'Full canisters of fragrant lilies bring, Mix'd with the purple roses of the spring: The graves of Glamorganshire, decorated with flowers and herbs, at once gratify the relations of the departed and please the observer. Friar Lawrence, in Romeo and Juliet, says: "Dry up your tears, and stick your rosemary On this fair corse." Of Paris, the intended husband of Juliet, who, to all appearance, died on her wedding-day, it is said, in the language of Shakespeare, "He came with flowers to strew his lady's grave," when he provoked, and met his fate by the hand of, Romeo. Sir Thomas Overbury, in his Characters, describing the "faire and happy milk-maid," says: "Thus lived she, and all her care is, that she may die in the spring-time, to have store of flowers stucke upon her winding sheet." A MS. entitled Historical Passages concerning the Clergy, cited in the History of Shrewsbury, 4to. p. 92, speaking of the ancient Papal times, observes : "It is probable before this time there were neither seats nor benches in churches; the floors were commonly strewed with flowers and sweet herbs, especially at midnight masses and great festivals, upon which the people must prostrate themselves." The following curious passage I found in the Festyvall, 1528, f. 77, in the account of St. Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury:." He was also manfull in his houshold, for his hall was every daye in somer season strewed with grene russhes, and in wynter with clene hey, for to save the knyghtes clothes that sate on the flore for defaute of place to syt on." Pennant, in his Tour in Scotland, remarks a singular custom in many parts of North Britain, of "painting on the doors and window-shutters white tadpole-like figures, on a black ground, designed to express the tears of the country for the loss of any person of distinction. Nothing seems wanting to render this mode of expressing sorrow completely ridiculous, but the subjoining of a N.B. These are tears.' I saw a door that led into a family vault in Kelso churchyard in 1785, which was painted over in the above manner with very large ones." [Among the superstitions of the Senecca Indians is the following: When a maiden dies, they imprison a young bird until it first begins to try its power of song; and then, loading it with kisses and caresses, they loose its bonds over her grave, in the belief that it will not fold its wings nor close its eyes until it has flown to the spirit land, and delivered its precious burden of affection to the loved and lost. It is not unfrequent to see twenty or thirty loosed at once over one grave.] MINNYNG DAYS, OR MONTH'S MIND. MYNDE DAYS, Minnyng Days, says Blount, from the Saxon Gemynde, days which our ancestors called their Month's Mind, their Year's Mind, and the like, being the days whereon their souls (after their deaths) were had in special remembrance, and some office or obsequies said for them; as obits, dirges, &c. This word is still retained in Lancashire; but elsewhere they are more commonly called Anniversary Days. The common expression of "having a month's mind,” implying a longing desire, is evidently derived from hence.2 The following is an extract from the will of Thomas Windsor, esq., 1479: "Item, I will that I have brennyng at my burying and funeral service four tapers and twenty-two torches of wax, every taper to conteyn the weight of ten pounds, and every torch sixteen pounds, which I will that twenty-four very poor men, and well disposed, shall hold as well at the tyme of my burying as at my moneth's minde. Item, I will that, after my moneth's minde be done, the said 1 That is, the Mind, q. Myndyng Days, Bede, Hist. Eccl. lib. iv. ca. 30. Commemorationis Dies. The following is in Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, i. 230: "By saying they have a month's mind to it, they anciently must undoubtedly mean that, if they had what they so much longed for, it would (hyperbolically speaking) do them as much good (they thought) as they believed a month's mind, or service said once a month (could they afford to have it), would benefit their souls after their decease." four tapers he delivered to the churchwardens, &c. And that there be a hundred children within the age of sixteen years to be at my moneth's minde, to say for my soul. That against my moneth's minde the candles bren before the roode in the parish church. Also that at my moneth's minde my executors provide twenty priests to singe placebo, dirige, &c." See Gent. Mag. for 1793, lxiii. 1191. Fabyan the historian, himself, also, in his will, gives directions for his month's mind: "At whiche tyme of burying, and also the monethis mynde, I will that myne executrice doo cause to be carried from London xii. newe torches, there beyng redy made, to burn in the tymes of the said burying and monethes minde: and also that they do purvay for iiii. tapers of iii.lb. evry pece, to brenne about the corps and herse for the foresaid .ii. seasons, whiche torches and tapers to be bestowed as hereafter shalbe devised; which iiij. tapers I will be holden at every tyme by foure poore men, to the whiche I will that to everyche of theym be geven for their labours at either of the saide ij. tymes iiij.d. to as many as been weddid men: and if any of theym happen to be unmarried, than they to have but iij.d. a pece, and in lyke manner I will that the torche berers be orderid." In another part of his will he says: "Also I will, that if I decesse at my tenemente of Halstedis, that myn executrice doo purvay ayenst my burying competent brede, ale, and chese, for all comers to the parishe churche, and ayenst the moneths mynde I will be ordeyned, at the said churche, competent brede, ale, pieces of beffe and moton, and rost rybbys of beffe, and shalbe thought nedeful by the discretion of myn executrice, for all comers to the said obsequy, over and above brede, ale, and chese, for the comers unto the dirige over night. And furthermore I will that my said executrice doo purvay ayenst the said moneths mynde xxiiij. peces of beffe and moton, and xxiiij. treen platers and xxiiij. treen sponys; the whiche peces of fleshe with the said platers and spoonys, with xxiiij.d. of silver, I will be geven unto xxiiij. poore persones of the said parisshe of Theydon Garnon, if w'in that parishe so many may be founde: for lake whereof I will the xxiiij. peces of flesh and ij.s. in money, w' the foresaid platers and sponys be geven unto suche poore persones as may be found in the parisshes of Theydon at Mount, and Theydon Boys, after the discrecion of myn executors; and if which was painted over in the above manner with very large ones." [Among the superstitions of the Senecca Indians is the following: When a maiden dies, they imprison a young bird until it first begins to try its power of song; and then, loading it with kisses and caresses, they loose its bonds over her grave, in the belief that it will not fold its wings nor close its eyes until it has flown to the spirit land, and delivered its precious burden of affection to the loved and lost. It is not unfrequent to see twenty or thirty loosed at once over one grave.] MINNYNG DAYS, OR MONTH'S MIND. MYNDE DAYS, Minnyng Days, says Blount, from the Saxon Lemynde, days which our ancestors called their Month's Mind, their Year's Mind, and the like, being the days whereon their souls (after their deaths) were had in special remembrance, and some office or obsequies said for them; as obits, dirges, &c. This word is still retained in Lancashire; but elsewhere they are more commonly called Anniversary Days. The common expression of "having a month's mind," implying a longing desire, is evidently derived from hence.2 The following is an extract from the will of Thomas Windsor, esq., 1479: "Item, I will that I have brennyng at my burying and funeral service four tapers and twenty-two torches of wax, every taper to conteyn the weight of ten pounds, and every torch sixteen pounds, which I will that twenty-four very poor men, and well disposed, shall hold as well at the tyme of my burying as at my moneth's minde. Item, I will that, after my moneth's minde be done, the said 1 That is, the Mind, q. Myndyng Days, Bede, Hist. Eccl. lib. iv. ca. 30. Commemorationis Dies. 2 The following is in Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, i. 230: "By saying they have a month's mind to it, they anciently must undoubtedly mean that, if they had what they so much longed for, it would (hyperbolically speaking) do them as much good (they thought) as they believed a month's mind, or service said once a month (could they afford to have it), would benefit their souls after their decease." four tapers he delivered to the churchwardens, &c. And that there be a hundred children within the age of sixteen years to be at my moneth's minde, to say for my soul. That against my moneth's minde the candles bren before the roode in the parish church. Also that at my moneth's minde my executors provide twenty priests to singe placebo, dirige, &c." See Gent. Mag. for 1793, lxiii. 1191. Fabyan the historian, himself, also, in his will, gives directions for his month's mind: "At whiche tyme of burying, and also the monethis mynde, I will that myne executrice doo cause to be carried from London xii. newe torches, there beyng redy made, to burn in the tymes of the said burying and monethes minde: and also that they do purvay for iiii. tapers of iii. lb. evry pece, to brenne about the corps and herse for the foresaid .ii. seasons, whiche torches and tapers to be bestowed as hereafter shalbe devised; which iiij. tapers I will be holden at every tyme by foure poore men, to the whiche I will that to everyche of theym be geven for their labours at either of the saide ij. tymes iiij.d. to as many as been weddid men: and if any of theym happen to be unmarried, than they to have but iij.d. a pece, and in lyke manner I will that the torche berers be orderid." In another part of his will he says: "Also I will, that if I decesse at my tenemente of Halstedis, that myn executrice doo purvay ayenst my burying competent brede, ale, and chese, for all comers to the parishe churche, and ayenst the moneths mynde I will be ordeyned, at the said churche, competent brede, ale, pieces of beffe and moton, and rost rybbys of beffe, and shalbe thought nedeful by the discretion of myn executrice, for all comers to the said obsequy, over and above brede, ale, and chese, for the comers unto the dirige over night. And furthermore I will that my said executrice doo purvay ayenst the said moneths mynde xxiiij. peces of beffe and moton, and xxiiij. treen platers and xxiiij. treen sponys; the whiche peces of fleshe with the said platers and spoonys, with xxiiij.d. of silver, I will be geven unto xxiiij. poore persones of the said parisshe of Theydon Garnon, if w'in that parishe so many may be founde: for lake whereof I will the xxiiij. peces of flesh and ij.s. in money, w' the foresaid platers and sponys be geven unto suche poore persones as may be found in the parisshes of Theydon at Mount, and Theydon Boys, after the discrecion of myn executors; and if |