Birth-place of Roscoe, at Liverpool.

316

The late Mr. Roscoe.-Character of Liverpool.

a tavern, to which there is attached an extensive bowling green. The spot has now become sacred to local honour, as a monument of intellectual value, celebrated by the pen of our native Bard in his elegant poem of Mount Pleasant, the exordium of which is allusive to the morning of his life being spent here:

"Freed from the cares that daily throng my breast,

Again beneath my native shades I rest. These shades, where lightly fled my youthful day,

Ere Fancy bow'd to Reason's boasted sway." With the above poem was published an Ode which Mr. Roscoe delivered before a Society established in Liverpool in 1773, for the encouragement of Painting, Sculpture, &c. His subsequent works are nearly all enumerated in the memoir which appeared in your number for August. In 1817 was published a Discourse he delivered on the opening of the Liverpool Royal Institution, on the origin and vicissitude of Literature, Science, and Arts. In 1824 he edited a new edition of the works of Pope, to which he prefixed a life of the author. The last work he was occupied in publishing was a botanical one, on a portion of the “Class Monandria."

One of the most popular of his minor productions is a poem on Burns, prefixed to Dr. Currie's Life and Works of that Poet. He has left several miscellaneous works, which with his Life are in preparation for the press by

one of his talented sons.

May I be allowed to apply to our townsmen the expressive language of Mr. Roscoe, when speaking of the Florentines, "Earnest in the acquisition of wealth, indefatigable in improving their manufactures and extending their commerce, (our townsmen) seem not, however, to lose sight of the true dignity of man, or of the proper objects of his regard;" which is evidenced by the monuments erected in their admiration of valour and patriotism to Nelson, and of their loyalty and attachment to their Sovereign, in that to George the Third, and in two others, not yet completed, to their late representatives in the Senate, Canning and Huskisson, mementoes of their appreciation of the great political talents of those eminent

men;

and lastly, one in embryo to our great literary townsman, a pledge yet

[Oct.

to be redeemed, and no doubt it will, an earnest of which is the subscription already raised of about one thousand pounds.

These intellectual memorials, dedi-
cated to valour, patriotism, and ge-
nius, are evidences that our towns-
men cannot be ranked with those
whom Goldsmith thus characterizes :
"Dull as their lakes that slumber in the
storm;"

nor yet to them can the expressive
lines of the talented and unfortunate
Camoens, on the apathy and indiffer-
ence of his countrymen to all that
gives a charm to life, be applied:
"Alas! on Tago's hapless shores alone
The Muse is slighted, and her charms un-
known;

For this no Virgil here attunes the lyre,
No Homer here awakes the hero's fire.

Unheard, in vain their native Poet sings,
And cold neglect weighs down the Muse's
wings."

These sarcasms on two great commercial communities, appertain not to Liverpool. Here, in the midst of commercial pursuits, the elegant accomplishments of literature, science, and art, want not their votaries, whose leisure hours, after the close of those spent in wearisome solicitude amidst the important avocations of life, are passed under their captivating influ

ences.

For the honour of my native place, I hope all will now lose sight of the degenerate and malign spirit of politi cal party feeling, and unite to honour not only the talents and genius of our departed townsman, but themselves; and, aroused by a spirit of generous emulation and noble bearing, raise a monument worthy of the town and W. J. ROBErts.

of Roscoe.

Mr. URBAN,

Oct. 6. I THANK your Correspondent Mr. W. H. LLOYD (p. 200), for his ingenious conjectures relative to the derivation of the word Seneschal.

The definition in the note appended to my little tract on the Coronation of Richard the Second, was (as you have rightly indicated) taken from Jacob's Law Dictionary. My MS. had been put aside for several years, and when sent to the press I was absent from home, and had no opportunity for revision. Jacob's definition seems indeed very loose and inaccurate, as a reference to any Dictionary of the

1831.]

Seneschal.-Royal Vestments,--Sacred Oil.

German language must show. Dr.
Brady, however, has given, in his
Preface to the Norman History,* one
which is worthy of much attention.

He says it comes from the Teutonic or Saxon Sehen,† or Theon, videre, and Scale, servus, or minister. So that a Seneschal may be simply defined a seeing officer, a supervisor or overseer of the household. This appears to me the most plausible solution with which I have met. That in the Glossaire de la Langue Romane, article "Senéchal," adds merely one more specimen to the ingenious art of etymological torture.

I beg to take this opportunity of adding something to my note on the Tunica and Dalmatica. In saying that the Royal Dalmatica was a rich and graceful triangular upper garment thrown over the shoulders of our ancient Kings, my definition agrees with that of Mr. Taylor and other respectable authorities. I believe, however, that the super-tunic, not the mantle, is properly the Dalmatic. The Royal vestments were designedly imitative of the attire of the Bishops of the ancient Church, the kingly office being thus exhibited in close alliance with the authority of the Church, which in a spiritual sense it certainly is, as God in his Providence is the source of all order and temporal power. The ceremonial of the Coronation of Henry IV. of France details, in a very distinct form, the Royal ecclesiastical vestments, which were handed to the King after he had been stripped to his shirt for the anointing. They are enumerated as the tunic representing the Sub-deacon's habit, the dalmatic (being the super-tunic) the Deacon's, and the Royal mantle the same as the chasuble or priest's cope. It strikes me that the armil § or narrow stole thrown round the neck of the King, which has so much puzzled antiquaries, || being used in a manner so inappropriate to its name, is nothing more than the

* Complete History of England, vol. I,

p. 153.

+ Sehen, to see or behold, is modern German. Schale is Saxon for a minister or

317

maniple which commonly appears on ancient figures of priests and bishops dependant from the left arm, and which was a sort of rich towel to wipe away any defilement from the sacramental cup; while this was given to the King with other sacred vestments, it was not perhaps allowed to occupy its proper place, in order to show that he was not charged with the actual administration of the Sacraments.

When I said that the oil of the Sainte Ampoulle was employed in consecrating the Kings of France, I might have noted a remarkable exception to the practice. Henry IVth of France was not crowned at Rheims, but at Chartres, in consequence of the former city being in possession of the adverse political party. The Bishop of Chartres on this occasion published a long Latin epistle to prove that it was not absolutely necessary the King should be crowned at Rheims, and cited various exceptions referring to French Kings of the early race.

Heaven - sent oil was, however, thought indispensable in the absence of that of the Sainte Ampoulle of Clovis, for Henry's inunction, and accordingly that said to be transmitted by an angel from heaven to anoint the bruises of St. Martin, and kept in the Abbey of Marmoustier, founded by that holy man, was employed, and a testimonial verifying it formally published. The proofs of its authenticity were drawn from the legendary biography of St. Martin by Sulpitius Severus, Fortunatus Bishop of Poictiers, and a passage of a sermon of Albinus or Alcuinus, preceptor of Charlemagne, descanting on the miracles of Martin, in which he says that, "falling down stairs, he broke every bone in his skin, but in the course of a single night was rendered perfectly whole and sound by an angel!" So much for superstitious "vain traditions" " and "cunningly devised fables," which were fabricated for temporal purposes by the pretended votaries of religion, and which might well be made, as they were, the subject of apostolic caution to the Christian Church. Scarcely, however, do we know which to admire most, the rogues who fabricated these tales, or the fools who believed them.

Such extravagant fictions only tend to bring into ridicule customs solemn and decent in themselves; for the

318

On Royal Coronations.-St. Saviour's Church.

inunction of Christian Kings is certainly a very proper and impressive mode of admitting them into their sacred office, and was substituted from the earliest times of Christianity in the place of barbarous secular rites. As Kings are admitted to their power in order to govern according to the principles of justice laid down in the Word of God, from the sacred writings is most appropriately drawn a precedent for their inauguration: "And Zadok the priest took an horn out of the Tabernacle, and anointed Solomon, and they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, God save King Solomon."*

Some solemn and impressive ceremonies are highly proper and expedient to be used in admitting an individual to kingly power, and they must have ill-constructed heads, or worse, traitorous hearts, who attempt to undermine by ridicule, or by specious false reasonings, those institutions which are identified with our ancient monarchy, our venerable and wellbalanced Constitution. No splendid quackery can sanctify speculative and dangerous innovation, and evenhanded Justice has ever returned the poisoned chalice (in God's good time) to the lips of its advocates.'

In the account of the Coronation of Richard III. page 231, of your last number, much stress is laid upon the passage, "that the King and Queen put off their robes, and stood all naked from the middle upwards, while the Bishop anointed both the King and Queen." A ceremony so indecorous, even in the fifteenth century, must most certainly not be literally understood. Neither the text nor the illuminations of ancient MSS. authorize such a conclusion; the stripping all naked means a divesting of the Royal personages of their upper garments to the camisole or shirt; and in proof of this, I cite the same MS. account of the Coronation of Henry VI. which I have referred to in a note appended to "the Account of the Coronation of Richard the Second:"-"Then the Kynge wente to the high autere ward, and long time there lyenge . and then

the Archbishoppes tooke him up, and streiped him oute of his clothes into his sherte." This was for the anointing on his breast, back, shoulders, elbows,

* 1 Kings, chap. i. verse 39.
+ See Glory of Regality, p. 83.

[Oct.

&c. all which is circumstantially detailed, and for which purpose laced apertures were made in the shirt at the places enumerated. I cannot, therefore, conceive that at the Coronation of Richard III. the uniform practice in this respect was departed from, and an expedient so ridiculously indelicate adopted, as would appear from the account cited, if it could be literally received. A.J.K.

Mr. URBAN,

Oct. 17.

IN your last Magazine you did me the honour to insert a letter on the projected destruction of St. Saviour's Church. Since I wrote, the work of demolition has been suspended; but, I add with regret, only suspended to be resumed at, I fear, a very short period. As I mentioned in my last communication, the parishioners have determined on the destruction of the nave, it having been suggested by some parochial economist, that it would be a saving to the parish to build a new Church, instead of repairing the old one. Now, after expending a large sum of money on the repairs already executed, it seems the very height of absurdity to think of deserting the choir and transepts entirely, and to erect a new church, by which a large portion of the entire building will be rendered useless.The roof which has been removed from the nave, was not ancient; it had been constructed most probably in the beginning of the last century; and instead of the lofty acute angle of the ancient roof, was reduced to a very low pitch, and covered with slate. I am not sufficiently acquainted with building practically, to say whether the roof was or was not badly constructed; but I am strongly inclined to think that it failed from the badness of its construction, and not from its age, and most certainly not from the decay of the walls. Within this roof was a handsome groined ceiling of wood, with numerous bosses, which has been destroyed with the outer roof, leaving the nave open to the sky, a melancholy picture of desolation. The aisles with their stone vaults are still perfect; they require no rebuilding, and show, in common with most ancient buildings, the older parts remaining firm, whilst the modern are crumbling to decay. The massive and noble pillars, the work of the twelfth century, perfect except one;

Appeal on behalf of St. Saviour's Church.