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September 17.

St. Lambert, Bp. A. D. 709. St. Columba, A. D. 853. St. Hildegardis, Abbess, A. D. 1179. St. Rouin, or Rodingus, or Chrodingus, A. D. 680. Sts. Socrates and Stephen, Martyrs under Dioclesian.

Lambert.

He is a saint in the Romish calendar; his name "Lambert" stands unsainted in the church of England calendar and almanacs: sometimes he is called Landebert. He was bishop of Maistricht from which see he was expelled in 673, and retired to the monastery of Stavelo, where he continued seven years, submitting to the rules of the novices. He was afterwards restored to his bishopric, and discharged its functions with zeal and success. But during the disorders which prevailed in the government of France, he was murdered on the 17th of September, 703, and in 1240, his festival was ordained to be kept on this day.*[1]


THEATRICALS.

This is about the season when the summer theatres close, and the winter theatres open. Most of the productions written, and represented of late years, seem symptomatic of decay in dramatic and histrionic talent. The false taste of some of the vocal performers, is laughed at in a light piece called "Der Freischütz Travestie: by Septimus Globus, Esq." One of its versifications is in a "SCENE—UNSEEN." According to the author,—

A SONG—SINGS ITSELF.

TUNE.---Galloping Dreary Dun.

Fine singers we have, both woman and man,
         Gallop O! fly away! jump!
They all bravura, as fast as they can,
      They mock Catalani,
      Up long laney,
         Bawling,
         Squalling,
Galloping all away! drag and tail,—die away—plump!

They come on the stage, so fine and so gay,
         Gallop O! fly away! jump!
They mount in the air, and they ride away,
         They mock Catalani, &c.

They canter one off, all into the dark,
         Gallop O! fly away! jump!
The Jack-bottom sings, instead of the lark,
         They mock Catalani, &c.

They let off a trill, and it asks the way,
         Gallop O! fly away! jump!
They quiver and shake—oh! I bid you good day,
         They mock Catalani, &c.

Such singing I guess, does nobody good,
         Gallop O! fly away! jump!
Notes wander about, like the babes in the wood,
         They mock Catalani, &c.

I sing by myself, but pray take a peep,
         Gallop O! fly away! jump!
You'll soon find singers, to sing you to sleep,
         They mock Catalani, &c.

            [Exit Song.

From the same piece there may be another "sesonable" extract, for we are at that period of the year when the chase, which was once a necessary pursuit, is indulged as an amusement. In Von Weber's "Der Freischütz," the casting of the fifth bullet by Caspar is accompanied by "a wild chase in the clouds;" the writer who travestied that opera, as it was represented at the Lyceum theatre, represents this operation to be thus accompanied:—

Neighing and barking 'old clothes!' —Skylarking—A wild Chase in the clouds; an 'Etherial Race—inhabitants of air,' consisting of skeleton dogs muzzled, skeleton horses, and skeleton horsemen, with overall and preservers, and MR. GREEN from the city, are in pursuit of a skeleton stag 'to Bachelor's-hall,' with grave music accompanying the following—

SONG AND CHORUS,
BY SKELETON HUNTSMEN.

"Bright Chanticleer proclaims the dawn."

The moon's eclipse proclaims our hunt,
   The graves release their dead,
The common man lifts up the wood,
   The lord springs from the lead;
The lady-corpses hurry on,
   To join the ghostly crowds,
And off we go, with a ho! so—ho!
   A—hunting in the clouds.
      With a hey, ho, chivey!
      Hark forward, hark forward, tantivy!
         &c.

No hill, no dale, no glen, no mire,
   No dew, no night, no storm,
No earth, no water, air, nor fire,
   Can do wild huntsmen harm.
We laugh at what the living dread,
   And throw aside our shrouds,
And off we go, with a ho! so—ho!
   A—hunting in the clouds.
      With a hey, ho, chivey!
      Hark forward, hark forward, tantivy!
         &c.

Oft, when by body-snatchers stol'n,
   And surgions for us wait,
Some honest watchmen take the rogues
   To be examined straight,
We slip away from surgeons, and
   From police-office crowds,
And off we go, with a ho! so—ho!
   A—hunting in the clouds.
      With a hey, ho, chivey!
      Hark forward, hark forward, tantivy!
         &c.


FLORAL DIRECTORY.

Narrow-leaved Mallow. Malva augustiflora.
Dedicated to St. Lambert.



Notes [all notes are Hone's unless otherwise indicated]:

1. Audley's Comp. to the Almanac. [return]