The Sun.
London, England, 1826-01-06 00:00:00

TWELFTILDA V.

, Twelfth-day, or flip Epiphany, itt Said to have
been instituted in honour of the Magi, or Three Kings. The
name Twelfth-Day originates in a law of Alfred the Great,
made with relation to helydayn, and by virtue of which the
twelve days after the nativity of dot Sovioun were made fesr
tivals--'-this was the twelfth, or last of them. The word
Rpiphany signifies manifestation, from our LORD having been
made manifest on that day to the Gentiles.
The custom of choosing king and queen has reference to the
three Kings alluded to, and has thence been called by the
French, La Fete de Reis. However, a king was elected
by beans (the ancient fashion of choosing that personage
on Twelfth-day) in ttee Roman Saturnalia, and hence came
our king and queen on this day; but the custom of the king
making a speech is now lost. The cake was full of' plums, with
a bean in it for the king, and a pea for the queen, so as to de-
termine them by the slices. Sometimes a penny was put in
the cake; and the person who obtained it, becoming king (ac-
cording to the ceremonies observed in the Catholic times), cross-
ed all the beams and rafters of the house against devils. A
chafing dish, with burning frankincense, was also lit, and the
odour snuffed up by the whole family, to keep off diseases for
the year. This frankincense alluded to the gift of the second
King to our Saviour, whose name is said to have been Jasper.
The other two Kinee ;lathier and Balthazzar, offered gold
•
and myrrh.
The burning of frankincense Was succeeded by the master
and mistress going round the house with the pan, a taper, and
a loaf, against 'witchcraft. They predicted from these days
the weather for the whole year, ancribing to each of the twelve
days a month. The 'youth, Brest in their best apparel, and
accimpanied by pipers, paraded the streets and sung at every
door; and at night the girls and boys carried about their was-
sill bowls, with cakes, cheese, and other good cheer, .and were
rewarded by the passengers who partook, with money.
In some countries twelve fires of straw are made in the fields
to burn the oldwitch. They sing, drink, and dance around
them. On the same day in Ireland, they set up a sieve of oats,
enl in it a dozen candies, and in the centre one larger, all lighted,
fer our Saviour and the Twelve Apostles. After the fires are
lit, the attendants, headed -by the,master of the family, pledge
the company in old cider. A circle is formed round the fire,
and a general shout is made. They then return home, a sup-
per is prepared, and a cake provided with a hole in the
inh!dle. After supper this cake is put on the horn of the first
ox in the stall. 11e is tickled to make him toss his head, and
as he throws it before or behind, it become the perquisite
of the bailiff or female servant. An invocation,,, wishing a
good crop, is made to the ox. They return to the house,
the doors of which they find locked, until some joytfil
songs are sung. This custom, a rude draught of one of the
ancient Perim Sementivcei appears to have been made up
out of the Druidical Beltine, and the Roman Palilia anti Cere-
alia. The old witch, as the representative of Sampan, or Bel-
tab, the Druidical god of death, and the fires, appear to have
been derived from the two former. The hallooing, dancing,
and singing, occur in the Comfits, and the cake seems a sub-
stitute for the garland on the ox's head In the Perks Sementivre.
The ceremonies anciently observed by royalty on this day
are described as splendid and imposing. "As for the
day," nap the Book of Ceremonies and Services at Courtl2th in
the reign of Henry the;Seventh, "the Kinge must go crownid,
and in his robes rialle, kirtille eyrcot, and his furred hood
about his neck°, and his Mentelle with a long,: travne, and
his lases (cutler) before him, anti his armyllis upon his armes
of gold set full of rich ,loner; and no temporalle man to
'touche it hyt the Kinge himselfe : and the figure for the body
mune bringe it to the Kinge in a faire kerchief, and the
Kinge must put them on himmelve; and he musts have hys
septur in his right hand, the 6all with the crows in his lefts
hand, and the croyene upon bye bade; and he must offre that
day gold, myrre, and eras (frankincense),"
He was to go on the same day to mattes,, with the cap
of estate on his head, instead of the crown .• and in the like
mentor to evensong, and having on his kirtle and aurcoat.
and hie hood laid upon his shoulders, his tippet and bond
being clasped together before his breast with a great ouche add
a rich (jewel). The voyde, or entertainment at night, was to
be in the hall, " and as for the wassaile, the steward, the tre-
zourer, anti the controllere, Khali coin for it with staves in
their hantlee; the King's sewer and the quene's havinge faire
towelles about their necks and disches in their betide, Riche
as the Kinge and the Quene shall eat of."--The ushers
were then to come Into the chamber with the pile of cups,
the King's cups and the Queen's, with the butlere and
wine to the cupboard. A squire of the body was to bear
the Kin's cup. The Chapel e. the Choir of) was to stand
on the sale of the hall, and ,when the steward came lu at the
hall door with the wassail, he was to cry trice-..." wassaile,"
anti then anon was " the chapelle to answere it with a good
songs," &c. This sort of ceremonial frequently
_took place at
Weetminster Hall, when the King kept his Christmas in town.
The custom of offering gold, frankincense, and myrrh on the
morning of twelfth day here described, is still kept up by the
King, or was until iately al we find in the •" Gentleman's ;panic" for January
oyITO, the following mention of It :
" At the Chapel Ral, St. James's, on Twelfth Day, the
King end the Prince made the offering at the altar, of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh, according to custom." The other
parts of the stately ceremonial mentioned have been lung used.

Bourne, in his " Popular Antiquities," tells us that
" Christmas, with some, ends with the twelve days, but with
the generality of the vulgar not till Candlemas;" and Dugdale,
speaking of Orders for Government—Gray's Inne," cites an
order of 4 Car. I. that all playing at dice, cards, or otherwise,
in the hall, buttry, or butler's chamber, should be thenceforth
barred and Imbidden at all times of the year, Me twenty days in
CArisimastitie d only excepted." A "volume of Poems quoted by AIL
Ellis, in " Sporting in a pleasant Grove of new
Francies" (107), Make St. Distuirs day, or the Day succeed..
ing Twelfth
"Day, the termination of the holydays—.
1 anlY worke and partly play,
You must on St. Distutrs day:....
Give St. Distuff all the right ;
Then bid Christmas.sport I,:tiod night.
And next morrow, every one
To his own. vocation."

A letter from Barbadoes states that his Ma,
jesty's cutter. Vigilant had arrived at that Island,
n her way to Mexico, with Mr. TYLLCOTX
°curd.on

PRICE OF STOCKS THIS
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PRICES or FOREIGN I,
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I'HICES OF SHAKES AT ONE O'CLOCK.

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FOIIEIOII 1%1 T F,S.

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.IRDlvrm.

Dili.

‘VATFiIt AT LONDON BRIDOE TO-MORROW
Morning, 9 minutes after 1:1 Evening, 39 minutes after 1.

THE 8 LIN.

SOLI IM QUIS nrcEnE FALSUM AUDILIT

LONDON,
FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 6, 1826.

According to statements hamlet] about this
morning in the City, the deficiency in the Quarter's
Revenue amounts to the formidable sum of
1,948,6371. Gs. id. From this, however, must
be deducted nearly half a million, which will be
paid, into the Exchequer to-day, on account of
the Duties on Spirits. Assuming such state-
ment to approach the truth, there will have
being a falling off of nearly one million and a half
on the Revenue of the Quarter, as compared with
the preceding. correspondent Quarter. Whether
the Revenue has been less productive generally,
or only in particular branches, a deficit so enor-
mous, Hill doubtless tend to disarrange the
financial operation 4 meditated by the CnAsick.r.-
Lott of the EXCHEQUtitt.

Letters from Hatavia,iecaived this day, contain
deplorable accounts from Java, and represen
the whole island in a state of insurrection against
the Dutch Government. The Dutch force has
been considerably reduced, by the expedition
lately sent to Macassar, and the natives at
Semarang took advantsge of this circumstance,
and rose in open rebellion against all Europeans.
The number of insurgents is daily augment.
ing, and the force sent against them in the
first instance has been repulsed with loss, and
some English residents killed.

These successes of the natives against the
Dutch Authorities are calculated to make a deep
impression on the minds of the inLabitants of
other parts of the East Indies, and, we think,
must at least stimulate the Burmese, by affording a
practical illustration that European armies are not
absolutely invincible. The East India Company
and p Governmentritish cannot then long be
quiet spectators of these proceedings, and yet the
conduct they should follow in this emergency is
one involved in doubt, and so critical is their
situation, that the least mistake draws disastrous
consequences in its train. This, is the more
provoking, when we consider that the mild
of the British Government)
iavill:lilsjus
tj policyavwas subjected to its rule, ob-
tained for it the good-will and favour of the
inhabitants. From this fact it is reasonable
to suppose that oppression and misgovernment
excited these, otherwise, contented people to
rebellion against their Governors. How, then,
can England stand forth the supporter of op-
pression by aiding the Dutch to suppres the
insurrection, or on the other side, how can she
remain is quietude whilst her eastern dominions
seem threatened by thy successes of the Ja.