Yellow Fleur-de-lis. _Iris Pseudacorus._
Dedicated to _St. Margaret_.
~June 11.~
_St. Barnabas_, Apostle, 1st Cent. _St. Tochumra_, of Tochumrach in
Ireland. Another _St. Tochumra_, diocese of Kilmore.
_St. Barnabas the Apostle._
He was of the tribe of Levi, and coadjutor with the apostle Paul for
several years. Though denominated an apostle, it seems agreed that he
was not entitled to that character; if he were, his extant epistle would
have equal claim with the writings of the other apostles to a place
among the books in the New Testament. He is said to have been martyred,
but of this there is not sufficient evidence.
_St. Barnabas’ Day._
This was a high festival in England formerly.
Besides the holy thorn, there grew in the abbey churchyard of
Glastonbury, on the north side of St. Joseph’s chapel, a miraculous
walnut-tree, which never budded forth before the feast of _St.
Barnabas_, viz. the eleventh of June, and on that very day shot forth
leaves, and flourished like its usual species. This tree is gone, and in
the place thereof stands a very fine walnut-tree of the common sort. It
is strange to say how much this tree was sought after by the credulous;
and, though not an uncommon walnut, queen Anne, king James, and many of
the nobility of the realm, even when the times of monkish superstition
had ceased, gave large sums of money for small cuttings from the
original.[166]
Midsummer, or nightless days, now begin and continue until the 2d of
July.[167] There is still this saying among country people,--
“Barnaby Bright, Barnaby Bright,
The longest day and the shortest night.”
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