The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-07-16
CORONATION oMENs.


 that something would happen to pre- vent his coronation. according to the prophecy of some gypsy fortune teller that he would be king, but would never live to be crowned. It is easy enough to understand his very natural feel ing that, having waited so long to be l king. there was doubt whether he would live any longer to enjoy the dignity; | otherwise, in this twentieth century it l seems a little anachronistic to be re- l gardful of superstition at all. Where the inclination is it is easy to find Omens on every hand-especially after the 1 eVent-and at the coronation of almost every English monarch there have been happenings that could plausibly be con- strued into fateful signs. Often, in deed, the sO- called omens were really l consequences of past conduct rather than presages of evil to come. For in stance, the terrific storm that broke out during the coronation of the usurper Stephen wrought upon the uneasy con- l sciences of the officiating clergy who | knew that they were perjuring them selves, so that in their nervousness the consecrated wafer dropped to the ground and the concluding benediction was omitted. So, too, the massacre of the Jews at Richard I's coronation, thought it began by accident, was the natural result of the strained race feel ings of the time.
 More inexplicahle was the appearance of bat in the abbey, which kept cir cling around the throne during the ir,tA to 4oJ- 4;,osf ing the darkness of the dungeon where Richard was one day to be confined prisoner until rescued by his faithful Blondel. To give other instances. culled mainly from an interesting article in the Nineteenth Century last year, at the coronation of the luckless Charles l., quite a number of portents were noted. To begin with, when the king was proceeding from the tower to Westminster Abbey by water, because, as the plague was raging in London at the time. 1t was not considered safe for the procession to go through the streets, his barge stuck fast in the mud before it reached the landing stairs. Then the left wing of the golden dove on the scepter of peace was accidentlly broken off. The king had insisted on wearing white satin instead of the traditional purple velvet in spite of the remonstrances of those who looked upon white as an unlucky color. The bishop who preached the coronation sermon was much criticised for choos- ing as his text the words, T will give thee crown of life,' thus, as it were, forcibly turning the kings tmind away from his earthly career to thoughts of death and immortality. And, to cul- minate, an earthquake shock disturbed the proceedings. Charles, indeed, seemed ever pursued by tokens of the to his kinghood. Later, during his trial. his walking stick fell on the marble floor of the justice hall and it's golden head was broken off. But tokens were ever unavailng to save hapless Stuart from his doom.
 James II was another Stuart, whose coronation was attended by signs un- usually ominous. At one point in the ceremony the crown tottered on his head and was about to fall, until right ed by Henry Sidney, who thereupon re- marked that this was not the first time his family had supported the crown. Yet in three years time his same right hand that had steadied the crown signed the letter to William of Orange, inviting him to come and reign in James place! Not only this, but the canopy over the kings head was brok- en and the standard on the white tower was torn from top to bottom, appar- ently by rough wind. The evil signs continued even to the coronation ban quet: for when the kings champion ap- peared there in due course, and was about to kneel to kiss the kings hand, he tripped and fell prostrate. so that the queen. Mary of Modena, said jest ingly to her spouse, See, love, what weak champion you have!" All this seemed to prognosticate the time when James fled from his country to take refuge in France-a shock to the Stuart dynasty from which 1t never recovered and son madoe it totter to it's fall.
 Perhaps the most interesting omen of all happened when George III was crowned king. As he was walking down the abbey "a fair large diamond" the biggest jewel in his crown, fell out. It was in his reign, it will be remem- bered, that the American colonies were lost to the crown.
 The omens continue down to Queen Victoria's day, though this time good omen has been recorded. By an odd mistake the signet ring was made to fit he little finger, but the archbishop, who conducted the coronation cere- mony nevertheless insisted on forcing it upon her ring finger though it caused her little pain. The tradition of the ring is that the closer it fits the finger of the monarch the more beloved he will be by his people and the longer he will reign; and certainly good Queen Victoria was we'll beloved and reigned longer than any other British monarch.
 Of all England's sovereigns only two have died uncrowned--King Edward V, who was one of the little princes mur- dered in the tower, and Lady Jane Grey, who was executed after 10 days nominal reign. But except for the i'll omen of greedy and wicked men around the throne there seems to have been