The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-02-13

valentine this year, ring OF about three
hundred pounds" In February, 1868, Mr..
Pepys wrote, "This evening my wife did
with great pleasure show me her stock of
jewels increased by the ring she hath made
lately, as my valentines gift this year,
Turkey-stone set with diamonds. With
this, and what she had, che reckons that
she hath above one hundred and fifty
pounds worth of jewels OF one kind or
another, and am glad OF IL, for 1t Is fit The
wretch should have something TO content
herself with" The reader will under
stand that the word s'wretch" is used as
o term OF endearment.
There were o. numb OF curious beliefs
connected with st. Valentines Day. IL
was once prevalent notion that the first
unmarried person of the other sex whom
one met on st. Valentines morning in
walking abroad was.a destined husb band
or wife. The poet Gay thus, makes rural
Dame remark: "
Last Valentine. the day when birds OF kind
Their paramours with mutual chirpings find
early rose just at break OF day,
Before the sun had chased the stars away;
iAheld went, a'nid the morning dew
. To Inssk my kino,for 50 should housewives
dol.
Thee .Grst Lspiod-and the first swain we see
In spite of Fortune shall our true love be.
Another .aotion was that IL a lassie
dreamed OF her swain during the night
before st. Valentines, she would be mar
ried before the year went out. To make
one dream OF his or her true-love, four bay
leaves were pinned to the corners of the
pillow and one i'm the middle. This was
considered an infallible charm.
The, following old coupIet gives belief
ih regsss sso the'saint himself:
st. Valentine, beside, to such as do his power
despise
The falling-sickness sends and helps the man
that to him cries.
st. Valentine Is often referred to by
the poets. Spenser writes of him in "The
Faerie Queen" and Shakespeare writes OF
him number of times. In fact one OF
Shakes peare's critics complains that an
anachronism has been. .perpetuated because
mention OF the Saints. day is intruded in
his plays.
One of the earliest known writers of
valentine was Charles, Duke of Orleans
who was taken at the battle of Agincourt.
Drayton and Doane, two poets of Shake
speare's time, were also writers OF valen-
tines. The latter wrote poem in honor
OF the marriage of the Princess Elizabeth
to Frederick, Count Palatine of the Rhine.
The marriage was on st. Valentines Day,
1914. The opening Of the poem is espe-
cially Jfne. -
Hail. Bishop Valentine whose day this is;
All the air Is thy diocese.
And all the ehirping choristers,
And other birds are thy parishoners;
Thou marryest every year
The lyric bark and the grave whispering dove:
The household bird with the red stomacher:
Thou max the blackbird speed
AS the goldhnch or the halcyon--
This day more cheerfuly than ever shine,
This day which might inhame thyself Old
Valentine
A most singular valentine was written
by certain John Birchall in 1854, evil
IDENTIFY with his own blood. The valentine,
which Is still preserved, read as follows:
THESE loving lines which 1 to you have sent,
In secrecy In my hart's blood are pent.
Ye pen slipt, as ye pen did make.
And freely bleeds and viii 10 so for your
sake.