated Calendars a woman holding a taper in each hand is represented in the month of February. In the Doctrine of the Masse Booke, &c. from Wyttonburge by Nicholas Dorcaster, 1554, 8vo. we find

"The Hallowing of Candles upon Candlemas Day.”

The Prayer. "O Lord Jesu Christ, I-blesse thou this creature of a waxen taper at our humble supplication, and by the vertue of the holy crosse, pour thou into it an heavenly

See on this subject Dupré's Conformity between Ancient and Modern Ceremonies,' p. 96, and Stopford's 'Pagano-Papismus,' p. 238.

benediction; that as thou hast graunted it unto man's use for the expelling of darkness, it may receave such a strength and blessing, thorow the token of the holy crosse, that in what places soever it be lighted or set, the Devil may avoid out of those habitacions, and tremble for feare, and fly away discouraged, and presume no more to unquiet them that serve thee, who with God," &c. Then follow other prayers, in which occur these passages: "We humbly beseech thee, that thou wilt vouchsafe to blesse and sanctify these candels prepared unto the uses of men, and health of bodies and soules, as wel on the land as in the waters." "Vouchsafe + to blesse and + sanctifye, and with the candle of heavenly benediction, to lighten these tapers; which we thy servants taking in the honour of thy name (when they are lighted) desire to beare," &c. "Here let the candles be sprinkled with holy water." Concluding with this rubrick:-"When the halowyng of the candels is done, let the candels be lighted and distributed."

In Bishop Bonner's Injunctions, A.D. 1555, printed that year by John Cawood, 4to. we read, "that bearyng of candels on Candelmasse Daie is doone in the memorie of our Saviour Jesu Christe, the spirituall lyght, of whom Sainct Symeon dyd prophecie, as it is redde in the church that day." The ceremony, however, had been previously forbidden in the metropolis: for in Stowe's Chronicle, edited by Howes, ed. 1631, p. 595, we find, “On the second of February, 1547-8, being the Feast of the Purification of our Lady, commonly Candlemasse Day, the bearing of candles in the church was left off throughout the whole citie of London."

At the end of a curious sermon, entitled "the Vanitie and Downefall of the superstitious Popish Ceremonies, preached in the Cathedral Church of Durham, by one Peter Smart, a Prebend there, July 27, 1628," Edinb. 1628, I find, in "a briefe but true historicall narration of some notorious acts and speeches of Mr. John Cosens," (Bishop of Durham,) the following: "Fourthly, on Candlemass Day last past, Mr. Cosens, in renuing that Popish ceremonie of burning candles, to the honour of our Ladye, busied himself from two of the clocke in the afternoone till foure, in climbing long ladders to stick up wax candles in the said cathedral church: the number of all the candles burnt that evening was two hun

dred and twenty, besides sixteen torches: sixty of those. burning tapers and torches standing upon and near the high altar (as he calls it,) where no man came nigh."

In Nichols's Churchwardens' Accompts, 1797, p. 270, in those of St. Martin Outwich, London, under the year 1510, is the following article: "Paid to Randolf Merchaunt, wexchandiler, for the Pascall, the Tapers affore the Rode, the Cross Candelles, and Judas Candelles, ix iiijd." In the churchwardens' accounts of the parish of Alhallows Staining, mention of these frequently occurs. "Item: paid to William Bruce, peyntur, the xiij. day of Aprill, for peyntyng the Judasis of the Paschall, and of the Rode-loft, xxd. Item: paid the xx. day of Aprile to Thomas Arlome, joynour, for stuff and workmanship, planyng, and settyng up the said Judasis of the Paschall and the Rode-loft, and for the borde that the Crucifix, Marie, and John standen in, iij vjd." And adverting to their dealings with William Symmys, wax chaundeller, the churchwardens observe, "Also he receyved of us Churchwardens of the beame lighte in cleyr wax xlviij. beside the Judaces. Also receyvid of hym in tenable candylls for the Judas and the Crosse Candyll on Ester evyn and the paschall." Tenable is a misnomer for teneber or tenebræ.1 So in a subsequent entry, "for our sepulchre light, our paschall and Judas candells called teneber candylls."

“There is a canon," says Bourne, in the Council of Trullus, "against those who baked a cake in honour of the Virgin's lying-in, in which it is decreed that no such ceremony should be observed, because she suffered no pollution, and therefore needed no purification." The purple-flowered Lady's Thistle, the leaves of which are beautifully diversified with numerous white spots, like drops of milk, is vulgarly thought to have been originally marked by the falling of some drops of the Virgin Mary's milk on it, whence, no doubt, its name Lady's, i. e. Our Lady's Thistle. An ingenious little invention of the dark ages, and which, no doubt, has been of service to the cause of superstition."

1 Teneble Wednesday is mentioned by Palsgrave, 1530. See further in Halliwell's Dictionary, p. 858.

2 Marry, a term of asseveration in common use, was originally, in Popish times, a mode of swearing by the Virgin Mary; q. d. by Mary.

At Ripon, in Yorkshire, the Sunday before Candlemas Day the collegiate church, a fine ancient building, is one continued blaze of light all the afternoon by an immense number of candles. See Gent. Mag. 1790, p. 719.

The following is from Herrick's Hesperides, p. 337 :

"Ceremonies for Candlemass Eve."

"Down with the Rosemary and Bayes,
Down with the Misleto;
Instead of Holly, now up-raise
The greener Box for show.

The Holly hitherto did sway,
Let Box now domineere

Until the dancing Easter Day
Or Easter's Eve appeare.

Then youthful Box, which now hath grace
Your houses to renew,

Grown old, surrender must his place

Unto the crisped Yew.

When Yew is out, then Birch comes in,

And many flowers beside;

Both of a fresh and fragrant kinne

To honour Whitsontide.

Green Rushes then, and sweetest Bents,

With cooler Oaken boughs,

Come in for comely ornaments,
To re-adorn the house.

Thus times do shift; each thing his turne do's hold;
New things succeed, as former things grow old."

So again, p. 361:

"Down with the Rosemary and so

Down with the Baies and Misletoe :
Down with the Holly, Ivie, all

Wherewith ye dress the Christmas Hall:
That so the superstitious find

No one least branch there left behind :
For look how many leaves there be
Neglected there, (maids, trust to me)
So many goblins you shall see."

So also Marrow-bones, for the knees. I'll bring him down upon his Marrow-bones, i. e. I'll make him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary.