have leisure or inclination to read those books in their entirety. Many subjects are necessarily curtailed, but the pith remains; while some are excluded, the most popular only are retained, in the endeavour to make this little volume accord with its title, "ONE HOUR'S READING."

Cherishing those old customs and manners of bygone days, the labour was one of love-and, whatever may be its shortcomings, I ask the reader's indulgence.

WILLIAM TEGG, F.R.H.S.

Pancras Lane.

This practice was derived from the Romans, and it is mentioned both by Suetonius and Tacitus. The Emperor Claudius prohibited demanding presents except on this day. Brand states, on the authority of Bishop Stillingfleet, that the Saxons kept New-Year's Day with more than ordinary feasting and jollity, and presentation of gifts to each other. The practice was kept up during the middle ages, and Henry III. extorted New-Year's Gifts from his subjects.

From Bishop Hall's "Satires" (1598) it appears that the usual gift from a tenant to his landlord was a capon. An orange stuck with cloves was a common present. Gloves were also customary gifts, and sometimes money was substituted for them, which was

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called glove-money. Sir Thomas More, as Lord Chancellor, having decided a cause in favour of a lady named Croaker, on the ensuing New-Year's Day she sent him a pair of gloves with forty gold coins, called angels, in them. Sir Thomas returned the gold with the following note: "Mistress, since it were against good manners to refuse your New-Year's Gift, I am content to take your gloves, but as for the lining, I utterly refuse it.

Pins (which first came into use at the beginning of the 16th century) were a New-Year's Gift very acceptable to ladies, and money given for the purchase of them was called "pin-money," which term has since been applied to money secured by the husband on his marriage, for his wife's private expenses. By the Statute 35 Hen. VIII., c. 6, entitled "An Act for the true making of Pynnes," it was enacted that the price charged should not exceed 6s. 8d. a thousand. Pins before this time were made of silver, bone, and boxwood, for the wealthier classes, the poor using common wooden skewers.

During Queen Elizabeth's reign she received NewYear's Gifts of money, jewellery, dresses, &c,, to an immense amount. The presents were made by the great officers of State, peers and peeresses, bishops, gentlemen, physicians, apothecaries; in short, all grades, down to her Majesty's dustman. The value of the money-gifts in 1561-2 was £1,262 11s. 8d. The

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Qucen, in all instances, gave gifts of gold plate in return, the total weight of which in 1577-8 was 5,882 oz.

The custom of giving New-Year's Gifts is not very general in England now, with the exception of the beautiful cards of good wishes, which are sent in such numbers as seriously to embarrass the Post Office authorities. In Paris, however, New-Year's Gifts are in great vogue, the day being known as Le Four d'Etrennes. Parents bestow portions on their children, brothers on sisters, and husbands make settlements on their wives. The quantity of sweetmeats purchased on this day is enormous. In the time of the Bourbons an English writer, in 1824, calculated that the amount expended upon them alone exceeded 500,000 francs, or £20,000 sterling. Jewellery and fancy articles are also purchased to a large amount.

DUELLING.

The origin of duelling is generally derived from the warlike habits of those barbarous nations who overran Europe in the early part of the Christian era, and who knew no other mode of settling their differences so effectually as the point of the sword. In the early stages of European society, the combat was resorted to in cases where the accused was unable, by positive proof, to rebut the allegations of his accuser. God

was supposed to nerve the arm of the combatant whose cause was just, and to grant him the victory. By the law of Gondebaldus, King of the Burgundians, passed in 501, proof by combat was allowed in all legal proceedings in lieu of swearing. In the time of Charlemagne, the Burgundian practice had spread over the empire of the Franks, and not only the suitors for legal justice, but the witnesses, and even the judges, were obliged to defend their cause, evidence, or decision, at the point of the sword. Louis the Debonnaire, successor to Charlemagne, endeavoured to restrict the custom by confining it to appeals in felony, in civil cases, or if one joined in a writ of right, and in cases of the Court of Chivalry, or attacks upon a man's knighthood. None were exempt from these trials but women, the sick and the maimed, and persons under fifteen or above sixty. Ecclesiastics were allowed to find champions in their stead. The practice, in course of time, extended to all trials of civil and criminal cases, which had to be decided by battle.

The clergy from the first set their faces against duelling, and in order to make the Church the judge of the last resort in all appeals, they instituted five modes of trial, the management of which lay in their own hands. These were the oath upon the Evangelists, the ordeal of the cross, and the fire ordeal, for persons in the higher ranks; the water ordeal for