POPISH MIRACLES. In one of the chapels of the cathedral at Brussels are three hosts or wafers, which the priests firmly assert, and the people as firmly believe, were so long ago as the year 1369 stabbed by a Jew, and bled profusely! LUSTRATIONS. If a murder, or an attempt to murder, be comsmitted in a church, then that place being polluted, though ever so unconscious, must undergo lustrations, namely, a purification after murder has been committed within the walls. In 1492, a priest, Patric Filling, was wounded almost to death by a Welsh gentleman. Divine service was immediately suspended; till a lustration was performed, in order to purify the church from the -foul stain. DOCTOR DONNE. This eminent divine amply repaid the patronage of the countess of Bedford, by the most violent. homage to be found in his poems: Leaving that busie praise, and all appeale "To higher courts, senses decree is tru "The mine, the magazine, the common weale, "The story of beauty, in Twickham is and you "Who hath seen one, would both, as who had bin "In Paradise would seek the cherubim." CARDINAL DE RETZ. Cardinal de Retz, after his recall from banishment, threw himself at the king of France's feet; the king lifted him up, and said, " Cardinal, you "are grey-headed:" on which he replied, "Sire, "my hair instantly grew grey when I incurred "your majesty's displeasure." METHODISTS. The methodists are extremely uncharitable in their superstitious application of a Providence. If a clergyman die suddenly at the card-table, they record his death as an instance of the judgment of God against card-playing. Another is cured of scrophulous legs in hearing one sermon. A father, mother, three sons, and a sister, are destroyed by particular interposition. A dancing master dies suddenly, and this is also a judgment of God against dancing. Should a snuff. taker die by excessive sternutation (for they do not allow snuff or tobacco), a particular providence would be the cause. Against smoking they rival king James I. in their anathemas; and Sir Walter Raleigh would, upon the principle above stated, have suffered justly for having introduced that narcotic weed. The excise revenue suffers greatly in this body of men, who even quarrel with wine after dinner. But, to return, the conflagration of our two principal theatres was a judgement of God,notwithstanding that the principal severity of it fell upon the insurance offices. DISSOLUTION OF THE RELIGIOUS HOUSES IN ENGLAND. In Mr. Ellis's elegant selection from the Museum Letters, we find the following very curious documents relative to the dissolution of the religious houses: Addressed to Secretary Cromwell. "Right honorable after all humble recommenda"tions theis shalbe to advertyse you that we have byn yn execution of the Kyngs Commission di"rected unto us, begynnyng at Chacumbe, wher we accomplysshed all thyngs accordyng unto "our Commyssion, and frome thens we repayred "to Assheby, where after on days tarreyng we werre fayne to departe thens unto Catesby Nunrey by occasion of sykenesse where we "have also accomplisshed the Kyngs Commys"sion accordyng to his high commandement and " and our poore discrecions. Which Howse of "Catesby we founde in very perfett order, the "Priores a sure wyse, discrete, and very religyous woman, with ix. nunnys under her obedyencye, ́"as relygious and devoute, and with as good obedyencye as we have in time past seen, or belyke shall see. The seid Howse standyth "in suech a quarter, muche to the releff of the Kyngs people, and his Grace's pore subjects "their lykewyse mode reléwed, as by the reporte "of dyvers worshypfull nere ther unto adjoynyng, as of all other, ytys to us openly declared. *Wherefore 'yf yt schulde please the Kyngs Highnesse to have eny remorse that eny suche "relygious House shall stande, we thynke his "Grace cannot appoynt eny House more mete "to shew his most gracious charitie and pitey 66 on that one the seid House of Catesby. 'Fer"ther ye shall understande that as to her boun "den dewtye towards the Kyngs Highnes in "theis his affayres, also for dyscrete entertayn"ment of us his 'commyssioners and our com pany, we have not fownde nor belyke shall "fynde euy suche of more dyscretion. And lese "peraventure theyr may be labor made to her "detryment and otherjundoyng, before knowlege "showlde cum to his Hyghnesse the effecte "of theis our Lettres, to th'entent his Grace "may stay the Graunte theyróf tyll suche "tyme we may ascerteyn yow of our full certyfycat and comparts in that behalfe accordyng. "From Catesby the xij. day of this présent "moneth off May, from the Kyngs Commys❝sioners at your commandement. Edmond Knyghtley, John Lane, George Addressed to the Founder of the Nunnery at "Right honourable our most synguler, Maister "and Founder, our duetie in the humblest wise "presupposed, with dayly prayer, as your per"petuall and religious beedwomen. Please yt "your goodness to undirstonde, that, where as Almyghty God hath indued you w' just title "Founder of the Pryory of Legborne to the great "comfort of me and all my systers: we doo and "shall alweyes submit ourselfs to youre most rightuouse commaundement and ordre, oonly puttyng our comfort in your goodnesse for all "causes concernyng your poure Pryory of Leg"bourne. And where as we doo here that a "grete nombre of Abbyes shalbe punysshed, - "subprest and put downe bicause of their mys. "lyvyng; and that all Abbyes and Pryores undir "the value of CC be at our moste noble Prynce's "pleasure to subpresse and put downe. Yet if "it may pleas your goodnes, we trust in God ye "shall here no compleynts agaynst us, nother in our lyvyng nor hospitalitie kepyng. In con |