ing with which they celebrated the festivals | massy gold. He had bracelets of gold upon of their gods. They ascribed the daily sacrifice which they made of quails to the sun, to that which the heroes made of those birds; and the barbarous sacrifices of human victims, so common afterwards in these countries, they ascribed to the example of Xolotl with his brethren. "They told a similar fable of the origin of the moon. Tezcociztecal, another of those who assembled in Teotihuacan, following the example of Nanahuatzin, threw himself into the fire; but the flames being somewhat less fierce, he turned out less bright, and was transformed into the moon." "TEZCATLIPOCA. - This was the greatest god adored in these countries, after the invisible God, or Supreme Being. His name means Shining Mirror, from one that was affixed to his image. He was the God of Providence, the soul of the world, the creator of heaven and earth, and master of all things. They represented him always young, to denote that no length of years ever diminished his power. They believed that he rewarded with various benefits the just, and punished the wicked with diseases and other afflictions. They placed stone seats in the corners of the streets, for that god to rest upon when he chose it, and upon which no person was ever allowed to sit down. Some said that he had descended from heaven by a rope made of spiders' webs, and had persecuted and driven from these countries the grand priest of Tula Quetzalcoatl. His principal image was of teotl, divine stone, which is a black shining stone, like black marble, and was richly dressed. It had golden ear-rings, and from the under lip hung a crystal tube, within which was a green feather, or a turquoise stone, which at first sight appeared to be a gem. His hair was tied with a golden string, from the end of which hung an ear of the same metal, with the appearance of ascending smoke painted on it, by which they intended to represent the prayers of the distressed. The whole breast was covered with both his arms, an emerald in the navel, and in his left hand a golden fan, set round with beautiful feathers, and polished like a mirror, in which they imagined he saw every thing that happened in the world. At other times, to denote his justice, they represented him sitting on a bench covered with a red cloth, upon which were drawn the figures of skulls and other bones of the dead: upon his left arm a shield with four arrows, and his right lifted in the attitude of throwing a spear; his body dyed black, and his head crowned with quail feathers." "HUITZILOPOCHTLI, or Mexitli, was the God of War; the deity the most honoured by the Mexicans, and their chief protector. Of this god some said he was a pure spirit, others that he was born of a woman, but without the assistance of a man, and described his birth in the following manner. There lived, said they, in Coatepec, a place near to the ancient city of Tula, a woman called Coatlicue, mother of the Ceutzonhuiznahuis, who was extremely devoted to the worship of the gods. One day as she was employed, according to her usual custom, in walking in the temple, she beheld, descending in the air, a ball made of various feathers. She seized it, and kept it in her bosom, intending afterwards to employ the feathers in decoration of the altar; but when she wanted it after her walk was at an end, she could not find it, at which she was extremely surprised, and her wonder was very greatly increased when she began to perceive from that moment that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy advanced till it was discovered by her children, who, although they could not themselves suspect their mother's virtue, yet fearing the disgrace she would suffer upon her delivery, determined to prevent it by putting her to death. They could not take their resolution so secretly as to conceal it from their mother, who, while she was in deep affliction at the thoughts of dying by her own children, heard an unexpected voice issue from her womb, saying, 'Be not afraid, mother, for I shall save you, with the greatest honour to yourself and glory to me.' Her hard-hearted sons, guided and encouraged by their sister Cojolxauhqui, who had been the most keenly bent upon the deed, were now just upon the point of executing their purpose, when Huitzilopochtli was born with a shield in his left hand, a spear in his right, and a crest of green feathers on his head; his left leg adorned with feathers, and his face, arms, and thighs streaked with blue lines. As soon as he came into the world, he displayed a twisted pine, and commanded one of his soldiers called Tochancalqui, to fell with it Cojolxauhqui, as the one who had been the most guilty; and he himself attacked the rest with so much fury, that, in spite of their efforts, their arms or their intreaties, he killed them all, plundered their houses, and presented the spoils to his mother. Mankind were so terrified by this event, that from that time they called him Tetzahuitl, terror, and Tetzauhteotl, terrible god.1 "His statue was of gigantic size, in the posture of a man seated on a blue coloured bench, from the four corners of which issued four huge snakes. His forehead was blue, but his face was covered with a golden mask, while another of the same kind covered the back of his head. Upon his head he carried a beautiful crest, shaped like the beak of a bird; upon his neck a collar, consisting of ten figures of the human heart; in his right hand a large blue twisted club; in his left a shield, on which appeared five balls of feathers, disposed in the form of a cross, and from the upper part of the shield rose a golden flag with four arrows, which the Mexicans pretended to have been sent to them from heaven to perform those glorious actions which we have seen in their history. His body was girt with a large golden snake, and adorned with various lesser figures of "Mexitli, woman-born, who from the womb, Child of no mortal sire, leapt terrible, The armed avenger of his mother's fame " Madoc in Aztlan, ix. p. 378.-J. W. W. 'animals, made of gold and precious stones, which ornaments and insignia had each their peculiar meaning. They never deliberated upon making war without imploring the protection of this god with prayers and sacrifices, and offered up a greater number of human victims to him than to any other of the gods." The Thirteen Rarities of Britain. "DYRNWYN, i. e. white handle, the sword of Ryzerc the generous, which, when drawn out of the sheath, would become a flame from the handle to its point. "Len Arthur, Arthur's veil, in Cornwall, whoever wore it would see every body, and nobody see him. "The coat of Padarn, which would fit a noble, but one of mean birth it would not. "The mantle of Tegau would not fit an unchaste woman, nor cover her; but it would cover a chaste one to the ground. "The knife of Lawvrodez, which would serve twenty-four persons round the different tables. "The dish of Ryzerc the scholar, whatever might be desired upon it would be found ready dressed. "The chessboard of Gwenzolan, the tables of silver, and the men of gold, and they would play of themselves when the dice were thrown. "The whetstone of Tudeno, which would sharpen the weapon of the brave, and blunt the coward's. "The horn of Brân, the liquor desired would be found in it. "The halter of Cludno, the horse that should be desired would be found in it. "The cauldron of Dyrnoc, in which the meat of a coward would never be done enough, but that of the hero would be ready instantly. "The car of Morgan Mwynvawr, whoever went in it would be instantly in whatever place he desired. "The Barged (what is that?) of Gwyzno. If the provision of one person was put in it, L the provision of an hundred men would be | most profound wisdom, which he displayed found therein when opened. Given me by William Owen. www The Deaf Serpent. DOES not "the deaf adder, that heareth not the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely," allude to some snake that cannot be enticed by music, as they catch them in Egypt? and hence this ingenious mode of stopping his ears.-R. S. in the laws which he left to mankind; and above all, to have had the most rigid and exemplary manners. Whenever he intended to promulgate a law in his kingdom, he ordered a crier to the top of the mountain Izatzitepec (the hill of shouting), near the city of Tula, whose voice was heard at the distance of three hundred miles. In his time, the corn grew so strong that a single ear was a load for a man; gourds were as long as a man's body: it was unnecessary to die cotton, for it grew naturally of all 2 colours, and all other fruits and seeds were in the same abundance, and of extraordinary size. Then, too, there was an incredible number of beautiful and sweet-singing birds. All his subjects were rich, and to sum up all in one word, the Mexicans imagined as much happiness under the priesthood of Quetzalcoatl, as the Greeks did under the reign of Saturn, whom this Mexican god likewise resembled in the exile which he suffered. Amidst all this prosperity, Tezcatlipoca, I know not for what reason, wishing to drive him from that country, appeared to him in the form of an old man, and told him that it was the will of the gods that he should be taken to the kingdom of Tlapalla. At the same time, he offered him a beverage, which Quetzalcoatl readily accepted, in hopes of obtaining that immortality after which he aspired. He had no sooner drank it, than he felt himself so strongly inclined to go to Tlapalla, that he set out immediately, accompanied by many of his subjects, who on the way entertained him with music. Near the city of Quauhtillan, he felled a tree with stones, which remained fixed in the trunk; and near Tlalnepantla, he laid his hand upon a stone, and left an impression, which the Mexicans shew "QUETZALCOATL. This was among the Mexicans, and all the other nations of Anahuac, the god of the air. He was said to have been once high priest of Tula. They figured him tall, big, and of a fair complexion, with an open forehead, large eyes, long black hair, and a thick beard. From a love of decency, he wore always a long robe; he was so rich that he had palaces of silver and precious stones; he was thoughted the Spaniards after the conquest. Upon to possess the greatest industry, and to have invented the art of melting metals and cuttinggems. He was supposed to have had the Qy. stoppeth? [Quoted to Thalaba, ixth Book, p. 286.-J. W. W.] his arrival at Cholula, the citizens detained him, and made him take upon him the government of their city. Besides the decency 2 Claudian in Ruf. p. 29. [This reference is to lib. i. v. 209, &c.-J. W. W.] 1 and sweetness of his manners, the aversion | luca, whither they often went to implore his he shewed to all kinds of cruelty, insomuch that he could not bear to hear the very mention of war, added much to the affection entertained for him by the inhabitants of Cholula. To him they said they owed their knowledge of melting metals, their laws by which they were ever afterwards protection. The ancients also believed that in all the high mountains there resided other gods, subaltern to Tlaloc. They all went under the same name, and were revered not only as gods of water, but also as the gods of mountains. The image of Tlaloc was painted blue and green, to express the dif governed, the rites and ceremonies of their | ferent colours that are observed in water. religion, and even, as some affirmed, the arrangement of their seasons and calendar. "After being twenty years in Cholula, he resolved to pursue his journey to the imaginary kingdom of Tlapalla, carrying along with him four noble and virtuous youths. In the maritime province of Coatzacoalco, he dismissed them, and desired them to assure the Cholulans that he would return to comfort and direct them. The Cholulans, out of respect to their beloved Quetzalcoatl, put the reins of government into the hands of those young men. Some people said that he suddenly disappeared, others that he died upon that coast; but however it might be, Quetzalcoatl was consecrated as a god. Barren women offered up their prayers to him, in order to become fruitful.-Quetzalcoatl, they said, cleared the way for the god of water, because in these countries rain is generally preceded by wind." When Cortes came "the shippes they held opinion was the god of the ayre called Quezalcoualt, whiche came with the temples on his backe, for they dayly looked for him." -Conq. of the Weast India. Tlaloc.1 He held in his hand a rod of gold, of an undulated and pointed form, by which they intended to denote the lightning. "In the inner part of the greater temple of Mexico, there was a particular place where they supposed that on a certain day of the year all the children which had been sacrificed to Tlaloc, came, and invisibly assisted at the ceremony." Aiauh. "AJAUH is one of the names of the water goddess, the companion of Tlaloc. The Tlascalans called her Matlalcueje, that is, clothed in a green robe: and they gave the same name to the highest mountain of Tlascala, on whose summit are formed those stormy clouds which generally burst over the city of Angelopoli. To that summit the Tlascalans ascended to perform their sacrifices, and offer up their prayers." St. John. "IF it were worth while to unravel the fable of the caldron of oil, perhaps it might appear to be an African tale that rose out of a confusion of the names of the island. The Phoenicians, Syrians, and Jews used to call the island Batmos, which signified turpentine, gum exuding from pines "TLALOC, otherwise Tlalocateuctli, master of paradise, was the god of water. They called him fertilizer of the earth, and protector of their temporal goods. They believed he resided upon the highest moun--and other trees, for which this and the other tains, where the clouds are generally formed, such as those of Tlaloc, Tlascala, and To For Tlaloc and Aiauh, see the xiith section of Madoc in Aztlan, p. 385.-J. W. W. islands of the Cyclades were famous. The resinous juices called turpentines are obtained from some trees by incision, and received into bats or vats, in trenches, and afterwards freed from their impurities by Christian Symbols. "A LILLY on a tomb denotes a virgin or a confessor, and a palm-branch signifies a martyr."-ROBINSON. www Peruvian Bark. "THERE is a famous tree known in seve ral provinces of South America under the name of quina-quina, and in the province of Maynas, on the banks of the river Marannon, under that of Tatchi. A fragrant resin distills from the trunk by means of an incision. The seeds, called by the Spaniards Pepitas de quina-quina, have the form of beans, or of flat almonds, and are enclosed in a kind of doubled leaf, between which and the leaf is found a little of the same resin that distills from the tree. Their chief use is to make fumigations, which are reputed cordial and wholesome, but their reputation is much less now than formerly. "This tree grows plentifully in several provinces of high Peru. The natives make rolls or masses of the resin, which they sell at Potosi and Chucuisaca, where they serve not only to fumigate or perfume with, but also for several other uses in physic, sometimes under the form of a plaster, sometimes under that of a compound oil made from the resin. This substance is supposed to promote perspiration, strengthen the nerves, and to restore the motion of the joints in gouty people, by barely carrying in the hand, and continually handling it. "The stalk is triangular, furrowed, and New England Fasts and Thanksgivings. "THERE is one distinguishing characteristic in the religious character of the New Englanders which we must not omit mentioning; and that is the custom of annually celebrating fasts and thanksgivings. In the spring, the governors of the several New England States, except Rhode Island, issue their proclamations, appointing a day to be religiously observed in fasting, humiliation, and prayer, throughout their respective States, in which the predominating vices, that particularly call for humiliation, are enumerated. In autumn, after harvest, that gladsome era in the husbandman's life, the governors again issue their proclamations, appointing a day of public thanksgiving, enumerating the public blessings received in the course of the foregoing year. This pious custom originated with their venerable ancestors, the first settlers of New England, and has been handed down through the successive generations of their posterity. A custom so rational, and so happily calculated to cherish in the minds of the people a sense of their dependence on the Great Benefactor of the world for all their blessings, it is hoped will ever be preserved."-WINTER BOTHAM. w~ Du Guesclin. "BERTRAND DU GUESCLIN had been alwayes a most valiant knight, and one highly renowned in all histories. After he had performed many worthy enterprizes ever to his fame and honour, he maried with a beautifull lady, named Tiphania, descended of a |