Dealings With The Dead Volume II Part 34

Ann, d.u.c.h.ess of Exeter, 1457--"I forbid my executors to make any great feast, or to have a solemn hea.r.s.e, or any costly lights, or largess of liveries according to the glory or vain pomp of the world, at my funeral, but only to the worship of G.o.d, after the discretion of Mr. John Pynchebeke, Doctor of Divinity."

Edmund Brudenell, 1457--"To Agmondesham Church; to the Provosts of the Church for the maintenance of the great light before the cross XX_s._ To the maintenance of the light before St. Katherine's Cross, III_s._ IV_d._"

John Younge, 1458--"To the fabrick of the Church of Herne, viz., to make seats, called puyinge, X. marks."

John Sprot, Clerk, 1461--"To each of my parishioners XL_d._"

The pa.s.sion for books, merely because of their antique rarity, and not for their intrinsic value, is not less dangerous, for the pursuer, than that, for collecting rare animals, and forming a private menagerie, at vast expense. Even the entomologist has been known to diminish the comforts of his family, by investing his ready money in rare and valuable bugs. It has been pleasantly said of him,

"He leaves his children, when he dies, The richest cabinet of flies."

There is no doubt, that, in those superst.i.tious days, the traffic in relics must have been a source of very great profit to the priests; equal, at least, to the traffic in _ancient terra cottas_, in the days of Nollekens. The sleeves of those crafty friars could not have been large enough, to hold their laughter, at the expense of the faithful. The heir apparent, whose grief, for the death of his ancestor, was sufficiently subdued, by his refreshing antic.i.p.ations of some thousands of marks in ready money, must have been somewhat startled, upon the reading of the will, to find himself residuary legatee, _for life_, of the testator's "reliques, remainder over to the Carthusian Friars!"

Such, and similar, things were of actual occurrence. William Haute, Esquire, made his will, May 9, 1462, of course, in the reign of Edward the Fourth. This worthy gentleman ordains--"My body to be buried, in the Church of the Augustine Friars, before the image of St. Catherine, between my wives. * * * * I bequeath one piece of that stone, on which the Archangel Gabriel descended, when he saluted the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Church of Bourne, the same to stand under the foot of the said image. I bequeath one piece of the bone of St. Bartholomew to the Church of Waltham. One piece of the hair cloth of St. Catherine, the Virgin, and a piece of the bone of St. Nicholas, to the Church of the Augustine Friars aforesaid. I bequeath all the remainder of my relicks to my son William, _for life_, with remainder to the Augustine Friars forever."

Humphrey, Earl of Devon, 1463--"I will, that Mr. Nicholas Goss and Mr.

Watts, Warden of the Grey Friars, at Exeter, shall, for the salvation of my soul, go to every Parish Church, in the Counties of Dorset, Somerset, Wilts, Devon, and Cornwall, and say a sermon, in every Church, town, or other; and as I cannot recompense such as I have offended, I desire them to forgive my poor soul, that it be not endangered."

William, Earl of Pembroke, 1469--"In nomine Jesu, &c. And wyfe, that ye remember your promise to me, that ye take the ordre of widowhood, as ye may the better mayster your owne * * * * Wyfe pray for me, and take the said ordre, that ye promised me, as ye had, in my lyfe, my hert and love."

This lady, who was the daughter of Sir Walter Devereux, observed her vow, and died the widow of the Earl; which is the more remarkable, as these injunctions have often produced an opposite effect, and abbreviated the term of continency.

Sir Harry Stafford, Kt., 1471--"To my son-in-law, the Earl of Richmond, a trappur, four new horse harness of velvet; to my brother, John, Earl of Wiltshire, my bay courser; to Reynold Bray, my Receiver General, my grizzled horse."

Cecilia Lady Kirriel, 1472--"In my pure widowhood, &c. To John Kirriel, b.a.s.t.a.r.d, &c."

It is not unusual for the consciences of men, in a dying hour, to clutch, for security, at the veriest straws. It is instructive to consider the evidences, exhibited in these ancient testaments, of superfluous compunction. Sir Walter Moyle, Knt., 1479, directs his feoffees "to make an estate, in two acres of land, more or less, lying in the parish of Estwell, in a field called Calinglond, and deliver the same, in fee simple, to three or four honest men, to the use and behoof of the Church of Estwell aforesaid, in recompense of a certain annual rent of 2 of wax, by me wrested and detained from the said Church, against my conscience."

It was not unusual, to appoint overseers, to have an eye upon executors; a provision, which may not be without its advantages, occasionally, even in these days of more perfect morality, and higher law. Sir Ralph Verney, Knt., 1478, appoints four executors, and "my trewe lover, John Browne, Alderman of London, to be one of the _overseers_ of this my present testament, and to have a remembrance upon my soul, one of my cups, covered with silver gilt."

Monks and Friars were pleasant fellows in the olden time, and Nuns are not supposed to have been without their holy comforts. Landseer's fine picture of Bolton Abbey is a faithful ill.u.s.tration. The fat of the land, when offered to idols, has commonly been eaten up by deputy. However shadowy and attenuated the souls of their humble and confiding tributaries, the carca.s.ses of abbots are commonly represented as superlatively fat and rubicund.

Bequests and devises to Lights and Altars were very common. Eustace Greville, Esquire, 1479, bequeaths "to the Light of the Blessed Mary, in the said Church of Wolton, three pounds of wax in candles and two torches; to the Altar of the Blessed Mary in the said church, one bushel of wheat and as much of barley; and to the Lights of the Holy Cross there one bushel of barley and as much of beans; and the same to the Light of St.

Katherine there."

FINISH.

DUST TO DUST.

In utter disregard of all precedent, I have placed this dedication at the end of the volume, deeming it meet and right, that the corpse should go before.

How very often the publication of a ponderous tome has been found to resemble the interment of a portly corpse! How truly, ere long, it may be equally affirmed, of both--the places, that knew them, shall know them no more!

Maecenas was the friend and privy counsellor of Augustus Caesar; and, accordingly, became, in some measure, the dispenser of executive patronage. The name of Maecenas has been employed, ever since, to signify a patron of letters and the arts. Dedications are said to have been coeval with the days of his power.

In almost every case, a dedication is neither more nor less, than an application for convoy, from the literary mariner, who is scarcely willing to venture, with his fragile bark, "_in mare Cretic.u.m_" or _critic.u.m_, unaided and alone. He solicits permission to dedicate his work to some distinguished individual--in other words, to place his influential name, upon the very front of the volume, as an amulet--a sort of pa.s.sover--to keep evil spirits and critics, at a distance. If the permission be granted, of which the public is sure to be informed, the presumption, that the patron has read and approved the work, amounts to a sanction, of course, to the extent of his credit and authority. In some cases, however, I have reason to believe, that the only part of the work, which the patron ever reads, is the dedication itself. That most amiable and excellent man, and high-minded bibliopolist, the late Mr. JAMES BROWN, informed me, that an author once requested permission, to dedicate his work, to a certain professor, in the State of New York, tendering the ma.n.u.script, for his perusal; and that the professor declined reading the work, as superfluous; but readily accepted the dedication, observing, that he usually received five dollars, on such occasions.

There was one, to whom it would afford me real pleasure to dedicate this volume, were he here, in the flesh; but he has gone to his account.

GROSSMAN is numbered with the dead!

READER--if you can lay your hand upon your heart, and honestly say, that you have read these pages, or any considerable portion of them, with pleasure--that they have afforded you instruction, or amus.e.m.e.nt--I dedicate this volume--with your permission, of course--most respectfully, to you; having conceived the most exalted opinion of your taste and judgment.

L. M. SARGENT, ROCK HILL, DECEMBER, 1855.