the memory of the murder of these Princes, and the subsequent repentance and conversion of the King; who there founded a College of Secular Canons about the year 670.

The saint, at the time he worked what the monks termed a miracle upon WALPHERE, led an hermitical life in a cell at Litchfield, in Staffordshire, on the spot where now stands STOWE CHURCH, which formerly bore his name. He had before, for a short period, officiated as archbishop of York, by the command of EGFRID king of Northumberland, during the absence of WILFRIDE, who was gone to Paris for consecration; but on the return of WILFRIDE, he resigned his temporary office, at the persuasion of THEODORUS archbishop of Canterbury, by whom he was, some years after, created Bishop of Litchfield.

The antient Mercian Cathedral was taken down in 1129, and the present elegant pile erected to supply its place, by WALTER DE LANGTON, who was consecrated in 1296: ST. CHAD'S shrine was translated to the new edifice, and upwards of £2,000, a sum immense for such a purpose in those times, expended in its decorations, &c. which, with all its accumulated riches by offerings, &c. fell a prey to Henry VIII.

CHAD was the third bishop of Litchfield: and the concourse of devotees who thronged to visit his shrine, was the first great cause of the increase and flourishing condition of that city.

The death of this saint happened on the 2d March, 672; and we are solemnly assured that flights of angels attended him in the awful moment of his departure, singing hymns for the comfort of his soul.

Perpetua,

(7TH MARCH,)

was a married lady of distinguished parentage, and only in the 22d year of her age, when she was ordered into confinement, by MINUTIUS FIRMIANUS, the proconsul of Africa, in the fifth general persecution of the Christians, under the Emperor SEVERUS; who, having in the early part of his sovereignty been favourable to Christianity, proved, in the subsequent period of his detested reign, one of its most unrelenting and bitter enemies. The husband and mother of PERPETUA were reputed Christians: her father was a bigotted heathen while under confinement, every art which parental authority or affection could dictate, was essayed by the father of PERPETUA, to make her abandon the Christian faith, and save the life of herself and that of the infant which she nourished at her breast: but she remained firm against every effort; and when under the

awful examination, before HILLARIAN the procurator, who officiated as Judge, displayed the most heroic fortitude, receiving with magnanimous resignation her sentence to be devoured by wild beasts; a conduct so truly noble, that it wroughtupon HILLARIAN, who afterwards embraced those pious and heavenly doctrines, which he found no reason could refute, or earthly power overcome.

In the amphitheatre, where PERPETUA Was exposed to the fury of an enraged bull, she received several bruises from the animal, though none of immediate danger, and was finally dispatched by the hands of the public executioner, amidst the scoffs and exultations of the brutal spectators, A. D. 205.

ST. AUGUSTIN records that the day of PERPETUA's martyrdom was commemorated in his time; but why, after having been expunged from our calendar by the first reformers, it was again introduced, not any reason has been assigned.

Midlent Sunday.

(STH MARCH, 1812.)

This day received its appellative of Midlent Sunday, because it is the fourth, or middle sunday,

between Quadragesima, or the first sunday in Lent, and Easter Sunday, by which latter, the Lenten Season is governed. Several of our ecclesiastical writers denominate it DOMINICA REFECTIONIS, or the Sunday of refreshment, a term considered to have been applied to it, from the Gospel of the day treating of our Saviour's miraculous feeding of the five thousand, and from the first lesson in the morning, containing the rela ́tion of JOSEPH entertaining his brethren. But the common or vulgar appellation which this day still retains, is MOTHERING SUNDAY, a term expressive of the antient usage of visiting the MOTHER (Cathedral) Churches of the several dioceses, when voluntary offerings-then deno. minated DENARII QUADRAGEMINALES, now the LENT OF EASTER OFFERINGS-were made, which by degrees were settled into an annual composition, or pecuniary payment charged on the parochial priests, who were presumed to have received these oblations from their respective congregations. We yet also retain the antient Epistle for MIDLENT Sunday, which expressly alludes to JERUSALEM, the Mother of all Christian Churches. (Cowel, &c. &c.) The public processions formerly usual on this Sunday have been discontinued since the middle of the 13th century, and the contributions, made upon that occasion, settled into the present trifle paid by the people under the title of EASTER Offerings; but the name of MOTHERING Sunday is still not un

aptly applied to this day; and a custom which was substituted by the commonalty, is yet practised in many places, particularly in Cheshire, of visiting their natural mother, instead of the Mother Church, and presenting to her small tokens of their filial affection, either in money or trinkets, or more generally in some species of regalé, such as frumety, fermety, or frumenty, so called from FRUMENTUM, (wheat being its principal ingredient,) which being boiled in the whole grain, and mixed with sugar, milk, spice, and sometimes with the addition of raisins or currants, form altogether an agreeable repast. This mark of filial respect has long since been abolished in the South, though another custom to which it gave way, of the landlords of public houses presenting messes of this nature to the families who regularly dealt with them, is much within the memory of many persons yet living.

Gregory, surnamed The Great,

(12TH MARCH,)

and styled, by ST. BEDE, the APOSTLE OF ENG-LAND, was descended from an illustrious patrician family at Rome, where he was born about the year 544. He is alleged by some authors to have