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Chaucer hints at the curfing by bell, and candle, Manciple's Tale, 1973, &c.

"For clerkes fay we shallin be fain

"For their livelod to fweve and fwinke,
"And then right nought us geve again,
"Neither to eat, ne yet to drink;
"Thei move by law, as that thei fain,
"Us curfe and dampne to hellis brink;
"And thus thei puttin us to pain,
"With candles queint, and bellis clink."
And again 2105-6.

"And Chriftis people proudly curfe "With brode boke, and braying bell."

The manner of curfing, the following account is given by Henry Care.

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(c)" The bishop, clergy, and all the several "forts of friars, affemble in the cathedral with "the cross born before them, fupported with "two wax tapers lighted, and all the rabble of "the city runs to fee this fpiritual tragi-comedy.. "A priest all in white mounts the pulpit, and beginning his fermon, on that text, John vii. 13. Eft blafphemia in caftris, there is blafphemy, or an accurfed thing in the camp, told the story most lamentably, and befought God, "and the Lady Mary, and every body else, "that the heretick might be found out: And ' having spoken the Prologue, up steps the bishop, with a part more tragical, thus.

(c) See Weekly Pacquet of Advice from Rome, Vol. 5. numb. 21. p. 462. From Fox, fol. 947.

ἐσ By the authority of God the father almighty, "and of the blessed Virgin Mary, and of Saint "Peter and Saint Paul, and all the holy faints, "we excommunicate, and utterly curfe and bann, "and commit and deliver unto the devil of bell, " him or her, (whatever he or she be) that hath, "in fpight of God and Saint Peter (whofe church "this is) in fpight of our holy father the Pope, "God's vicar bere on earth, and in fpight of the "reverend father in God, John, our diocefan, and "the worshipful canons, mafters, and priests, and "clerks, who ferve God daily in this cathedral "church, fixed up, with wax, fuch cursed and "beretical bills of blafphemy, upon the doors of "this, and other boly churches within this city; "excommunicate plainly be he, fbe, or they ple66 nally, and delivered over to the devil, as perpetual malefaltors, and fchifmaticks. Accurfed may they be, and given body and foul unto the devil, as perpetual malefa&tors, and schismaticks. Accurfed may they be, and given body and foul "to the devil. Carfed be they, he or she, in ci"ties and towns, in fields, in highways, in paths, "in boufes, and in all other places, ftanding,

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lying, or rifing, walking, fleeping, eating, drink“ing, and whatfoever thing they do befides. We "feparate him, or her from the threshold (of "Ged), and from all the good prayers of the "church; from the participation of the holy "mass, from all facraments, chapels, and altars;

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from boly bread, and holy water, from all the "merits of God's holy priefs, and religious men ;

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" and

* and from all their cloysters, from all their par** dons, privileges, grants and immunities: And

we give them over utterly to the power of the "FIEND, and let us quench their fouls (if they ❝ be dead) this night in bell-fire, as this candle is now quench'd and put out; [and with that he

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put out one of the candles] and let us pray to "God, (if they be alive) that their eyes may be put out, as this candle light is; [then he put out another candle] and let us pray to God, " and our Lady, and to Saint Peter, and Saint "Paul, and all boly faints, that all the fenfes of “their bodies may fail them, and that they may "have no feeling, as now the light of this candle "is gone; [and fo he put out the third can"dle] except they, he or fbe, come openly now, "and confefs their blafphemy, and by repentance "[as much as in them fhall lie] make fatisfatti"on unto God, our Lady, Saint Peter, and the worshipful company of this cathedral church: " And as this holy crofs now falleth down, so may they, unless they fhew themfelves.At which "word, one fnatching away the ftick, down "comes tumbling holy cross, and all the people

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fouted, and fared, and trembled, as if old “Nick had been amongst them in proper person." For the more modern Popish excommunications, confult Mr. Baker's Hiftory of the Inquifition, in 4to. p. 112.

A&t 3. fc. 5. p. 433.

K. John.

If the midnight bell

Did with his iron tongue, and brazen mouth,

Sound

Sound one into the drowsy race of night.] Bell metal is compofed of five parts pewter, and twenty of copper.

The first use of bells in churches, was in the year 604. Vid. Tho. Hearnii Not Gulielmi Nubrigenfis Hiftor. Rerum Anglicanarum, Tom. 3. p. 796.

And the firft tuneable ring of bells in England, were made at the expence of Turketul, chancellor to King Athelstan, who died abbot of Croyland, in the year 973.

See Echard's Hiftory of England, Vol. 1. p. 89. Id. ib. If this fame were a church yard where we stand,

And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs ;

Or if that furly Spirit, melancholy,

Had baked thy blood, and made it heavy-thick, Which elfe runs tickling up and down thy veins.] [Qu. trickling.]

Shakespeare wrote this, fome time before the discovery of the circulation of the blood by the celebrated Dr. Harvey; which was about the year 1628. Had he lived till that time, he would have exprefs'd his meaning with more propriety. The blood is convey'd by the aorta, (the greatest artery, which proceeds from the left ventricle of the heart, and has three valves) all over the body, and is return'd back thro' the veins; in which, at proper distances, small valves are placed, to hinder its reflux, and to force it forward, at the fame time, into the vena cava, the largest vein of the body; and

fo

fo call'd, from its great capacity, or hollow fpace.

Id. ib. Then in defpight of broad-ey'd, watchful day.] Brooded, Folio 1632.

Sc. 6. p. 434.

K. Philip. So by a roaring tempeft on the flood, A whole armado of collected fail

Is fcatter'd, and destroy'd from fellowship.]

Shakespeare does not allude to any tempeft that then happened, but to the defeat of the French fleet (prepar'd to invade the dominions of the Earl of Flanders) in the Scheld, by the Earl of Salisbury, brother to King John, in the year 1213. In which 300 fhips, laden with provifions, arms, and other valuable things, were taken; and above 100 more funk, and burnt; and the reft deftroy'd by their own hands, for fear of being taken by the enemy: Which put an end to King Philip's purpose of invading England.

Echard's Hiftory of England, Vol. 1. p. 249.
Salmon's Hiftory of England, Vol. 1. p. 463.
Lediard's Naval Hiftory, Vol. 1. p. 26.
Sc. 6. p. 435. Arife forth from this couch of
lafting night.] The couch, Folio 1632.
Act 4. fc. 1. p. 440.
A&

Executioner. I hope your warrant will bear out the deed.

Hubert. Uncleanly fcruples! fear not you, look ta't-] Qu. unmanly fcruples?

Sc. ib. p. 441.

Arthur.

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