The National Register. — London, England, 1809-10-01 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGITER: ON THE CALLEAIONY OF THE JUBILEE. -.— 11111. EDITOR—The antitt«oty, of the religious e?.remony •f Jubilee, if we consult the records of the earliest trans- actions of men appears almost coeval with the first sacred institutions, connected with the civilizaNn of primitive ages. Nor ix it t to be presumed that such a period will be passed over in silence, which would be innovation, had it the 'reverence due to what is ancient, and could alone ••• beast a course of long observance for its use," to recom mend it. If we consult the sacred pages, we find it among the orders and ordinances of the patriarchal Governors o those long lost times. " Cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound !" 66 It shall be a Jubilee, it shall bo holy to you.'' " A Jubilee shall that fiftieth year be to curt." in the year of Jubilee ye shall return to possession." " A field shall go out in the year of Jubilee." to Then the house shall not go out in the jubilee." " They shall go out in the year ufjubilee." " If he sanctify his field frotn the year of Jubilee." " Wheu Jubilee then their inheritance he put." Stub are terms in which we find this important period tanameed; Fide Levit. and Numbers. . In our own country this ceremony seems net to have been uniformly attended to. Old !'peed does not mention it in the reign of Henry 111. as having been at all observed. in that of Edward 111, however, it is particularly noted ; sad we see no reason why similar attentions should not be paid to it in the reign of George M. We have reason, *otwithstanding the fatalities which have attended it, to he thankful that we remain still undaunted amidst the wreck of States. But let us return to Speed. " Now was this renowned Monarch Edward the Great, Xing of England, upon the day of St. Brice (the day on which, by King Etheldred's commandment, all the Danes in England were murdered), aged 50 years ; at which time a Parliament (where none was permitted to appear by proxy) was holden at Westminster upon prorogation. Therefore to make the memory of his birth-day acceptable by acts of gracious government, as in a year of Jabilce, he granted his general and special pardon to offl.nder; without fine or fee paying to the State, set pri'oners at liberty, revoked such as were in banishment. More over, upon the grievances of his people pestered with the doublings of lawyers, he commanded that pi, ._s , shouid be henceforth made in English, not in French, a necessary law, if it had been as carefully observe,;, especially if with all he had ordered the same shortic not be written also in French, that his people might know their •wn duties. It is observed also, that the law of Mao na Charta, confirmed also this Parliament, was about. a dozen several times confirmed by this King during the years of his reign. 1 Polydore Virgil, in his Toth book, on occasion of this Jubilee, should out be omitted : for " the famous custo:a of our King's also upon Maundy Thursday, in imitation of Christ, wash, clothe, and feed as many poor as tilese are years old. This is refereed to this celebration which * King Edward made of his 50th year, in regud to the numbers fed, which number he calls the Jubilee of their ages. But as he imparted grace to his people, so he also took order to replenish his purse ; that seldom or never the poor coin- Mons !ive any thin! , which they pay not for." Some have considered it as synonymous with the Feast of Lights, which does indeed, if we may credit profane history, appear to be maintained and kept tip after the same man ner. Thus the learned Joseph us tells us, that " after Judas had re-established the .:ervice of the Temple, bo;h h e an d his couiVrymen solemnised a felts!. for eight days, omitting not any kind of laWf.. pleasure, banqueting sumptuoieil, and honouring God in hymns and psalms." Thus rejoiced they at this re-establishment, seeing that contrary to ail hope, after so long a time, they had recovered the customs 1 1 of their conatrv, and their orient religion, so that a de em was made tor those that should come after, whereby OCT. 1. it was emum.:nded, " that . for the space of ei;111 do/is the qf the l'emplif should be solcmnized zciih tiro cere 111011MS and anc!,7itt ordinances," and ever since that. time, until this day, :ve celebrate the feast called the Feu,/ q r I,4;Pis, for this red son in my opinion, lwanae this is so great felicity, began to stew u. a tight contrary to all hope. In consulting, the life of Pope Clement VI. a Frenchman of Limosin, and who Succeeited Bennet XII. in the Papal Chair in 134 , 2, we find, that of his ordination the Jubilee or Holy Year was brought tb be celebrated every fiftieth. With the Popes it was 4et apart for granting indulgences: By Bonn face VIII. it was, inn imitation of the Jews, 04 - der. ed to be celtbrated every hundreth year. Urban VI. to XXX. and ,e‘ritis V. to XXV, where, in Cathdic Coln. 'ries, it was continued in the year 1703. Besides, there IS a kind of Jubilee on the ctaitation ofevery Pope: The ceremony observed at the first is this : the Pope, coming to open the haIN gate, knocks thrice with a golden hammer, and at the same time pronounces these words of the- Psalmist, "_l perils mihi portas pestithe," &C.* %%here ' upon the Masons throw down the wall, when his Holinest kneeling, the penitentiaries come and Wash him with holy watet, which done, he take!: up the cross and enters the church singing a Te Deum ; at the same time three cardinal legates break down three other holy gates that are at nome4 Next mornieg the Pope gives his belie. diction to the people publicly, After the year is out the holy tate is shut again, the Pope blessing the mortar and stones, and leaving twelve boxes of gold and silver medals to be closed up in the wall. Formerly treat nionbers.came from all countries to these soleinnitiesit.but since they have Jubilees of their own allowed them they have left oil corn.; :ig,the Pope granting the same benefits as if they came to Rome. What the Jewish Jubilee was is to be aeon in an. , other place. These observations will be at least thought valuable, from :heir historical correctness, and are much, Mr. Edi tor, at your service, should a corner of your next Register be uneugaged on their arrival. 1 remain, with respect, Sir, yours, • PuifALEtnits: P. S. On congulting Tindal's Summary of Engicnd nhich was not at hand when the above was written-1 titttl It'at in 1262 Edward 111. arriving at the age of 50 (mark M.-, Editor, at the age of se) grants a general pardon to all his subjects— and in April 1376 he being now in the 50th year crf his reign cauvti a v;eneral pardon to all his subjects. See pages ::93 and ‘, . 7 98, vol. I. will beg leave to add that George lIL has reigned longer than any British Prince who came to the Throne aftcr he was of arc. • * Open to me the ; Fairs of righteousness and I will go in unt• then: a3d praise the Lord. Ps. 19. t This is done in the- churches of St. John of Lateran, of St. Paid, and St. Mary ;:he Greater. This is performed lit the Aril Evening V f!‘pers of (.*ristirias Eve, and the neat morning the Pope gives his becetlietion to the people in his Jubilee form. Mr. Canning continues daily to recover. He, however, suffered a greMer degree of pain on Monday night, than lie has done since he received the wound ; but it was not accompanied with any fever, or any symptom that can be considered of an unfavourable nature. This Month.—T. respectfoilly reminds the Public, that the State Lot• tern not oniy begins hut finishes on Frifloy, the 2ntle of this ilooth; therefore n il wb o dove.chance to r.%i ThelNaltd the purchase of n sinde mnst bit) before the drawin4 IteTins,l?; the %thole Lttery, consisting of .-,t'avO,ooo ill prizes, tail! hr decided in one day. Tickets and shares are setting hi great variety at his Old established Offices mid by his Agetili ix the country; who, in the Itte Latttei . ica have beep rem:lli:ably fortunate to " sellints ;out F/1:1rill;"n1 hlttnense ntonla.r of capital Petzo , , pirticularly the two tut X 3o , o cn Prise +,the last 1•:5,900 Prize, and the last capital Prize ever dr..wn. Persons in the country may be supplied the same as if preselt, by se:lair:7. their orders (post or cavria, , ,v paid), accurnpatii3d with bank notes, card bills, cash, or pest office nialem, to either of his old Established Offices, No. 4, Cornhill,..r Charlur.scross, Londnz ; where all business in the. Public Vends is tr . :las:l:7lod uith fidelity aid -tlispatch.—Please (9 reiagrit IM tate la the o giy b4tteri 444 will be isawie this Jew. 1 I