and laid before the literary world, by John Fenn, Esq., M. A.and F.A.S., who published a portion of them, in two vols. 4to., in the year 1787, and these were succeeded by two similar volumes in the year 1789.

They form the correspondence of a knightly family of Paston, of Paston, in the County of Norfolk, and were written during the troublesome times of the wars between the two Roses-the Houses of York and Lancaster-in the successive reigns of Henry, the Sixth, Edward, the Fourth, and Richard, the Third. The writers of the letters are of various degrees—they are, in their turn, the nobles of the land-the parent-the husband, or wife-the son, or daughter-the private friend—the steward, or servant. They treat of the political history, and the military transactions of the day, and they, also, descant on the amours, the marriages, &c., of private life, and these are again relieved by observations on domestic occurrences, and the details of rural occupations. They, altogether, form a delightful picture of the times-of the manners, and customs, of the middle-ages—and may be read with delight, and advantage, even by those, who profess an abhorrence of-whatever is ancient. The Paston Family were, subsequently, raised to the Baronetcy, and to the Peerage, as Sir Robert Paston, Bart., was created, by Charles, the Second, Earl of Yarmouth, which title, in that family, became extinct by the death of his son, the second Earl of Yarmouth, in the year 1732.

NOTE 10-(p. 184.)

"I shall now merely remark, that this cross is not intended to designate the Knight, and shall postpone for my explanatory notes any further observations on that subject."

The cross, here alluded to, is not worn by John Halle, but on the breast of the Galante, whose dress I have so often made the subject of comparative illustration. In the days of John Halle the inventive genius of man had not, as yet, stimulated the heroic honour of the Knight by the exhibition of the decorative cross. Whence, then," (say you, gentle reader,)" this prominent insigne on the breast of this beau of his day?" To this I reply, that, in him, we see not the representative of the martial hero, but that of the peaceful macaroni; yet, however devoted to the service of the ladye faire, he is not unmindful of the Saviour of the race of man. By this cross he wished it to be

understood by the surrounding world, that, notwithstanding the fopperies, and the fripperies, of his attire, he was—the Christian.

The subject of this note leads me into a disquisition, which may be of some length; but, as it will develope a novel, and, I think, an interesting hypothesis,* I will not injure my subject by an injudicious brevity.

You have, gentle reader, doubtlessly, seen engravings of a Saint, highly celebrated in the Romish Church, ycleped Saint Christopher. You may well remember, that he is ever depicted as a gigantic man, bearing our Saviour (apparently a child) on his shoulder, and passing through a river, or, as tradition saith, across an arm of the sea. I refrain, at present, from entering into a more minute description of this portraiture, as it would be premature, yet I will, at once, declare that hypothesis, the truth of which I trust to establish.

The inimitable Chaucer, in describing the several pilgrims on their journey to Canterbury, when speaking of the Yemen, (or Yeoman,) the attendant on the Squier, saith:

"A Cristofre on his brest of silver shene.” †

The Galante bears, also, on his breast-a silver cross; and, from this comparison, we learn to actual demonstration, that the cross was denominated—a Cristofre-XgoroPogos—the bearer of Christ. From hence springs Christopher as the name of man, and from hence I do most strongly opine, that the image of St. Christopher, as we usually see it depicted, is neither more nor less than the allegorical personification of the Cross.

You have now, then, before you the declaration of my novel hypothesis; and it is for me hereafter to support it in such a manner as to gain credence for its truth.

Gentle reader! Thou mayest have long since discovered, that I love an hypothesis. The Lord of the neighbouring Manor doth love to hunt the fox, but de gustibus non est disputandum. To me it is a far greater pleasure, on a cold winter's day, to sit by my fire-side, fiee from the noise of men and dogs, and to hunt down-an hypothesis; to pursue it through all its mazesits windings, and its turnings; and, at the close of the chase, to dissect it to its very spine to turn it inside out, and to discover or truth or error in its most secret recesses.

In saying this, I am no sullen censurer of the rational amusements of others, as I deem the world to be sufficiently capacious for all to take their pastime therein-without jostling elbows. To pursue the fox, and the hare, is, in my opinion, a rational, and healthy, amusement; and, if we are allowed to argue on the intentions of Divine Providence from the adaptation of the means to the end, I should say, that the chase is sanctioned by the Supreme; but, gentle reader, do you love-an hypothesis? if so, I love you.-E. D. + A silver Cross shone on his breast.-E. D.

I here feel, that the warm, mayhap, the indignant censure of the Papist will arise-that he will arraign me of presumption -and will accuse me a Protestant-of conceitedly endeavouring to instruct him-a Papist-in the history of his religion! In good faith, I neither elude, nor care for, his censure. "Truth" (said the ancients) " lies at the bottom of the well;" and, if the modern Papist has not drawn it out, surely he should not rail on me, if I place my assisting shoulder to the wheel. The fact is, I doubt not, that the real origin of the image of Saint Christopher was well known to former generations; but then came-the dark ages, and this, as well as many other truths, too common, and obvious, to have been made matter of record, was lost in oblivion. Let the Papist understand, that he and I are both living on the hither side of those dark seasons, and I know not why he should boast of the vantage ground-I know not why, on the passing away of the eclipse, the returning light may not, as fully, and as early, fall on me, as on himself.

With these preliminary observations I will now proceed to develope the existing opinions of Papists as to the History of Saint Christopher, and then exert my humble abilities in the establishment of my hypothesis.

For the purpose of fully bringing this interesting subject before my readers I shall present them with the History of Saint Christopher from that curious book of the Romish Church, which is ycleped, xar' son, the "Golden Legend."

The author of the "Golden Legend" was Jacobus de Voraigne, Archbishop of Genoa, who composed it, under the title of Legenda Aurea," in the Latin Language, about the year 1260. In the subsequent century it was translated into French by Jean de Vignay, and, from this French Translation, it was converted into our own language by the indefatigable Caxton. The work is rightly called by Warton, " an inexhaustible repository of religious fable,"-yet such was the almost sacred light, in which it was considered abroad for upwards of two centuries (in the fifteenth its popularity was so great, that it passed through an immense number of editions in the Latin, Dutch, German, and French Languages,)—that the learned Claude Espence, in the year 1555, was obliged to make a public recantation for calling it "Legenda Ferrea.”* Caxton published an

For the above particulars I am indebted to Dibdin's "Typographical Antiquities," Vol. 1, p. 192.-E. D.

The

edition of this work in 1493, and subsequent editions were reprinted by Wynkyn de Worde in 1498, 1512, and 1527, "Golden Legend" of Caxton will fetch a golden price, since Dibdin, in his "Bibliomania," (published in 1811,) speaking of the productions of Caxton's Press, says, " an imperfect copy of the 'Golden Legend,' one of Caxton's commonest productions, produced at a book sale, a few months ago, the sum of twentyseven guineas!" Would that I had a copy on my shelves!

I must here observe of this work—“The Golden Legend”— that the word Legend has, in its signification, undergone that change, to which all things are subject in this sublunary world -it now signifies what is aptly called—an old wives' fable(pardon me, ye old wives!)—a traditional story based on an aerial foundation; but, in the early ages of Papistry, legends were accounted far different things-they were regarded as real histories-marvellous to be sure-but all true-as things worthy to be read-legenda-from whence they derive their name— they were considered, also, as worthy of belief-they were made articles of faith-and jostled aside the Bible itself, which was proscribed unto the laity. Thus was this mass of old wives' fables-this volume of Legenda and Credenda-Legends and Credends" The Golden Legend"-served out to man in lieu of the Word of God. I may be arraigned by the votaries of Papistry as deficient in liberality of mind-I may be told, in the words of Horace, that

"Sunt quibus in Satirâ videar nimis acer & ultra
Legem tendere opus."

I may be told, that I seek every occasion to deride the votaries of another religion, but no!-I deny this-I am writing of men, and times, when the true faith of the Gospel was struggling beneath the incubus of a gross superstition-when its true, and holy, doctrines were overwhelmed with those fictitious, and dark, glosses, which, most happily for mankind, have been removed by the successive aids of a Wickliffe and a Luther. My remarks arise from my work, and are not foisted in to serve an unholy, and an unchristian, purpose. I do not seek" ultra legem tendere opus." These are times, in which it does behove the Protestant to be on the alert-to speak out, when, in a publication entitled "Protestantism calmly considered," it has been openly proclaimed, by the Jesuits of the establishment at Stonyhurst, that their religion "is again spreading itself over the face of

the land"-" it has been kept down" (say they)" by a series of intolerant laws, and almost extinguished by the bloody persecutions of Protestant Kings, but it is again taking its hereditary attitude, supported by Him, who promised, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." I blame the supineness of this nation, which permits the disciples of Ignatius Loyola to nestle within its bosom-a sect of men, who have, by political, and erroneous, maxims, insidious in themselves, and at variance with the common weal of mankind, repeatedly broken in on the peace, and the morals, of the world. Why, again do I ask, do we suffer these men to nestle within the bosom of our Protestant Country, who, for their restless ambition-their dangerous opinions, and practices-have been repeatedly driven out from the most bigoted countries of the Romish Faith? It is very true, that the classical world is highly indebted to them for some of the best editions of the works of the Ancients—but what of that? their purposed study of classical lore has, in times past, led to their employment as the tutors of Princes-it has enabled them to pour into the ears of Royalty itself tenets destructive of the peace, and the good, of the world; and, by a general union amongst themselves, not only to endeavour to rule Kings, and the Ministers of Kings, but, through their own insatiable ambition to rule the world, and to sway the destinies of man.

I trust, gentle reader, that I am not preparing myself for an Auto da fè.

Now for the legend of Saint Christopher : *

It was, originally, my intention to have given the substance alone of this interesting document, divested of its obsolete diction, and orthography; and, with this intent, I had recourse to the "Golden Legend" belonging to the Cathedral Library of Salisbury, which was obligingly lent to me on the occasion; but, on further consideration, I altered my plan, and resolved to present you, gentle reader, with the copy of the Legend itself, verbatim et literatim, surmounted with its curious accompanying wood-cut.

Many a valuable antique is injured by too much handling, and thus it is with the early works of the press. By the above determination the original raciness of the Legend-its arugo-will be preserved entire, and it will present itself as an interesting specimen of the vernacular language of the fifteenth century. It will, I think, be alike gratifying to the general reader, and the man of literature. At the bottom of the page I shall explain the meaning of those occasional words, which, at first sight, may not be sufficiently obvious.

This copy of the " Golden Legend" is a beautiful specimen of the early black letter, but is somewhat imperfect at either end. It is in double columns, paged with Roman Numerals, and the history of each Saint opens with an highly-ornamental initial (or uncial) letter, and is often surmounted with a wood-cut. The colophon (name of the printer, &c., at the close) is lost, but I suspect it to be one of the editions of Wynkyn de Worde.-E. D.