her at her own cottage, and freely talked of gone-by times, (her father was an old tenant to the duke.) He delicately left a half guinea at Mr. Roper's, a gentleman farmer, to be given to her after his departure, and when he heard of her death he ordered a handsome gravestone to be placed over her, at his expense, and requested the Rev. Mr. Fellowes to write an inscription. It is thus engraven : BENEATH THIS STONE Are deposited the mortal remains of ELIZABETH GLOVER, who died Dec. 27th, 1803. Her maiden name was MANBY, and she was twice married. By her first husband, who lies buried near this spot, she was mother of six children; the youngest of whom was ROBERT BLOOMFIELD, the pastoral Poet. In her household affairs she was a pattern of cleanli ness, industry, and good management, By her kind, her meek, her inoffensive behaviour, she had conciliated the sincere good will of all her neighbours and acquaintance; nor amid the busy cares of time was she ever forgetful of Eternity. But her religion was no hypocritical service, no vain form of words; it consisted in loving God and keeping his commandments, as they have been made known to us by JESUS CHRIST. Reader, go thou and do likewise. If ever I was proud of any thing it was of my mother, nor do I think, strong as is the praise in the above, it is overdone. For solid strength of intellect she surpassed all her sons, and had more real practical virtues than all of them put together. Kind Providence spared her to bless me till I was far on the wrong side of fifty. I must say a word or two on her sons, because Capel Loftt, Esq., in his preface to my brother Nat's poems, has said too much about them, viz. "Beyond question, the brothers of this family are all extraordinary men." Now, sir, as I am the oldest of these brothers, I will tell first of myself. I wrote a little poem, when near seventy, on the "Thetford Spa;" but dreading those snarling curs, the critics, forebore to affix my name to it. Mr. Smith, of Cambridge, printed it gratuitously; but as soon as it was discovered I was the author, my acquaintance styled me the cold water poet. I think my title will do very well. Brother Nathaniel wrote some poems; unluckily they were printed and published here at Bury, and the pack of critics hunted down the book. Nat has had thirteen children, and most of them are living, and so is he. Brother Isaac was a machinist. John Boys, Esq. gave him in all twenty pounds, but he died a young man, and left his self-working pumps unfinished. Eight of his children are living. The old cottage sold to Robert had been in the family near fourscore years. It proved a hard bargain to Robert; my mother and Isaac occupied the cottage, and could not pay rent; and after the death of my mother, poor Robert was in distress and sold it :-the lawyers would not settle the business, and Robert died brokenhearted, and never received sixpence! The lawyers constantly endeavour to make work for the trade. I believe it to be true, as some say, that we are now as much law-ridden as we were priest-ridden some ages ago. I like Charlotte Smith's definition of the Law Trade. Orlando, in the "Old Manor House," says to Carr, the lawyer, "I am afraid you are all rogues "More or less, together;" Carr replies, my good friend;-some have more sense than others, and some a little more conscience-but for the rest, I am afraid we are all of us a little too much professional rogues: though some of us, as individuals, would not starve the orphan, or break the heart of the widow, yet, in our vocation, we give all remorse of that sort to the winds." My last account from Robert's family says, the lawyers have not yet settled the poor old cottage! y Nat and I only survive of the little tailor's "extraordinary" children- quit past our labour, and destitute of mar comforts we used to enjoy in youth. We have but one step farther to fall, (i. e.) into Yet in the nature of the workhouse! things it cannot be long ere death l We have had our day, close the scene. and night must come. I hope we shall welcome it as heartily as Sancho in Don Quixote did sleep, "Blessed be he who first invented sleep, it covers a man all over like a cloak." I shall indeed be agreeably disappointed if any one should bestow any thing upon Nat, or Sir, your humble obedient servant, George Bloomfield is in his seventythird year, and surely this fact, with the contents of the preceding columns, will be sufficient to excite commiseration in feeling and liberal minds. Mr. Faux, a respectable resident at Thetford, in Norfolk, is represented to me as being his friend. George Bloomfield's own address at Bury St. Edmund's is prefixed to his letter above. Either to Mr. Faux for him, or to himself direct, the remittance of a little money immediately would be highly serviceable. Something, however, beyond that THE TABLE BOOK, is clearly requisite, and his statement of his brother Nathaniel's equal necessities should be considered at the same time. There are names dignified by rank and talents in the list of individuals who admire the works of Robert Bloomfield, and should this sheet fall into their hands it is natural to presume that some of them may seek out and assist his surviving brothers in sorrowing old age. This, however, may not happen, and is not therefore to be relied upon. The case of the family of the Bloomfields, altogether, is distressing. season for present-making and social-meetAs this is a ing, I venture to suggest that no gift can be better bestowed than on those who are in the utmost need; nor will the pleasures of a convivial party be lessened, if, while "the glasses sparkle on the board," a subscription be volunteered towards keeping the last two brothers of Robert Bloomfield from the workhouse during their few remaining years of life. I have done my best to make their distress publicly known, and it remains with individuals to do their best to relieve it. Anything left at Messrs. Hunt and Clarke's, 4, York-street, Covent Garden, shall be appropriated as the donors may direct. A meeting, and a few active individuals, would effect much. to his 1st January, 1828. little Travellers EAST AND WEST. To the Editor. Sir, I send you a short and plain demonstration, that by travelling eastward or westward round the globe at a given rate, (if it were practicable to do so,) a man might experience a greater or lesser number of days and nights, than if he were to remain still in the same spot. This, I may venture to say, is a fact that very few people are aware of, and few would believe, until it were proved. As" this goodly frame, the earth," turns round upon its own axis once in twentyfour hours, and as the circumference of the globe is divided into 360 degrees, consequently every part of the globe's surface must travel round its axis at the rate of fifteen degrees in one hour; or, which is the same thing, one degree in four minutes. Having premised this, we will suppose that a man sets off at seven o'clock in the morning, just as the sun rises above the horizon, and travels westward in the sun's ecliptic 844 four minutes longer than if he were to reone degree before it sets, he will have light main at the place from whence he set out; long, (dividing the twenty-four hours into and his day, instead of being twelve hours twelve day and twelve night,) and closing at seven o'clock, will be twelve hours and four minutes, and close at four minutes past direction, and with the same velocity, durseven. He continues to travel in the same ing the night, (for he must never rest,) and it would have been had he remained at the that also will be four minutes longer than because, as he is travelling after the sun place where the sun set till it again rose; morning approaches, of course it will be when it goes down, and from it as the longer in overtaking him: he will be then which you please, for we intend to send two degrees from the starting place or goal, him completely round the world, and the sun will not rise the second morning till eight minutes past seven. continues at the same rate, and he again His travel does not set on the second day till twelve has the sun four minutes longer, which minutes past seven: this closes the third day. The next morning the sun rises not till sixteen minutes past seven; then he has travelled four degrees, and his day and night have each been four minutes longer than if he had been stationary. Now we will suppose another man to have gone from the same place at the same moment, (viz. seven o'clock,) taking the opposite direction. He travels east to meet the sun, and at the same rate of travel as our westward bound wight. The sun will go down had remained at the place from which he upon him four minutes sooner than if he upon the other man: his day will close at started, and eight minutes sooner than fifty-six minutes past six. He goes on from the sun as it sinks, and towards it as earlier than if he had stopped when the it rises, and he will have light four minutes minutes sooner than he would have seen it sun went down till it again rose, eight at the starting post, and sixteen minutes sooner than the opposite traveller; this is at the end of the second day. He travels on; light again deserts him four minutes earlier, viz. at forty-eight minutes past six morning the sun will rise at forty-four at the end of three degrees, and the second minutes past six, sixteen minutes earlier than at the place he started from, and thirty-two minutes earlier than with the ing it does not rise till sixteen minutes past other man, with whom on the same mornseven. It is plain therefore, that while the There appears to be two hours' difference every fifteenth day. The hagmena is an old custom observed Yorkshire on new year's eve. The toeper of the pinfold goes round the town, hisnded by a rabble at his heels, and littling at certain doors, sings a barbarous rding to the manner "of old king Henry's days;" and at the end of every verse they shout " Hagman Heigh." ას. When wood was chiefly used by our forefathers as fuel, this was the most proper season for the hagman, or wood-cutter, to remind his customers of his services, and solicit alms from them. The word "hag" is still used among us for a wood, and the "hagman" may be a compound name from his employment. Some give it a more sacred interpretation, as derived from the Greek yia vn, the "holy month," when the festivals of the church for our Saviour's birth were celebrated. Formerly on the last day of December, the monks and friars used to make a plentiful harvest by begging from door to door, and reciting a kind of carol, at the end of every stave of which they introduced the words "agia mene," alluding to the birth of Christ. A very different interpretation has, however, been given to it by one John Dixon, a In this way, by hurrying the Jews round the globe at a given rate, their Sabbath might be made to fall upon the same day as the Christians'. 166 181 Scotch presbyterian parson, when holding forth against this custom, in one of his sermons at Kelso-" Sirs, do you know what hagman signifies?-It is the devil to be in the house: that is the meaning of its Hebrew original." It is most probably a corruption of some Saxon words, which length of time has rendered obsolete. OLD ST. LUKE'S DAY. On this day a fair is held in York for all sorts of small wares, though it is commonly called "Dish Fair," from the quantity of wooden dishes, ladles, &c. brought to it. There was an old custom at this fair, of bearing a wooden ladle in a sling on two stangs, carried by four sturdy labourers, and each labourer supported by another. This, without doubt, was a ridicule on the meanness of the wares brought to this fair, small benefit accruing to the labourers at it. It is held by charter, granted 25th Jan., 17th Hen. VII. St. Luke's day is also known in York by the name of "Whip-Dog Day," from a strange custom that schoolboys use there, of whipping all the dogs that are seen in the streets on that day. Whence this uncommon persecution took its rise is uncertain The tradition of its origin seems very probable; that, in times of popery, a priest, celebrating mass at this festival in some church in York, unfortunately dropped the pix after consecration, which was forthwith snatched up suddenly and swallowed by a dog that laid under the altar. The profanation of this high mystery occasioned the death of the dog; the persecution, so begun, has since continued to this day, though now greatly abridged by the interference of some of the minor members of the honourable corporation, against the whole species in that city. D. A. M. CHAPMAN'S "ALL FOOLS." For the Table Book. In Chapman's "All Fools," 1605, (as quoted, by Charles Lamb, in Table Book, vol. i. 192,) is the following passage, under the title of "Love's Panegyric." "'tis nature's second Sun, For Love informs them as the Sun doth colours," &c. Chapman might be acquainted with Italian poets, but at all events the coincidence between the above and the follow. ing canzon, by Andrew Navagero, is remarkable. Navagero was the friend of Boscan, the Spanish poet: they became acquainted at Grenada, while Navagero was there ambassador from Venice. Boscan died before 1544; and, as he himself confesses, he learnt the sonnet and other Italian forms of poetry from Navagero. Love the Mind's Sun. Sweet ladies, to whose lovely faces Nature gives charms, indeed, And are desirous, too, of inward graces; Ye first must ope your hearts' enclosure, Or ye must all despair Of what ye wish, and bear it with composure. For as the night than day is duller, And what is hid by night In all the rich variety of colour; So they, whose dark insensate bosoms Love lights not, ne'er can know Wanting his beams to open virtue's blossoms. Our version is made from the original in Dolce's Collection of Rime Diverse, i. 98. It ought to be mentioned, that Boscan's admission of his obligations to Navagero is to be found in the Introduction to the second book of his works. December, 1827. J. P. C. NORWICH MOCK ELECTIONS. To the Editor. Sir,-At Costessy, a small village, three miles on the west side of Norwich, there is an annual mock guild on Whit Tuesday. It takes its name from the annual mayor's They The village is usually thronged with company from Norwich, and all the rural festivities attendant on country feasts take place. The noble family before mentioned promote the hilarity by their presence and munificence. The elder members of the body corporate continue at the festal. board, in imitation of their prototypes in larger corporations, to a late hour; and some of them have been noticed for doing as much credit to the good cheer provided on the occasion, as any alderman at a turtle feast. There is no record of the origin of this institution, as none of the members of the corporation have the gift of reading or writing, but there are traces of it beyond the memory of any person now living, and it has been observed to have increased in splendour of late years. The fishermen's guild at Norwich has for some years been kept on the real guildday. The procession consists of a great number, all fishermen or fishmongers, two of whom are very remarkable. The first |