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vius wrote that the seats of theatres should be prepared with cavities into which brazen vases should be placed, arranged with certain harmonic intervals which he gives, by which means the sounds of voices of performers would be increased in clearness and harmony; and remarked that architects had made use of earthen vessels for this purpose with advantage. On the Continent these jars are sometimes found in the vaults of choirs, or among the sleeper-walls under the floors, as well as in the walls.

access to it, and passes on to the trifo- | use has been referred back to the old rium around the rotunda, now lined times of Augustus Cæsar, when Vitruwith monuments to the memory of legal worthies formerly on the walls of the church below. Word has been handed down to us that a knight, Walter le Bachelor by name, was led up this stair, thrust into this cell, and, with irons on his limbs, left to die in it of starvation; when his body was dragged down the winding stair, and buried in the grounds outside. Perhaps it is this tradition that gives the stony cell an enchaining and pathetic interest that brings it back again to the minds of those who have looked into it, long after the busy traffic of the Strand, close by, has effaced the memory of the showy Elizabethan splendors of the Templars' Hall and Parliament room, with their carved oak and painted glass.

In connection with sounds, it may be mentioned there is a curious instance of an echo at Tatenhill, Staffordshire. The tower of the church there has an echo that repeats five times the syllaA few years ago about fifty earthen- bles uttered at the centrum_phonicum, ware pots, or vases, were found built which is about seventy yards distant. into the internal surfaces of the walls of Whispering-galleries, too, can scarcely Leeds Church, in Kent, so placed that be considered anything but odd items it was impossible to assign any other in our sacred edifices. Of these, there purpose to them than that of an inten- are examples in Gloucester Cathedral tion they should assist, in some way, and St. Paul's. the transmission of sounds. This dis- The twelve small incised crosses, covery drew attention to the subject, sometimes filled with brass, which were and other examples were pointed out placed at the dedication of the building, in other edifices. Some that were ob- and anointed by the bishop when it was served in St. Nicholas's Church, Ips- consecrated, are also curious. In this wich, were noticed to be one-handled. country these dedication crosses are Others, found at different times in three found on the exterior of the buildings, churches in Norwich, were without though on the Continent they are genhandles, and others with them. Forty erally seen on the interior. They may found in the Church of St. Peter Man- be seen at Cannington Church in Somcroft, and sixteen met with in All Saints' ersetshire, as well as at Moorlinch. Church were without handles; and six- Salisbury Cathedral has examples, as teen found in the Church of St. Peter has, likewise, Edendon Church in the Mountergate were one-handled. Other same county. Brent Pelham Church, examples have been met with in differ- Herts, also possesses these relics. And ent parts of the country in more limited one of the piers in New Shoreham numbers. Seven have been counted in Church, Sussex, is enriched in this manFountains Abbey; and still smaller ner. These crosses are not to be connumbers in churches at Ashburnham, fused with the five small crosses often Chichester, Upton, Denford, East Har-seen incised on altar-slabs, which slabs ling, Bucklesham, and Luppett. Ten are occasionally to be noticed turned to have been found at Youghal, in Ireland. Archeologists who took the subject up ascertained they have been also observed in Denmark and Sweden in very ancient buildings, and occasionally in France, Russia, and Switzerland. Their

account as paving stones on the floors, as at St. Mary Magdalen's, Wiggenhall.

There is an item that is equally rarely met with that would be, probably, a puzzle to most persons who looked at it without a key of explanation as to its

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use.

This is a tall, long, narrow recess | Herefordshire, is on the north side of in the wall, low down towards the the nave, and is entered from the porch. ground, near the altar. It is supposed It is rather more than nine feet long, to be intended for the reception of a and rather less than five feet wide; and processional staff, too long to be placed on the side adjoining the church is an with other treasures in the aumbrey, arched recess pierced with four openor elsewhere. Another square recess ings, through which ceremonies taking has been observed in a few instances, place in it could be seen from the intenear the ground, to the east of the rior of the nave. It is lighted by unpiscina, the use of which has not been glazed windows on the north and east handed down. There are at least three sides. Within it lies an oblong mass of churches, too, that have a peculiar masonry, that may be either a tomb or niche or recess, partaking somewhat of an altar. Warwickshire has three exthe character of two piscina, one above amples. There are others in St. Anthe other, the meaning of which has also passed out of knowledge. These churches are at Southwick in Sussex, and Burston and Bletchingley, in Surrey.

drew's Church, Clevedon, St. Mary's, Bampton, St. Michael's, Stanton Harcourt, and several in the neighborhood of Lewes. St. Patrick's Church, Patrington, in Yorkshire, has also a particularly fine specimen. They were all meant to represent the tomb wherein our Lord was laid; and some were enriched with presentments of the soldiers and three Maries; and in the days of actual dramatic representation of sacred subjects, the whole scene of the burial and watching at the tomb was reverently performed at them. We should probably have had many more remains of them, but for the fact that they were often made of wood, and removed from Easter to Easter.

Where

Sometimes the memory of departed persons has been perpetuated by the erection of some part of the fabric, or by the gift of some article of church furniture, instead of by the erection of a monument. In Little Birmingham a pew is thus constituted a souvenir. In Willington Church, Sussex, a tie-beam is made to answer this purpose. A corbel in Reculver Church, Kent, is inscribed to the memory of one Thomas. Many fonts and screens are thus memorials, as are also chalices. The pulpit in Wells Cathedral was put up in Masons' marks have an interest of the reign of Henry VIII. by Bishop their own in old churches. Knight, "for his tombe." Lord Thomas there has been some protection from Dacre, in 1531, left a certain sum of the weather, such as a bold, overhangmoney for a tomb, which he directed ing cornice, we may sometimes see should be used as the Easter sepulchre. them on the external masonry; but, In the preceding century, another tes- generally, rains and winds have oblittator desired there should be made for erated them there, and we have to look him " a playne tombe of marble of a for them in the interiors. On many a competent height to the intent that it stone we may see cut the curious demay bear the Blessed Body of our Lord, vice of the mason who wrought it from and the sepultur, at the time of Estre." the rough block that was taken from There are about fifty examples of the quarry into the flat surface it now Easter sepulchres still to be met with presents. These devices are of innuin this country. Sometimes they are merable variety and combinations of only plain, oblong recesses; in some geometrical figures, crosses, and lines. places they are richly decorated with They are to be noted in many parts of sculpture; and in two instances they the world as well as in our churches. consist of two parts, one at right angles to the other. They are generally placed on the north side of the chancel, but are also to be seen in other positions. An example in Kingsland Church,

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In Elsdon Church, which is in a mosstrooping centre, there are several deep cuts on one of the pillars of the arcade of the south aisle, which are of a different character from masons' marks, and

considered likely to have been made by | perbly decorated, and grouped together

the sharpening of weapons upon them.

under handsome canopied recesses. Over and above these seats for the clergy some very few old churches have stone seats, or stalls, at the east end. St. Mary's Church, at Stone, in Kent, for instance, has a range of these stalls on the north, south, and east sides of the sacrarium, and St. Martin's Church, at Cheriton, in the same county, has examples on the north and south of the chancel. In the church of St. Nicholas,

This association of ancient churches with the coming and going of men, perhaps on horseback, recalls the presence of another odd item, here and there, in the matter of mounting-blocks, or horse-blocks, which are still in situ in outlying parishes in rural districts. They are generally merely rough boulders taken from the neighboring moors, of a suitable size, and set down rather close to the church door or to the open- Rodmersham, are three sedilia of wood; ing into the porch. Disused and mute though they be, they tell us tales of the pomp and circumstance of old times, when round the church doors were to be seen richly caparisoned steeds, stalwart knights, and fair women - besides stout yeomen, with their wives and daughters, waiting their turn to mount to their pillions pleasantly.

a rare survival. And besides these, there may be noted here and there a larger recess adjacent to the sedilia, for which it is difficult to assign any use.

Now and then a small door may be seen high up in the piers that divide the nave from the chancel. This is the door that once gave access from the winding-stair within the pier to the footway on the top of the screen with which most churches were once provided. When screens were found inconvenient, and were removed, these doors were left. Ross Church, Herefordshire, has a noticeable example; Hinckley Church, Leicestershire, has another.

Old grave-slabs are sometimes to be seen used up in our old churches in an odd manner, showing that our forefathers, in these instances at least, had but small regard for relics of the kind. There was one fine slab, with a handsome cross incised upon it, observed recently cut into lengths, and made into a water-table, to throw off the rain on Any of these items might be easily the roof of Alnwick Church. Another passed by without recognition, even in in the same edifice may be seen made a tolerably careful glance round at the into the lintel of a clerestory window. general features of an ancient fabric. In the south aisle of Morpeth Church, We are likely to look at the richly another is made into a lintel. In Mid-carved doorways that seem to invite us dleton Church, Teesdale, there is an- to enter, and up to the carven angelic other example of similar economy. A host upholding the mighty timbers of portion of the shaft of a cross carved with Saxon ornament was made into the stem of a font, dated 1664, in Rothbury Church. In this way many fragments have been handed down to us that might otherwise have disappeared altogether.

the roof, or along the lines of pillars supporting the graceful arcades, or at the windows to admire their tracery or stained glass, or on the floors to note the last resting-places of the good and great; or we may take special notice whether the pulpit has an hour-glass, Sedilia are sometimes treated in an or the stand for one; whether the almsodd manner. Sometimes there is but box has an inscription; whether the one seat, sometimes two, four, or five; vestry has an ancient chest; whether but more frequently three. In some the great brazen eagle is ancient or small churches the window-sill forms modern; or whether there are any the sedile. In a church in Sussex the marble or alabaster effigies lying crossdivisions between the seats reduce them legged or hand-folded in the shadowy to a size almost too small for use. aisles; and miss these minor details some churches they are stone benches unless our attention is called to them. without arms; in others they are su

In

SARAH WILSON.

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One scarce would think that, in the pause
Antiphonal, it could be true
You fain would eat that apple, was

Under the rose bestowed on you.

But there be times, oh, rarely sweet!
Times when my whole soul knoweth well,
Beside me walk an angel's feet,

Not feet of Puck nor Ariel :

A human angel, with the eyes

That sure have met the eyes of God,
In walking through some Paradise
Where feet of mine have never trod.

I have no name to call you by,
My darling, at such times as this;
I only watch you reverently,
And in the silence bend to kiss
That sweetest face and loveliest
Has e'er been looked upon by me,
Who entertain this angel guest,
Not unawares, but wittingly.

Longman's Magazine.

TRIO.

E. H. HICKEY.

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