The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 17, No. 472, January 22, 1831

J. ST. J.L.

Fraser's Magazine.

RETROSPECTIVE GLEANINGS

HISTORY OF THE PENNY

(For the Mirror.)"She sighs and shakes her empty shoes in vain,No silver-penny to reward her pain."Dryden.

According to Camden and Spelman, the ancient English penny2 was the first silver coin struck in England, and the only one current among our Saxon ancestors.

In the time of Ethelred, it was equal in weight to our threepence. Till the time of King Edward I. the penny was struck with a cross, so deeply indented in it, that it might be easily broken, and parted on occasion into two parts, thence called half-pennies; or into four, thence called fourthings, or farthings; but that prince coined it without indenture, in lieu of which he struck round halfpence and farthings. He also reduced the weight of the penny to a standard, ordering that it should weigh thirty-two grains of wheat taken out of the middle of the ear. This penny was called the penny sterling. Twenty of these pence were to weigh an ounce; whence the penny became a weight, as well as a coin. By subsequent acts it has been further reduced. In ancient statutes, the penny was used for all silver money; hence the ward-penny, the avert-penny, the rete-penny, &c.

The ward-penny was formerly a customary due paid to the sheriff, or other officer, for maintaining watch and ward. It was payable at the feast of St. Martin; and is still paid within the manor of Sutton Colfield, in Warwickshire, and that with some very singular ceremonies.

The aver-penny, or average-penny, was contributed towards the king's averages, or money given to be freed thereof.

The rete-penny was an ancient customary due of one penny for every person to the parish priest.

The schar-penny was a compensation paid by tenants who neglected to pen up their cattle at night in the pounds or yard of their lord, for the benefit of their dung, or scearn, as the Saxons called it.

Peter-pence were an ancient tax of a penny on each house throughout England, paid to the Pope. It was called Peter-pence because collected on the day of St. Peter ad vincula. By the Saxons it was called Rome-feoh—i.e. the fee of Rome; and also Rome-scot, and Rome-pennying, because collected and sent to Rome. And lastly, it was called hearth-money, because every dwelling-house was liable to it, provided there were thirty pence vivae pecuniae belonging to it—nay, every religious house, the Abbey of St. Alban's alone excepted. It was finally prohibited under Queen Elizabeth.

"The money of England (says Chamberlayne) was abused and falsified for a long time; till Queen Elizabeth, in the year 1560, to her great praise, called in all such money; since which time, no base money hath been coined in the Mint of England, but only of pure gold and silver, called sterling money; only of latter time, in relation to the necessity of the poor, and exchange of great money, a small piece of copper, called a farthing, or fourth part of a penny, hath been permitted to be coined; and so likewise an halfpenny of two farthings."

Penny pieces of copper were first issued in England June 26, 1797.

N.B. This is a penny article, but it is hoped the reader will not object to pay twopence for it.

P.T.W.

ORIGIN OF BAIL

(For the Mirror.)"Worry'd with debts, and past all hopes of bail,The unpity'd wretch lies rotting in a jail."Roscommon.

The system of giving securities, or bail, to answer an accusation, is a custom (says Brewer) which appears to have been coeval with the Saxon nation. This system was, indeed, subsequently carried by the Saxons to a burthensome and degrading height—not being confined to those who were accused of crime, but extending to the whole community, who thus gave surety to answer anticipated criminality. This object was effected by the division of England into counties, hundreds, and tithings, and by the direction that every man should belong to some tithing or hundred; which divisions were pledged to the preservation of the public peace, and were answerable for the conduct of their inhabitants.

The system of placing all the people under borh, or bail, the origin of which was attributed to Alfred, is first clearly enforced in the laws of Edgar.

P.T.W.

ANCIENT DIVISIONS OF THE DAY

(For the Mirror.)"See the minutes how they run:How many makes the hour full compleat,How many hours bring about the day,How many days will finish up the year,How many years a mortal man may live."Shakspeare.

The Chaldaeans, Syrians, Persians, and Indians began the day at sun-rise, and divided both the day and night into four parts. This division of the day into quarters was in use long before the invention of hours.

The Chinese, who begin their day at midnight, and reckon to the midnight following, divide this interval into twelve hours, each equal to two of ours, and distinguished by a name and particular figure.

In Egypt the day was divided into unequal hours. The clock invented by Ctesibius, of Alexandria, 136 years B.C. was so contrived as to lengthen or shorten the hours.

The Greeks divided the natural day into twelve hours—a practice derived from the Babylonians.

The Romans called the time between the rising and setting sun, the natural day; and the time in the twenty-four hours, the civil day. They began and ended their civil day at midnight, and derived this practice from their ancient jurisprudence and rites of religion, established long before they had any idea of the division into hours. The first sun-dial seen at Rome was brought from Catania, in Sicily, in the first punic war, as part of the spoils of that city; and after this period, they divided the day into twenty-four hours. An officer, called accendus, used to proclaim the hours; and at the bench of justice (says Kennett) gave notice every three hours what it was o'clock.

Throughout the Turkish empire, time is reckoned by certain portions of the natural day, resembling the vigils of the ancient Jews and Romans. Public clocks not being in use, these divisions of time are proclaimed from the minarets.

P.T.W.

THE TOPOGRAPHER

TRAVELLING NOTES IN SOUTH WALES

Voyage up the Bristol Channel.—Two steam-packets ply twice every week throughout the year between Bristol and Swansea. The opposition has been so great this season, that the cabin fare is only 5s. and the steerage 2s. 6d. for a distance of seventy-five miles. The voyage down is performed in fine weather in about six hours; while, in consequence of the tide being adverse, it requires from nine to ten hours to make the voyage up the Channel. We hardly know any voyage so pleasant of the same length, for the scenery along the shores of the Severn sea, as it is well known, is singularly romantic and beautiful. We will give a rapid description of the voyage to Bristol:—Let us suppose ourselves darting between Swansea pier-heads, in the well-known Palmerston steamer, with her opponent, the Bristol, in her wake. After crossing Swansea Bay, you pass Porthcawl, about fifteen miles from Swansea, where a harbour has been formed, at a great expense, by an extensive new coal company, whose works lie fourteen miles distant. This coast is exposed to all the fury of the Atlantic, the surf against the cliffs appearing very distinct at Swansea; and the task of forming the Breakwater must have been a difficult one. The steamers now keep close along shore, in a channel inside the Nass Sands—an extensive and dangerous bank to seaward. The contrast between the immense and tumultuous masses of breakers over these sands, particularly if the wind is fresh, and the calmness of the narrow channel you are securely traversing, is very impressive. These sands, and another large shoal called the Skerweathers, nearer Swansea, have been fatal to many vessels. In rough weather, however, the steamers go outside, which lengthens the passage considerably. A large West Indiaman, with a cargo of rum, &c., was lost a few years ago on a rock near Porthcawl, called the Tusca, which disappears at high-water; and a dreadful scene of riot occurred amongst the peasantry along shore in consequence. The coast near Porthcawl appears at Swansea to be the eastern extremity of the bay; but the bluff point called the Nass, about eight miles farther, is so in reality. The coast onwards past the Nass point is almost perpendicular, the limestone lying in horizontal strata, so as to closely resemble a very lofty wall. There are several breaks or openings of extreme natural beauty as you proceed, which have a double effect on the mind when contrasted with the stern scenery of this wild coast. St. Donat's Castle, the residence of Mr. T.D.T. Drake, an extensive and antique structure in fine preservation, with its venerable towers partly embosomed in wood, is extremely beautiful. The park, studded with deer, shelves gradually down to the shore; a lofty watch-tower on the heights, and the hanging terraces, must command a splendid view. St. Donat's Castle is said to have been built nearly a thousand years ago, and was very strongly fortified: as many Roman coins have been found here, there has probably been a Roman station near. An extensive cave, accessible only at low water, near here, is said to have been the retreat of St. Donat.—The steamers still keep close along shore, and pass Aberthaw, celebrated for its limestone, till you near the Flat and Steep Holmes, two conspicuous islands in the middle of the Channel, about three miles distant from each other. From a lofty light-house on the Flat Holme, a magnificent view may be obtained on a clear day of the Channel, with Lundy Island rearing its head above the distant ocean:—

"Look round—beholdHow proudly the majestic Severn ridesOn the sea—how gloriously in lightIt rides!"

The Flat Holme, which is nearly ten miles from Cardiff harbour, forms the boundary of the port of Bristol; and every seven years the mayor and corporation of that city visit it, and go through some ceremonies prescribed by ancient custom. There are some remarkable and interesting rocks on the Flat Holme: its only inhabitants are a man and his wife, the attendants at the light-house. This man is created sole lord of the island by the corporation of Bristol, and has the exclusive right of fishing round its shores. The Steep Holme is a lofty and barren rock, tenanted alone by the cormorant and the sea-mew: it is smaller than the Flat Holme. The following lines are so beautifully descriptive of this lonely and desolate spot, that we cannot resist transcribing them:

"The sea-bird claims that solitary spot,And around, loud screaming, wheelsIn undisturbed possession: other sounds,Save those of shrieking winds and battling cliffs.Are seldom heard in that deserted isle.The spirit of desolation seems to dwellWithin it; and although the sun is high,And Nature is at holy peace, it hasAn aspect wild and dreary.But in the wint'ry storm, when all that sea—The terrible Atlantic—breasts its rocksIn thund'ring conflict, the unearthly howlMight almost wake the dead."N.T. Carrington.

But to proceed with our voyage:—Almost opposite the Holmes there is an extensive view on your right of Bridgewater Bay, receding inland; and on the left, Pennarth Roads, with the forest of shipping and town of Cardiff elevated in the distance, present themselves. On this side the Channel there is nothing more to mention—the thriving and very extensive port of Newport on the Uske, in Monmouthshire, about twelve miles above Cardiff, not being visible. This town has risen almost entirely within the present century. It owes its prosperity partly to the excellent quality and hardness of its coal, which is almost equal to that of Newcastle, and partly to an unjust and exclusive act of parliament, which enacts that all coals shipped eastward of the Holmes shall be free of duty, to the great injury of Cardiff, Swansea, and other ports to the westward. The annual shipments to the port of Bridgewater alone, in consequence, are 100,000 tons. You now stretch nearer the Somersetshire coast; and after passing that beautiful and much-frequented little watering-place, Weston-supra-mare, clustering on the side of a romantic declivity along shore, the flood-tide reaches you on arriving in the far-famed King-Road at the mouth of the Avon, which, in addition to the natural beauty of the surrounding scenery, generally presents an animating scene of shipping and steamers, lying off till there is sufficient tide up the river. But we have progressed gently amidst a crowd of small craft past Pill, a fishing village at its mouth; and after being entranced for five miles with the magnificent and varied scenery of that lovely river, the classic and palatial buildings of Clifton, cresting the pinnacle of the rocks, come in sight as you near Cumberland Basin, and form a fit termination to such a scene. But we must recur to this subject.

VYVYAN.

THE GATHERER

"A snapper-up of unconsidered trifles."SHAKSPEARE.

SIR HUMPHRY DAVY

We all know that Sir Humphry Davy was the creator of electro-chemistry—that he was the inventer of the safety-lamp; but few are aware that he was also a poet, and that the chemist wrote the prologue to the Honey Moon. We knew that he was skilful in angling, for he was the author of Salmonia; but we did not know that he was the original Green Man, and went a-fishing in a green dress, with a broad-brimmed green hat stuck with artificial flies, and being, in short, all green, down to his boots of Indian rubber. He was also an epicure of the drollest kind, for he was curious in tasting every thing that had never been tasted before, and interfered himself in the composition of dishes intended for his table, thereby encountering the wrath of strange cooks, and running serious risks in inn-kitchens. We have long heard his name coupled with aristocratic parties, but we see how he contrived to reconcile the calls of the laboratory and the invitations of great people. He worked to the last moment; and, when he was too late for dinner, covered his dirty shirt with a clean one, there being no time for changing it. He has been known to wear five strata of shirts at a time, and to have greatly surprised his friends by his rapid transitions from a state of corpulency to that of considerable leanness. This was when, at some moment of leisure, he contrived to find time to despoil himself of his exuvia. All Sir Humphry's experience in high circles (and in the plenitude of his fame he commanded any rank) never gave him ease of manner: he lacked the original familiarity with polished society, and his best efforts at pleasing were marred with a disagreeable bearing, which might sometimes be called pertness, sometimes superciliousness.—As in his dress he oscillated between a dandy and a sloven, so in his manners he vibrated from familiarity to hauteur. In all personal matters he missed the golden mean.—Spectator Newspaper.

YOUTHFUL PHILOSOPHY

The young Princess Esterhazy was a great favourite of George IV. At a ball given in honour of his Majesty's birth-day, the young ladies were each expected to kneel, and present him with a nosegay; but the princess declared, that as she was of royal blood, she would prefer death to such degradation. The King received her graciously, notwithstanding her obstinacy; but her governess sent the child to bed immediately after dinner. "Bon pour la digestion," exclaimed the princess; which so enraged the governess, that she took her out of bed and whipped her soundly. "Bon pour la circulation," said the princess; and the next day the governess resigned.—Atlas.

PLAIN SPEAKING

At St. Augustine's Sessions, in an appeal case, a witness was asked by Sir Edward Knatchbull, to relate what took place between him and his master, which he did as follows:—"I told him he was a liar." Chairman—"Very improper language." Witness—"Can't help that, I am come here to speak the truth, and you have got it."—Kent and Essex Mer.

THE DEAD HAND

It is an opinion very prevalent among the "finest pisantry in the world," that a lighted candle placed in a dead man's hand will not be seen by any but those by whom it is used; and also that, if a candle in a dead hand be introduced into a house, it will prevent those who may be asleep from awaking! Under the influence of this superstition, a party, a few nights since armed with a dead man's hand and lighted candle, attacked the house of Mrs. Leonard (the mother of the priest), in the town of Oldcastle, county of Meath; but, unfortunately for the credit of the creed, the inmates were alarmed, and the robbers fled, leaving the hand behind them.

EPIGRAMS

"Upon his arrival at Perthshire, his Majesty is to be received by a band of two hundred men, entirely of the Mac clan, arrayed in the ancient national costume."—Scotsman.

In Scotia our king's to be blessed with a treat,A balleting one if the Scotch have their nacks,For the papers put forth he's at Perthshire to meet,Dressed in tartan and bonnet, a band of all "Macs." (Almacks.)Which wert thou, cruel Bishop Bonner,A savage wit, or senseless noddy,When to extinguish Ridley's faith,Thou mad'st a bonfire of his body?Disdain'd by the Helen he fondly had wooed,A love-stricken swain in a region campestris,Thus "clerkly" gave vent to his sorrowful mood,Ah! vota si mea valíssent cum Vestris! 3Ah me! what foggy thoughts environThe man that reads Gait's "Life of Byron."—Hudibras parodied."What pens doth Galt in general use?"To Farthing thus said Simon Shark;"Mostly the Nocto-Polygraph,Or pen that writes Sir—in the dark."PUN-ICUS.

PARLIAMENTARY ABSTINENCE

Perhaps it is not generally known, and certainly not generally attended to, that an act of parliament was made in the reign of Edward III. prohibiting any one from being served, at dinner or supper, with more than two courses; except upon some great holidays there specified, in which he may be served with three. This act has never been repealed.

J.J.C.

ANTICIPATORY EPITAPH

(To the Editor.)

Connected with Leeds, Kent, mentioned in No. 461 of The Mirror, I beg leave to inform you, that in the village churchyard, near the castle, is a rather singular inscription upon a grave-stone, which was put up by the deceased during his life time; and when I first saw it, had blanks, for inserting his age and the time of his death. These blanks have long since been filled up, and the whole now reads as follows:—

"In memory of James Barham, of this parish, who departed this life Jan. 14, 1818, aged 93 years; and who, from the year 1774 to the year 1804, rung, in Kent and elsewhere, 112 peals, not less than 5,040 changes in each peal, and called bobs, &c. for most of the peals; and April 7th and 8th, 1761, assisted in ringing 40,320 bob-majors, on Leeds-bells, in 27 hours."

R. ROFFE.

As Le Commandeur De Sillery, who was ambassador from France to the Pope, was one day walking with the Venetian ambassador, in the square before the beautiful church of the Gesù, at Rome (where it seems there is always air, even in the hottest day of summer), he said to him, "What an odd thing it is that there should be always something of a breeze here? Can your excellency account for it?" "Perfectly well," replied the Venetian, "upon a tradition that has been long current in this city. The devil and the wind were one day walking together in the streets of Rome, when, coming to the Jesuits' College in this place, the devil said to the wind, 'Pray be so good as to stay here a minute or two, I have a word to say to these good fathers within.' The devil, as the story goes, never returned to his companion, who has been ever since waiting for him at the door."

J.G.B.

LORD BYRON

On Saturday next, a SUPPLEMENT ofPIQUANT EXTRACTSFROMMOORE'S LIFE OF LORD BYRON,Vol. II

1

From the Literary Gazette. See Notice of the Comic Annual—Mirror, No. 467.

2

Derived from pecunia.

3

Vide Certamen Ajacis et Ulyssis. Ovid's Met.