August 15.
Assumption, B. V. M.
This Romish festival is retained in the church of England calendar.
Our old acquaintance Barnaby Googe rhimes of this festival from Naogeorgus:—
The blessed virgin Marie’s feast,
hath here his place and time,
Wherein departing from the earth,
she did the heavens clime;
Great bundels then of hearbes to Church,
the people fast doe beare,
The which against all hurtfull things,
the priest doth hallow theare.
Thus kindle they and nourish still,
the people’s wickednesse,
And vainly make them to beleeve
whatsoever they expresse:
For sundrie witchcrafts by these hearbs
ar wrought, and divers charmes,
And cast into the fire, are thought
to drive away all harmes,
And every painefull griefe from man,
or beast, for to expell,
Farre otherwise than nature, or
the worde of God doth tell.
There is a volume printed at Amsterdam, 1657, entitled, “Jesus, Maria, Joseph; or the Devout Pilgrim of the Everlasting Blessed Virgin Mary, in his Holy Exercises, Affections, and Elevations, upon the sacred Mysteries of Jesus, Maria, Joseph.” From this curious book an amusing extract may be adduced, as a specimen of the language employed by certain writers of the Romish church in their addresses to the virgin:—