ALL-SOULS'-DAY, a festival of the Roman Catholic church, which falls on the 2d of Nov. The object of it is by prayers and almsgiving to alleviate the sufferings of the souls in purgatory. It was first instituted in the monastery of Clugny, 993, and the following is the account given of the circumstance in which it originated: A pilgrim returning from the holy land was compelled by a storm to land on a rocky island some where between Sicily and Thessalonica. Here lie found a hermit, who told him that among the cliffs of the island was situated the opening into the under-world, through' which huge flames ascended, and the groans and cries of souls tormented by,evil angels were audible. The hermit had also frequently heard the complaints and imprecations of the devils, at the number of souls.that were torn from them by the prayers and alms of the pious; they were especially enraged, he said, against the abbot and monks of Clugny. The pilgrim on his arrival acquainted Odilo, allot of Clugny, with what had conic to his knowledge, and the abbot thereupon appointed the day after All Saints to be kept in his monastery as an annual festival for "all soul's." The observance was quickly
adopted by the whole Catholic world. By another account, the scene of the incident is transferred to Sicily, and the institution to the year 998.
In some parts of western England it is still " the custom for the village children to go round to all their neighbors souling, as they call it—collecting small contributions, and singing the following verses, taken down from two of the children themselves : Soul! soul! for a soul-cake; Pray good mistress, for a soul-cake. One for Peter, two for Paul, Three for Them who made us all.
Soul! soul! for art. apple or two; If you've got no apples pears will do.
Up with your kettle, and down with your pan; Give me a good big one, and I'll be gone.
The soul-cake referred to in the verses is a sort of bun, which, until lately, it was an almost general custom for people to make, and to give to one another on the 2d of No vember."—.Notes and Queries, first series, vol. 4.