The raven has been regarded from very early ages as an emblem of God's providence, no doubt from the record in Holy Writ of its being employed to feed Elijah the Prophet, in his seclusion by the brook Cherith; and it was the well-known ensign of the Danes, at the time of their dominion in this country. In the year 742, a great battle was fought at Burford, in Oxfordshire, and the Golden Dragon, the standard of Wessex, was victorious over Ethelbald, the King of Mercia. The banners of several of the Saxon kings were held in great veneration, especially those of Edmund the Martyr, and of Edward the Confessor. The latter king displayed as an ensign a cross flory between five martlets gold, on a blue field, and which may still be seen on a very ancient shield in the south aisle of Westminster Abbey. When William the Norman set out to invade England he had his own ensign, the two lions of Normandy, depicted on the sails of his ships; but on the vessel in which he himself sailed, besides some choice relics, he had a banner at the mast-head with a cross upon it, consecrated by the Pope, to give sanctity to the expedition. Indeed it has been the practice in every age for the Pope to give consecrated banners wherever he wished success to any enterprise, numerous instances of which might be cited in very recent times. And in our own army down to the present day, whenever any regiment receives new banners (or colours, as the modern term is), the regiment is drawn out in parade, the colours are then blessed by the prayers of several clergymen of the Church of England, and afterwards presented to the regiment by the fair hand of a lady of rank.
Cæsar has recorded a fine example of patriotism, to the credit of one of his own officers, when he attempted to land his Roman forces on our shores, and meeting with a warmer reception than they anticipated from the Britons, considerable hesitation arose among his troops; but the standard-bearer of the Tenth Legion, with the Roman eagle in his hand, invoking the gods, plunged into the waves, and called on his comrades to follow him, and do their duty to their general and to the republic; and so the whole army made good their landing.
We have in the Nineveh sculptures some highly interesting specimens of the ancient Assyrian standards, consisting principally of two varieties, which are here given. The principal archer appears to be drawing his bow, while the standard-bearer elevates the standard in front of the chariot.
ANCIENT MANNERS OF THE ITALIANS.
About the year 1238, the food of the Italians was very moderate, or, rather scanty. The common people had meat only three days a week. Their dinner consisted of pot-herbs, boiled with meat; their supper, the cold meat left from dinner. The husband and wife eat out of the same dish; and they had but one or two cups in the house. They had no candles made of wax or tallow; but, a torch, held by one of the children, or a servant, gave them light at supper. The men, whose chief pride was in their arms and horses, wore caps made with iron scales, and cloaks of leather, without any other covering. The women wore jackets of stuff, with gowns of linen, and their head-dresses were very simple. Those who possessed a very small sum of money, were thought rich; and the homely dress of the women required only small marriage portions. The nobles were proud of living in towers; and thence the cities were filled with those fortified dwellings.
AMUSEMENTS OF THE LOWER ORDERS IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.