26.— AUGUSTIN, Ot AUSTIN.

This English apostle^ as he is termed, was commis-
aoned by Pope Gregory the Oreat to convert die



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133 RBMARKABLB DAYS

Saxons. He was created Archbishop of Canterbury
in 55s, and died about the year 610.

*26. 1824.— CAPEL LOPFT DIED,

An admired poet and the fribno of Bloomfield ;
a distinguished writer in the law department, as well
as in defence of liberty ; an earnest black-letter en-
thusiast in literature, and in private life an amiable
man.

27*^VENERABLB BEDE.

Bede was bom at Yarrow in Northumberland, in
673. His grand work is the Ecclesiastical History
of the Saxons. Bede has obtained the title of Vene-
rable, for his profound learning and unaffected piety.
—See T. T. for 1823, p. 130.

29.— TRINITY SUNDAY.

Stephen, Bishop of Liege, first drew up an office
in commemoration of the Holy Trinity, about the
year 920 ; but the festival was not formally admitted
into the Romish church till the fourteenth century,
under the pontificate of John XXII.

^. — XING CHARLES II RESTORED.

On the 8th of May, 1660, Charles II was pro-
claimed in London and Westminster, and afterwards
throughout his dominions, with great joy and univer-
sal acclamations. The 29th is still celebrajted in
some parts of England with considerable ' pomp
and circumstance,' gaiety and splendour. — It was
after the fatal battle of Worcester, his forces scat-
tered and his fortunes crost, that the unfortunate
Charles fled to imd found safety in the forest of
Boscobel. There cradled in an oak, in the com-,
pany of the faithful Captain Careless, and dis-
guised as a common trooper, he succeeded in evad-
ing the pursuit of the parliamentary myrmidons.
Since that time the oak and its acorn have been
gratefully remembered ; and have given rise to the
following elegant stanzas from the pen of a gendeman
whose various ' flights to Parnassus' we hope ;soon to ,
see cpllected into a pretty little hot-pressed volume.



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IN MAY 1825. 133



wMcli. may accompany us in oar siunnier rambles^
as well as take its place in our winter library among
the poetical worthies of modem times.

The Pride of the Forest.

Giant of verdure ! Forest King,

Fadeless be now in branch and stem —
And high towards Heav*n be flourishing

Thy storm-unbroken diadem ; —
Oh, there is one that crouches nqfRr
Beneath thy acorn-spangled bough

(His nest thy sun-tinged leaf)
O'er whose hid stature there should rest
A statelier robe than thy green vest,

Denoting England's chief. .
Before him wave e proof! — ^The parliament-
ary records connected with our prisons bear ample
testimony to the absurdity of the remark. The libe-



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IN MAY 1825. 135

raiity of their antocriptioiui to ajlevif^te the dis*
treases of otheie^ und, above all, the wppoti; they
reader to those of th^ir own sect, whom the cruel
tcoapests of adversity have reduced to helpless iadi*
geaqe> demonstrate a philaothropy almost houadless,
and a beaevoleace that knows no restraint. Their
sincerity is unimpeacbed and proverbial— they make
no useless profeasions - pay no fulsome compli-
ments, bat pursue the straight «uiid direct path of
rectitude, without retreating or diverging from it.
Unmoved by the world's sneers - ^untouched by its
Hdicule— they gain ^' their point proposed/' This de*
cision of character is ever Ihe accompaniment of a
great mind, ^' where that is, there are more virtues,"
< To censure individuals for not esteeming the va*
niAiiig pleasures of a concert, or the noise of a ball*
ro<mi> is too absurd to be cherished by the thinking
part of mankind for an instant ; but as many of the
young may have nourished feelings prejudicial to the
sect from such a line of proceeding, we will tell
them the consequence of the ado)[>tion of such a
course as the Queers pursue^ — The mind requires
incessant nourishment, and we believe there is no in*
dividual who could exist, if destitute of every pur*
suit; trivial gratifications being rejected, and sub-
stantial and intellectual enjoyments substituted in
their place, must necessarily tend to mental refine-
ment and ^e cultivation of such sources of pleasure
as will bear after reflection. Among this class the
beauties of Nature and the wonders of Providence
hold ttie first place: if there are any studies that
can purify the heart, or elevate the mind, it is the
foregoing ; and will there be any hardy enough to
contend on the predilection of the Quakers for such
pursuits? Astronomy, Geography, Mineralogy, Che-
mistry, and many omer Sciences, require undivided
attention, if it is the intention of the student to ex-
cel in them : and how much more likely is this to
happen with one who is free from those ensnaring



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136 REMARKABLE DAYS.

pleasures, which waste hours theinost important,
and unfit the mind for thought or reflection after-
wards, than with those who possess capabilities
which they neglect, or suffer to dwindle away alto-
gether, by making themselves the slaves of worldly
vsmity, and year after year following up a career of
dissipation, which must end in bitterness and regret.
Surely this is worthy the reflection of beings who
would feel it as an insult were they denominated any
thing but rafionaf beings; yethowwidely astray from
the dictates of common sense is the path they are
pursuing ! These observations have not been written
with a view to elevate the Quakers, and to dispar-
age every other sect ; — it is to hold their virtues up
to imitation, to show llie pathways they have selected,
which' have made their public character (as a body)
esteemed and revered, and filled their homes with
those consoling reflections which it is not in the
power of adversity to deprive them of. Prejudices
it will be admitted they have many, but' analyse
thetn, and you will find ^' they lean to virtue's side." —
Perhaps they possess faults of education or habit:
be that as it may ; their very education and prcga<^
dices conspire to render them the benefactors of
their species/

Astronomical ^ttntttm&

In MAY 1825.

The Two Heavens;
A Persian Melody.

'Tis sweet to look out at the still hour of dren,
And gaze on the almond-trees shining afar,

When the hills they adorn wear the beauty of heaven.
And each silver blossom seems lit by a stiar :

Then I turn to the waves of the calm Band Amir *,

And see how the stars in the water appear ;

> The antient Araxes.



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ASTftOVOMtCAL 0CCI71|ftS«rCl»« 137

For the earth and the sky are so lovelily blended.
When the beam of Halaly ' first struggles to birth,

One might fancy the stars ^om the sky had descended,
To play with the flowers that bloom on the earth :

Tu a moment whose glory is equalled by none,

IVhen the lights of two heavens are mingled in one.

lAUrary Gazette.

Solar Phbnom«na^

The Sun enters Gemim at 18 m. after 2 in the
morning of flie 21st of this month, and he rises and
sets as in the following

table
Ofihe^Shm's Rising and Setting far every fifth Day.

^^Y 1st, Sun fises 36 m. after 4. Sets 24 m. after

Ovu, p.f»»»»» J&f ••••••• 7 ••••• tSl f f • • • •

lOtlly •••^•#f« JLo •••••f« 4 •••f« 4T ■••••«

21st, • •• 6 ••^•••. 4 *•»•• 54 •pp9»»

S6th^..* 59 3 1 8

3lst,| 54 ^. 9 6 ...... 8

Equation qf Time.
Instances frequently opcur when it is required to
reduce appip^nt to true time, which is done by em-
ploying me equation as directed in the following

Of the E^titm of Tim^for evfry fifth Day.

Sunday, May • • 1st, from the time \yj the dial mihtract 3 4

Friday eth, 3 36

Wednesday •• lUh, 3 54

Monday 16th, 3 56

Saturday, .... dlst, ^ 3 45

Thursday .... a6th, « 3 21

Tuesday 31st, ..,^.,..t 2 45

If the time be required for any of tiie intermediate
days, or for any other time of the day than noon, it
must be found by proportton w already ejcplained.

• The Moon.

m2



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138 ASTRONOMTfCAL OC€t7RRBNCX» ■ ' ^-

Lunar Phenomena.
Phases of the Moon.

FuU Moon . 3d d«yyat50oi.after 2 in th9 afternoon

Last Quarter 9th 21 9 atnigbt

New Moon .18th 6 10 in the morning

FirstQuarter 35th • 51 6

Full Moon . 3lst 58 11 at night

Eclipse of the Moon,
On the evening of the 31st of this month the Moon
will be visibly eclipsed^ and the circomstances under
which. the obscuration will take place are the fol-
lowing^ viz.

Beginning of the eclipse 53 45 after 11

Ecliptic opposition 58 •••. II

Middle of the eclipse 8 30 .... 12

. End of the eclipse 23 13 .... 13

Digits eclipsed are 0^ 13^| on the Moon's northern limb, or from
the southern side of the Earth's shadow.

' Moon^s Fasmge over the.Meridian.
The following transits of the Moon may be ob-
served this monthV should the atmosphere in tiiat di-
rection be clear at the respective times.

May 8th, at 59m.. after 4 in the morning

9th ..,, 46 5

10th .... 30 6

11th .... 1!» 7

12th .... 53 7

'24th .... 42 5' in the evening

25th .... 32 6

26th .... 22 7 .«

27th .... 13 8

28th .... 7 9

29th .... 2 10

30th .... 11

TABLE .

Of the Time of High Water at l/mdonfor^^
fifth Day.

Momntg. ^ftemohn.

May lst,at 44m. after 14m.after 1

'6th, ..41 4... 2 5

llth, .. 44 ...... 8 12 9

16th, .. 43 7^ 1

21st, .. 16 4 36 4

26th, .. 24 8 56 8

31st, .. 24 ...... 1 54 1



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IN MAY 1825. 139



The times for yarioiis other places may be found
from these by the assistance of the additional nnm-
hers given in psLgefti of this yolnme; and the hours
for any intermediate days may also bQ obtained by
proportion.

Phenomena Planetarum.

Phases of Vetms.

The comparative breadths of the bright and dark
phases of tliis beautiful planet, at the beginning of
this month, are.



Mav 1st / W'«™i'iated part == 1*2166



[Dark part =: 10.7834

Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites.
Jupiter now approaches so near the Sun as to ren-
der most of the eclipses of his satellites altogether
invisible; so that of flie twenty-six of the first and
second of these small bodies, which will take place
this month, only two of them can be seen, which
are the following, viz.

Emersions.

First Satellite, 12th day, at 49 m. 22 s. after 9 in the eVening
Second Satellite, Sth 10 '• • 13/ in the morning

Conjunction of the Moon with the Planets and Stars.

May 3d, with »in Scorpio, at 9 in the eVening
I7th, •••. »in Aries, •... .7 in the morning

ISth, .... Venus 5

18th, ...• Mars. 5

18th, .... Saturn. •.....• 1 in the afternoon
3l8t, .... a in Scorpio ... 7 in the morning

Mercury will be stationary, on tiie 2d of this month,
and he will be in conjunction with Venus at 5'in the
afternoon of the 11th. He will also be in his inferior
conjunction at 6 in the morning of the 14tfa. Venus
will likewise be in her inferior conjunction at a quar-
ter past 4 in the afternoon of the 19th. Mercury
will be stationary on the 26th ; and Mars will be in
conjunction at half-past 10 in the evening of the same
day.



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140 ASTRONOMICAL OltC0RRSNCBS.

When tbe bahny evenings of tius month innto the
contemplative mind to a loneljr ramble, ttie eveu*
ing^star is often hailed witii peculiar pleasore, as tbe
companion of oar solttary inray. This id flie pefioe*
fol feeling of the following lines.

Q» the ^EivENiNG Star.

[From MoKhus.]

Jbdly Hesperas! bright torch of Beauty's qaeen^
Dear sacred g«m 4>f dewy evening, bail I

$9 shm^ tliy rayp above her spangM sbeeo»
As glows the Moon above thy radiance pale.

When to tb' aocustoBied fair my footsteps stray,
Now timeir «hine, for^lo, the cbangelkl Moon

Drives ber dim ohariot in the bjaze of day»
And envious sets ere half the night be done.

Vq plunder tempts me through the treacherous shade.
For me no nightiy traveller shall moun ;

^s Love that caQs thee, be his voiee obeyed f
Sweet 10 bor jbove, aj|4 ^\^V$» a «weat reivan^

Trauskaions by Morritt.

While in the full enjoyment of such tranquilU^w^
circumstances, how t>e£^utifa}ly has the poet de-
^nbed Oe fealingis ihat ispinetiines take possession
of tiie whole mind, and constitute wbait ttsUy de-

Thea let mj course below
To them be near allied-—
Far from the worldly sbow,
Through 4ifn sequestered vaHeys let me glide :
Scarce jbte my »U>p descried
Amid the ponypus pageant of the sceile ; *
But irbere the hazels bide
Coel atreain or «hade beimia ibm \e»fy fPc^^n,
Miae he 0m gm$^ aeat^*)l lively, ^^ and greep.
WUhintiuwe m^aiH bovwM,
W^^rf ^weet *o Mr md jeye
Come gentle si^bs and sounds,
The cnrrebt of ntur days shall mamiar by
in calm tranq^lity (

Kur doomed i» tM p'flpr JPmt^^'M pwlgr be4,
Nor slotfafully to lie

Like the dull pools in stagnant marshes bred.
Where waving weeds are rank, and noxious tendrils spread.

New MimMif Magaxinei



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THE naturalist's DIARY. 141

%^t Jgaturaltef g Siatp

For MAY 1825.

^Tis SPRING-TIDE now : the butterfly more bright,
Wheels o'er the cowslips, in the rainbow light ;
The lamb, the colt, the blackbird in the brake,
. Seem all a vernal feeling to partake ;
The < swallow twitters' in the eartiest ray.

More grateful comes the fragrance after rain
To him who steals along the sweet-briar lane ^
And all things seem to the full heart to bring
The blissful breathing of the world's first spring.

More cheerful comes the sunshine of May-morn,
Tlie bee from earliest light now winds his horn.
Busiest from flower to.flower,*a8 he would say,
* Up ! arise ! for it is the morn of May !

Ellen Gray. <

With what delightfal sensations do we view the
opening of the present month 1 Every tree and shrub
clad in its garment of youth ai^d loveliness, shines
forth in purest . green, as yet unsullied by the de-
structive insjBct. What production of the most skil**
ful artist can compare with that inimita))Ie picture
which Nature presents on a fine May morning ! —
The blossoms of the different fruit trees mingling
their tints of pink and white with the more sable
green which surrounds them ; the numerous flowers
which meet the eye in varied succession, regaling
the senses with their rich perfume, and displaying in
their endless variety the skill of that Divine Artist
from whose hand they proceed; the melodious
songs of the feathered tribe, exulting in their liberty, —
greatly increase the effect of this scene, which is
rendered perfect by the glorious source of light and
heat rising above the horizon, and diffusing his
cheering beams on all around.
Morning.

Grey twilight steals along the eastern sky,
And mom's pale blushing tints still deeper grow;

The joyous lark awakes, and, soaring high,
Carols in son-beams; while the earth below



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142 T{1B NATURAMSTS DIARY

Is wrapt in dusky shade ; — a splendid glow
Of crimson light flash«Ath« early day ;

The songs of birds in one wild oborti^ fiow^
As mounts the sun ; and quivering in his ray.
The dews of evening fly : — night's shadow rolls away.

CHARLES BLOOMFIELD*.

Such is the picture of a 'fine May morning;* but
too often^ however, ia our northern climate, this
' smiling season of the year' is transformed * into a
Russian winter f and we are led to exclaim with the
poet.

Those glittering dew-drops of a vernal morn,
That spread their colours to the genial beam.
And sparkling quiver to the hreath of May ;
When the rough tempeat with sonorous wing
Sweeps o'er the grove, forsake the lab'ring bough,
Dispersed in air or mingled with the dust.

With us, indeed, the beauties of this month are
rattier those of infancy and promise ; but there is a
gladness and hope about it which marvellously de-
light us. There is, as it were, a sympathetic re-
vival and budding forth of the feelings at this pecu-
liar season ; a delightful expansion of the heart at
the return of May. It is said that birds about this
time will become restless in their cages, as if instinct
with the season, conscious of the revelry that is
gohig on in the groves, and impatient to break from
their bondage, and join in the jubilee of the year.
' In like manner' (says an elegant writer) ^ I have felt
myself excited, even in the midst of the metropolis,
when the windows, which had been churlishly closed
all winter, were again thrown open to receive the
balmy breath of May ; when the sweets of the coun-
try were breathed into the town, and flowers wer6
cried about the streets. Z have considered the trea-
sures of flowers thus poured in, as so many missives
from nature inviting us forth to enjoy the virgin
beauty of the year, before its freshness is exhaled

by the heats of sunny summer/

' — ■ ' ■ ■ ■ t > . I I 'll —— — ^

' See * Remains of Robert Bloomfield* (vol. i, p. 90).



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FOR MAY 1825. 143

Tke early fiowers of sprin§, to those in health,
always bmg with them a degree of pleasure ; and
oar affections seem immediatdy to expand^ at the
sight of &e first openwg blosMAi, ander the sunny
wall or sheltered banlt, lM>wev6r humble its race may
be« In tlie long and dreary months of winter^ our
loT« of nature^ like the bads in t^etation> seems
closed and torpid; but, like them^ it unfolds and
reanimates with ttie opening year^ and we welcome
our long lost associates with a cordiality that no
other season can excite. The violet of (mtumn par-
takes of none of the love we bear to the violet of
spring^ : 'tis unseasonable — ^perhaps it brings with it
rather a thought of melancholy; we view it yntii
curiosity, not affection :— nor is Bie rosa sera like
the rosa prima. It is not intrinsic beauty or splen-
dour that so charm us, for the fair maids of spring
cannot compete with the grander matrons of the
advanced year; they would be lost, perhaps un-
heeded, in the rosy bowers of summer and of au-
tumn. No ; it is our first meeting witti a long lost
friend, the reviving glow of a natural affection, that
so warms us in this season: to maturity, they
give pleasure as a harbinger of tiie renewal of life,
a signal of awakening nature, or of a higher pro-
mise — and the child is let loose from the house, riots

* Violets, a Sonnet.

BeSiutiful are you in ydtir lowlln<)ss ;

Sright in yOur hiMS) deticioas in ytmr 8i!«fikt ;

liOtely your modest blossoms, downward bent.
As shrinking from our gaze, yet prompt to bless
The passer-by with fragrance, and express

How gracefolly^ though mutely eloquent.

Are unobtrusive worth, and meek content.
Rejoicing in their own obscure recess.
Delightful flowerets I at the voice of Spring
Your buds unfolded to its stmbeams bright ;

And though your blossoms soon shall fade from sight^
Above your lowly birtfi-place bnrds shall sing,
• And from your elu^t'ring leaves iAie gltrw-worm flmg

The emerald glory of its earth-bom light.

B, BaartcnU « Poetic Vigils.*



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144 THB NATTTRAJLLSt's . DIARY

in the flowery meadow, and is 'monarch of all he
surveys:'. nor is there a prettier emblem of spring,
than an infant sporting with its basket in the sunny
field with its wreath of butter-caps and daisies. With
summer-flowers we seem to live, as with our neigh-
bours, in harmony and good-will ; but spring-flowers
are cherished like private friendships. — Let us then

Pluck the afresh floweret, ere it fade,
for 'Time is. yet a flying* — ^let us make 'coronets
of freshand fragrant flowers ' — watching all the while,
with the great poet of Nature and Arty

The dew which sometime on the buds
Is'^wont to swell, like round and orient pearls,
Standing within the pretty flow'rets eyes
. Like tears, that do their own disgrace bewail.

SHAKSPEARE.

The dew which falls from heaven
. Just glitters brilliant on the branch, and then
Exhales to Heaven again. H. neele.

The latest species of the summer birds of passage
arrive about the beginning of May. Among these
are the goatsucker, or fern-owl, the spotted fly-
catcher, and the sedge-bird. In this and the follow-
ing month, the dotterel is in season. Birds are still
occupied in building their nests or laying their eggs.
The parental care of birds at this period, iii hatching
and rearing their young, can never be sufficiently
admired\

The lily of the valley now opens her snowy bells,
and the flowers of the chesnut-tree begin to unfold;
the tulip-tree has its leaves quite out ; and the flowers
of the Scotch fir, the beech, the oak, and the honey-
suckle, climbing round its neighbours for support,
areoiow in full bloom.

' Some interesting anecdotes of the manners and habits of birds
and insects will be found in a series of pleasant Letters, entitled
* The Bird and InsecU* Post Office,* in * The Remains of Robert
Bloomfield,' vol. ii, p. 123. They are particularly adapted for
youth.



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FOR MAY 1825. 14$



So doth the wood-bine, the sweet honey-iuckUt
Gently entwiftt— the female ivy so
Enrings the barky fingers of the elm*

All the yarieties of fhe strawberry, 'plant of my
native soil/ now open their blossoms, their runners
extending on all sides. The mulberry-tree puts forth
its leaves.

The insect tribe continue to add to their numbers ;
among these may be named several kinds of moths
and htMerBiesCpapilioatalantay cardamines, €Bgeria,
kUhoma, ^c.) A few butterflies that have passed
the inclement season in the chrysalis state, are seen
(m the wing, early in May ; soon after which the fe-
male lays her eggs singly on the leaves of nettles.

The hutterfly springs on its new-wove wings,
The donnoase starts from his wintry sleeping;

The flowers of earth find a second birth,
To light and life from the darkness leaping ;

The roses and tulips will soon resume

Their youths' first perfume and primitive bloom.

Other insects now observed, are field crickets, the
chaffer or may-bug, and ttie forest-fly, which so
mnch annoys horses and cattle. The female wasp
appears at the latter end of the month, and the
swarming of hees takes place. — The garden now
affords rhubarb, green apricots and green goose-
berries, for making pies and tarts.

The orchis ("orchis mascula) will now be found in
moist pastures, distinguished by its broad black
spotted leaves, and spike of lar^e purple flowers.
The ¥ralnut (juglans regia) has its flowers in full
bloom.

The banks of rills and shaded hedges are orna-
malted with the pretty tribe of speedwells, particu-^
larly the germander speedwell, die field mouse-ear,
the dove's^foot crane's-bill, and the red campion,
the first two of azure blue, and the last two of rose
colour, intermixing their flowers with attractive va-
riety.— The country is now in perfection, every

N



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146 THB naturaust's diary

bush a nosegay, all the ground a piece of embroi-
dery : — now

Many a blossom, passing fair,

Playeth in the wanton air ;

And through velvet leaves the wind,

All OQseen, doth passage find.

The air, indeed, is enriched with native perfumes,
and the whole creation seems to smile; on each tree
we hear the voice of melody, and in every grove
there is a concert of warbling music ; — every bough
maintains

A feathered cliorister to siog
Soft panegyrics, and the rude winds bring
Into a murmuring slumber, whilst the calm
Morn on each leaf doth hang her liquid balm,
With an intent, before the next sun's birth,
To drop it in those wounds which the cleft earth
Received from last day's beams*

Now the swete treble of the chirping birds.
And the soft stirring of the moved leaves,
Running delightful descant to the sound
Of the base murmuring of the bubbling brooke,
Becomes a concert of good instruments.

Heath^s Lingtta.

And now the nightingale^ not distant far.

Begins her solitary song ; and pours .

To the cold Moon a richer, stronger, strain.

Than that with which the lyric lark salutes

The new-born day. Her deep and thrilling song

Seems with its piercing melody to reach

The soul ; and in mysterious unison

Blends with all thoughts of gentleness aud love.

Southe/g Roderick.

The lilac^ tjie barberry, and the maple, are now
in flower. At the latter end of the month, rye is in
ear ; the mountain*ash, laburnum^ the guelder-rose,
clover, columbines, with their singular and faatastic
nectaries^ the alder, the wild chervU,, the wayfaring
tree, or wild guelder-rose, and the ebn, have their
flowers full blown.



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FOR MAY 1825. 147



The varioas species of meadow grass are now in
flower. The battercup spreads over the meadows ;
the cole-seed in com fields, bryony, the aram, or