Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-01-25
NUMBER 1877
MISCELLANEOUS.
From The Boston Journal.

- nc eurtew Tolls the knell OF parting day.n-G,av
me mere mas oeen some inquiry of late in 1egard to
tne ofigln and meaning of the word curfew. and
SINCE me great staeSman's death there has been an
uiu"e&aamplead i"tap a demand for the works of Gray. In
turning over different volumes of antiuusr;an orL
we have found traces of the custom of the curfev,
as lar back as Alfred's time: 1t was called the
eOu0reJeu' or corer.re bell. 1t was rung at eight
CLOCK and upon hearing its peals the inhabitants
were directed to cover their fires and 90 to bed II
was law established by the king to prevent CON-
migration IN the cities, where most of the houses
were built OF wood. Itwas deemed tyranical, and
was abolished about the year 11OO
thompson, IN passage, undoubtedly refers 10
this law. He speaks of the old times as follows:
Ie ndIe s9ivLing wretehcs, at the c,tret0 sound
And through the mournfu gloom OF ancient time
hlusosau, or can't OF better"
Althoughit was abolished as law The custom
ofringng the curfew still continued, as there are
many passages i'll old English history and poetry
which show its continuance
The first trace that we have of the custom is At
Oxford. There is ditty extant evidently written
10 inform the world OF tho habits of the students of
that day, and the description will answer for the
present time. The student is tarryine at the wine
and the bells call him thus:
'Ilngie, tingleting goes the bell al nine
.... = To call the student home; =
10 leave his chair, .a-i F.f
I'LL he hears the mighty Tom"
Ihe time oil ringing the curfew was changed
from eight to nine, and then 10 ter, as we find in
Salous places. ltwas probably changed according
TO the wishes of the citizens
Chaucer, the father of English poetry, mentions
the curfew. The passage s,as follows:
''Ihe dedc siecpe, for every businesse
fell on THIS Carpenter, right a gesse.
%. About eHrJei0 time Cd. .-...
There are many passages in Shakspeare's works
that tell OF the curfew. Yet the tlIamatist does
not always render it as an epening bell Romeo
and Juliet he has it .-.
E-slaE 1.-The, 1.-The et1Jt,u bell hath rung,
Ills three o'ctock''
In the Tempest, he gives the following:
'a '.You whose pastime .---U a.-
is TO make the midnight mushrooms.-tIst
10 hear the solemn cIrJe1c.''
In Measure for Measure he gives it thus:
"Duke-who call'd here ofIate?"
..... 'FroroSt-None since the curJelo rung!''
The crazy Edgar says in Lear:
..This is the foul fend FIibibertigbbit
ne oeglns at ctTfeto and walks 10 The first cock"
There are many passages which might be cited
IN relation 10 the curfew; but enough have been
given to show that what was started as law has
been continued custom for n thousand wears.
1t is one of the very few which the hand of tim-
has not obliterated. This custom has been trans
lated to England, and our O'Clock bell is the
curfew. 1t is not known at whit time the prac
ice of ringing morning bells was first introduced.
We have the first trace the seventeenth century,
The Bow-bells were rung at O'Clock, (says
one old writer to call the apprentices to their la
bor A notification by the apprentices OF Lon
don was sent to the clerk of the Bow parish in re-
gard to his late ringing. 1t is as follows:
With thy yellow locks,
.fn Thy head shall have knocks,
The apprenticee must have been more fond of
labor than the apprentices of this day. 1t would
read better now, lift was rendered thus:
For thy early ringing.
Thy head shall receive knocks
This Bow-bell is of Wilmington memory. II
may have been that he was one of the apprentices
that threatened the clerk.
We find the clerk replying as follows:
"ChiIdren of Cheap,
..s. ...r. Hold you still; a...
.-. You shall hear the Bow-bcl
" Rung at your will.''
We know not what bells were pealing upon the
CUTS ear, when he penned the exquisite line at
cad of this article. 1t may have been the
: But whether the Bow or some other it un-
puucJ ny was the source of the inspiration that
5,pooApV-a world the most beautiful poetry in the
Whips oHnguage. .-r.
Traces Sis nothing that falls sweeter upon the ear
TnTTea6e evening bells. Go out into the country,
s.ear them as they send their notes over the
and valleys. There is no heart SO hardened,
9Tnot to feel the influence. Associations will
Srowd upon the mind, and memories that long have
slumbered will fill the BRAIN
"The hoary sexton rings the evening hour
# And far away the music has been flung;
what preacher is that TING worn tower,
..st Heading great sermons with its iron tongue"