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Sidney, in 1586. The following year he returned to Ireland, to take possession of a large estate of forfeited lands in the county of Cork, granted to him by the Crown, and took up his residence in the Castle of Kilcolman, which had previously belonged the Earl of Desmond. He now resumed his great work, the Fairie Queen, which was published in 1590 soon after this he married a country girl; and in 1596 he again visited England, and presented to the Queen a treatise on the state of Ireland, which was published some years after he had also an addition made to his previous grant by a pension of £50. per annum. Having again returned to Ireland, he was chosen Sheriff for the county of Cork; but, on the rebellion of Lord Tyrone, his house was burnt, and all his property destroyed: it is said that one of his children perished in the flames. He then fled to England, and continued in obscurity, if not in poverty, till his death, in 1599. In compliance with his request he was buried in Westminster Abbey, near the spot where Chaucer was interred: his funeral was attended by the most celebrated poets of the day, many of whom threw into the grave verses composed in honour of his memory ;-Ben Jonson was one of his pall-bearers, and Shakspeare is said to have been another. A monument was afterwards erected to his memory by the Countess of Dorsett.

The poetical productions of Spencer are of first-rate excellence: the Fairie Queen, in particular, is full of beautiful imagery, and richness of expression. His Shepherd's Calendar passed through five editions during his life-time, and in 1750 the whole of his works were published in six volumes. As this article has already exceeded its limits, further remarks must be dispensed with, to make room for the following short extracts :

SONG IN THE FAIRIE QUEEN.

"Behold, O man, that toilsome pains dost take,
The flowers, the fields, and all that pleasant grows
How they themselves do thine ensample make,
Whiles nothing envious nature there forth throws
Out of their fruitful lap; how no man knows
They spring, they bud, they blossom fresh and fair,
And deck the world with their rich pompous shows :
Yet no man for them taketh pains or care;

Yet no man to them can his careful pains compare.

"The lily, lady of the flow'ring field,-
The flower-de-luce, her lovely paramour,-
Bid thee to them thy fruitless labours yield,
And soon leave off this toilsome weary stour.

Lo! lo how brave she decks her bounteous bower,
With silken curtains and gold coverlets,
Therein to shroud her sumptuous belamoure;
Yet neither spins, nor cards, nor cares, nor frets,
But to her mother nature all her care she lets.

"Why then dost thou, O man, that of them all
Art lord, and eke of nature sovereign,
Wilfully make thyself a wretched thrall,
And waste thy joyous hours in needless pain,
Seeking for danger and adventure vain ?

What boots it all to have and nothing use?

Who shall him rue, that swimming in the main,

Will die for thirst, and water doth refuse?

Refuse such fruitless toil, and present pleasures choose."

SONNET.

Since I did leave the presence of my love,

Many long weary days I have outworn,
And many nights that slowly seem'd to move
Their sad protract from evening until morn.

For, when as day the heaven doth adorn,
I wish that night the noyous day would end:
And when as night hath us of light forlorn,
I wish that day would shortly reascend.
Thus I the time with expectation spend,
And fain my grief with changes to beguile,
That further seems his term still to extend,
And maketh every minute seem a mile.
So sorrow still doth seem too long to last,
But joyous hours do fly away too fast.

Cumberland Lodge, Manchester.

TO THE G. M., THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND THE

ORDER IN GENERAL.

WB, the Officers and Brothers of the ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE DISTRICT, assembled in Grand Quarterly Committee, view, with unfeigned regret, the hostile measures exhibited by certain individuals in the Manchester District, who are unworthy of the rank they held in the Society.

It is certainly surprising to see a set of men, who are bound by every tie of sincerity to be true to each other, acting a part which would be degrading to the meanest reptile upon earth; who ought to be hooted from society, and banished where the foot of man never trod. As many of the Independent Order may not know the reason why these men act the part they do, they will not be a little surprised when they are told God knows we never could imagine that any such men could ever have a pretension to belong to any friendly society. Their sole reason is, because they have not had the power of electing the Officers of the Order, and the Directors, as usual.

The conduct of a certain notorious individual, and his infatuated followers, (towards our G. M. and C. S. in particular,) will be held in detestation by every man of correct feeling, and insure for the parties, if possible, the additional contempt of all those who know them.

At such proceedings we feel justly indignant; and we, the Officers and Brothers of the Ashton-under-Lyne District, individually and collectively, are determined by every step of justice, by every tie of friendship and humanity, and by all that is sacred, to support the G. M. and Board of Directors in the due execution of their office; and to maintain, in spite of any evil disposed party, the laws of our Institution inviolable, and endeavour to increase (instead of diminish) that honour and reputation, which we have already so justly obtained in society.

Hoping that speedily the "sheep may be separated from the goats," and a mark of infamy set upon those who have endeavoured to disturb the peace of the Independent Order, and set at defiance our laws; we conclude, fully assuring the G. M. and Board of Directors, that as long as they pursue the straightforward, manly conduct, which has always characterised their feelings, we will never as long as animation swells within our frames, cease to support them in their prudent undertakings.

Signed on behalf of the Ashton-under-Lyne District,

JOHN PLATT, G. M.

JOHN FRANCE, D. G. M.

JACOB WHITEHEAD, C. S.

WILLIAM AITKEN, N. G. Platoff Lodge.

Ashton-under-Lyne, November 6th, 1836.

SUNDAY SCHOOLS.

Being deeply impressed with the importance of Sunday Schools to the rising generation, we, therefore, as members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, thought it a duty incumbent upon us, to do something in aid of the great and benevolent work of instruction to our children; we, therefore, resolved upon granting the small donation of £5. to the various Sunday Schools in our neighbourhood, which were as follows:-£2. to the National and Sunday School, Tottington; £2. to the Wesleyan Sunday School, Do.; and £1. to the Wesleyan Sunday School, Summerseat, as an earnest of our best and sincere wishes for the prosperity and welfare of these most valuable Institutions.

Virtue Lodge, Turton District, Aug. 1836.

THOMAS GRIMSHAW, C. S.

IT WILL DO FOR THE PRESENT.

This common saying does as much mischief in society, as either gin shop, or beer shop. If I hear a man, whether a farmer, a mechanic, or any other person, often repeat that saying, and appear to act from the opinion that it will do for the present ; I rely on it he is a sloven, a drone, or something worse. I know one of these do-forthe-present farmers, who never effectually repairs his fences, but when a breach is made, he fills it with a bush which a sheep may remove; if a rail is broke, and another is not at hand, he takes the next billet of wood, inserts one end in the post, and ties up the other with elm or heckory-bark, he says-this will do for the present. His cattle learn to be unruly; to remedy this evil, fetters, shackles, clogs, yokes, and what he calls pokes, are invented, and his cattle and horses are doomed to hobble about their pasture, with a hundred-weight of wood or iron machines upon their feet and necks: the man himself, in two years, spends time enough in patching up his fences, and making fetters, to make a good effectual fence around his whole farm, which would want but very little repairing in twenty years.

In family affairs, these do-for-the-present folks double their necessary labour; they labour hard to put things out of order, and then it requires nearly the same work to put them in order again. A man uses an axe, a hoe, or a spade, and throws it down where he uses it, instead of putting it in its proper place under cover; exposed to the weather, tools do not last more than half so long as when kept housed. But this is not all. A sloven leaves the tool where he last used it, or throws it down anywhere at random; in a few days he wants it again-he has forgot where he left it; he goes to look for it; he spends, perhaps, half an hour in search of it, or walks a distance to get it-this time is lost, for it breaks in upon some other business. The loss of this small portion of time appears trifling, but slovens and sluts, incur such loses every day, and the loss of these little scraps of time determines a man's future. A man whose family expends fifty pounds a year, if he can clear five pounds a year, is a thriving man. In order to get his fifty pounds, suppose he labours ten hours in a day, in this case, if he loses an hour every day in repairing the carelessness of the day before, he loses the tenth part of his income, this is five pounds; such a man cannot thrive, he must grow poorer from want of care, of order, and of method. So it is with a woman. A neat woman, who does business quick and thoroughly, keeps things in proper order with about half the labour that a slattern employs who keeps things for ever out of order. If a pail or kettle is used by the former, it is directly made clean, and put in its place,-when it is wanted it is ready. But a slattern uses an article, and leaves it anywhere dirty, and unfit for use another time. By-and-by it is again wanted, and cannot be found;" Mary! where did you leave the kettle ?" "I han't had the kettle; Nan had it last." "Did you have the kettle?" "Yes, but it's dirty." So the kettle is found, but it is half an hour's work to fit it for the purpose required; in the mean time, the business must lie by. Yet, this is the woman who says, when she does anything,-oh, it will do for the present!-PORTFOLIO.

Leeds.

TO-MORROW.

How sweet to the heart, is the thought of To-morrow,
When hope's fairy pictures bright colours display;
How sweet when we can from futurity borrow,

A balm for the grief that afflicts us To-day.

When travelling alone quite forlorn, unbefriended,

Sweet's the thought that To-morrow my wanderings will cease;
That at home, then, with care sympathetic attended,

I shall rest unmolested and slumber in peace.

Or when from the friends of my heart long divided,
The fond expectation, with joy how replete,
That from far distant regions, by Providence guided,
To-morrow will see us most happily meet.

When six days of labour each other succeeding,
When with hurry and toil have my spirits oppress'd,
What pleasure to think as the last is receding,
To-morrow will be a sweet Sabbath of rest.

And when the vain shadows of life are retiring,
When life is fast fleeting, and death is in sight;
The Christian, believing, exulting, expiring,
Beholds a To-morrow of endless delight.

But the Infidel sees no joyous To-morrow,

Yet he knows that his moments are hastening away;
Poor wretch! can he feel without heart-rending sorrow,
That his joy, and his life, must expire with To-day.

Travellers' Friend Lodge, Skipton, Nov. 2, 1836.

W. L. GATES.

THE GRAND PROCESSION

Of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of the Manchester Unity, held in the Dudley District, July 4, 1836.

At six o'clock in the morning, the parish bells of Dudley, Tipton, and Kingswinford, began their merry peals, and continued throughout the day; at seven o'clock in the morning, the brothers began to assemble at their respective Lodge-houses, and, Soon after eight o'clock, the Lodges in Dudley began the procession to Holly Hall, there they met with the neighbouring Lodges of the District, and soon after nine o'clock the procession proceeded to the Trindle and Burntree, near the town. Soon after ten o'clock, the different Lodges of the District did meet at the Trindle and Burntree, with their medals and a large number of silver regalia belonging to each Lodge, of very massive and splendid workmanship; the flags and banners of every Lodge where beautifully painted with mottos and devices of the Order: twenty-three Lodges formed the procession from the Trindle to the parish church. At a quarter before eleven o'clock, the grand procession moved from the Trindle to Saint Thomas' Church, headed by the Rev. Mr. Henry Cartwright, vicar and magistrate, accompanied by his two curates, with our worthy friend and brother, Mr. Moss, surgeon to part of the Lodges; the past District Officers with gold coloured scarfs, District Officers with purple, the past and present N. G.s with scarlet, the Secretaries with plaid, and the whole of the brothers with blue scarfs, and all with rosettes according to the Degrees they had taken. The brothers were all well dressed, and made a grand appearance, with a band of music at the head of each Lodge. Dudley presented a scene of pleasure never before witnessed on any occasion in that lively and spirited town: trade was suspended, and the shops in High-street were closed, and the upper windows crowded. VOL. 4-No. 5-E.

The inhabitants and visitors of that populous neighbourhood began to assemble in large numbers from every direction as early as ourselves to witness the procession. The greatest order prevailed, although there were about 2000 in the procession, closely enclosed by fourteen times that number on each side along High-street, greeting with their welcome smiling faces as they passed along to St. Thomas' Church. They began to enter the church five minutes before eleven o'clock, and it was past twelve o'clock before they all got seated. After hearing an excellent Sermon, by the Rev. Vicar, from the 3rd chapter of the first epistle of John and the 11th verse-" For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning that we should love one another." Coming out of church each band placed themselves at the head of the Lodges, and the good order, so much admired in going to church, still prevailed. They proceeded to their respective Lodge-houses, where excellent dinners were provided for them. The evening was spent with the usual toasts and sentiments of the Order till a late hour, when all separated with good humour and decorum. The fineness of the day added very much to the pleasure of the assembled multitude, who congregated together to witness the scene. Such as been the feeling towards the Order since the procession, that eight applications for Dispensations was made at our last District meeting, and found worthy and granted, and a larger number expected.

P. P. G. M. JOSIAH DUDLEY.

TO THE COMMITTEE AND EDITOR OF THE ODD FELLOWS'

GENTLEMEN,

MAGAZINE.

It was with the greatest pleasure I saw in the Magazine for March, an article "On the Advantages that would result from Odd Fellows holding their meetings in Temperance Hotels, or other places, apart from Public Houses," and I for one feel deeply interested in this subject. In my opinion, there are two or three great advantages that would result from holding our meetings in places of our own.

1. A great deal of money might be saved. Take a Lodge composed of one hundred members, and see what the collective expence will be in the course of a year; I know there are some members who seldom or never attend, and therefore spend little or nothing; at the same time, there are others who always attend, and spend a great deal. Put together those who spend little, with those who spend much, I think three half-pence per member will be about the average expenditure; at this rate we shall have the sum of £16. 5s. spent in drink every year, and in a District like our own, (Stockport) containing upwards of 1600 members, we shall have the sum of £260. spent every year in drink. Taking the number of members in the Order at 70,000, at the rate of three half-pence per member every fortnight, we shall have the enormous sum of £11,375. Os. Od. spent in drink every year; besides, we have our monthly and quarterly lectures and committees, where money must also be spent and I believe several Lodges allow fourpence in liquor to their steward, for every week's money he pays the sick, so that, taking these things into account, I believe the above calculation is far below the reality. What beautiful Odd Fellows' Halls it would soon build in every District; what poor widows would it not relieve, what fatherless children would it not keep from starvation and woe! Gentlemen, this is a subject that affects my heart, and it is my firm opinion, that the whole of the above sum might be saved, if proper exertion were made; I am sure it would be pleasing if in every District we had an Odd Fellows' Hall, where we might meet to transact our business, without being forced to spend our money in drink.

2. A deal of time would be saved; the long hours our officers are forced to sit in public houses on Lodge-nights, act as a drawback upon the respectability of our Order; respectable men, persons in trade, would oftener be found to take office in our Lodges, were it not for the late hours they must attend, but the most of our members are working men, and can ill spare the little time they have to enjoy by their fire sides with their families. I have often seen when a change of officers has taken place, we

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