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ent > pope Gregory the Great advised what had been previouslyone among the Britons, viz. Christian festivals to be instituted injl e r °om of the idolatrous, and the suffering day of the martyrhose relics were reposited in the church, or the day on which the.ding was actually dedicated, to be the established feast of theParish . Both were appointed and observed ; and they were clearlydistinguished at first among the Saxons , as appears from the laws°t the Confessor , where the dies dedication^, or dedicatio, is re-peatedly discriminated from the propria festivitas sancti or cele-t* r atio sancti. The evening before every saint’s day, in the Saxon ■rewish method of reckoning the hours, being an actual hour of theand therefore like that appropriated to the duties of publicreligion, as they reckoned Sunday from the first to commence atthe sun-set of Saturdav ; the evening preceding the church’s holi-day would be observed with all the devotion of the festival. ThePeople actually repaired to the church, and joined in the services?'it; and they thus spent the evening of their greater festivities,n the monasteries of the North, as early as the conclusion of theSeventh century. These services were naturally denominated[fom their late hours waccan, or wakes, and vigils, or eves.’V hen Gregory recommended the festival of the patron-saint, headvised the people to erect booths of branches about the church? n the day of the festival, and to feast and be merry in them withffinocence. Accordingly, in every parish, on the returning anni-versary of the saint, little pavilions were constructed of boughs,a hd the people indulged in them in hospitality and mirth. Thefeasting of the saint’s day, however, was soon abused ; and even inf«e body of the church, when the people were assembled for de-votion, they began to mind diversions, and to introduce drinking.1 he growing intemperance gradually stained the service of thevigil, till the festivity of it was converted, as it now is, into the ri-gour of a fast. At length they too justly scandalized the Puritans°f the seventeenth century, and numbers of the wakes were dis-used entirely, especially in the east and some western parts ofEngland ; but they are commonly observed in the north, and inthe midland counties. This custom of celebrity in the neighbour-hood of the church, on the days of particular saints, was introducedinto England from the continent, and must have been familiarequally to the Britons and Saxons ; being observed among thechurches of Asia m the sixth century, and by those of the west ofEurope in the seventh. And equally j„ Asia and Europe on thecontinent, and in the islands, these celebrities were the causes ofthose commercial marts which we denominate fairs. The peopleresorted in crowds to the festival, and a considerable provisionwould be wanted for their entertainment. The prospect of inte-rest invited the little traders of the country to come and offer theirw ares; and thus, among the many pavilions for hospitality in theneighbourhood of the church, various booths were erected for thesale of different commodities. In larger towns, surrounded withPopulous districts, the resort of the people to the wakes would begreat, and the attendance of traders numerous; and this resort andattendance constitute a fair. Basil expressly mentions the nu-Serous appearance of traders at these festivals in Asia , and Gre-S°ry notes the same custom to be common in Europe . And as'he festival was observed on aferia, or holiday, it naturally assumedto itself, and as naturally communicated to the mart, the appeila-

t,0 '> of feria or fair. .

, WAKEFIELD, Gilbert, A. B. a learned political writer,"°r n at Nottingham , in 1756. He was educated by Mr. Wood-son, at Kingston upon Thames . In 1772 he entered Jesus Col-Cambridge, where he took his degrees, -in 1/76 he pub-,s ned some Latin poems, and notes on Homer. In 1778, he tookbacon’s orders, and became curate of Stockport , whence he re-moved to Liverpool. In 1779 lie married, left the church, andec ame tutor in the dissenting Academy at arrington. He

Th, ls lecl > L Translations of Sh Matthew, and the Epistle to theJ an es ^*°»ians. 2. An Inquiry into the Opinions of the Christ -in 4 , 5‘ lers of the three first Centuries, concerning Jesus Christ ,With V ° s ‘ 3 ‘ Silva Critica. 4. He next astonished his friends] ut j a Pamphlet against public worship. After the French revo-Lettp u * Wrote some severe tracts against government. But hisa p ro< r 10 llle Bishop of Llandaff subjected him and the printer toWas bh a llt ' 0n ,’. an ^ tlvo years’ imprisonment in Dorchester jail. HeCal Sc |. e , r “ l | * n May 1801, hut died in September. As a elassi-

Vor °, ar le * lar ' few equals, but lie was both a Socinian a ml a0A - Jv — N0< 2J<k i ’

republican. He published also Tragaediarum Gra-earum Delectus,2 vols. 12mo. and a.superb edition of Lucretius , 3 vois. 4to.

Wakefield, in geography, an ancient town of England, in theWest Riding of Yorkshire, 8 miles S. ot Leeds, 28 S. W. of York ,and 184 N. of London . Lon. 1. 28. W. Lat. 53. 41. N.

WAKING, or WAKEFULNESS, denotes that state of thebody, which is opposed to sleeping. Both are alike important tothe preservation of health ; but waking, in particular, ought not tobe prolonged beyond a proper time, as it exhausts the vital spirits,disorders the nerves, and unhinges the whole system : hence,acute head-aches, vertigoes, &c. are the inevitable consequences $because the whole mass of the fluids becomes vitiated, and theanimal-frame is at length subject to an uncommon degree of irri-tability and excitement, on the slightest occasions. In the presentartificial state of society, many persons of active minds, and greatsusceptibility, complain of watchfulness, which shortens their days,renders their life unhappy, and is sometimes succeeded by in-sanity. As the source of this malady may, in genera), be attri-buted to an unbounded desire of acquiring wealth, power, or fame,we shall briefly remark, that moral arguments will mostly proveunavailing, where the primary education has been defective. In-stead, therefore, of resorting to opium, spirits, or other slupifyingliquors, we advise such unfortunate victims of a disordered ima-gination, to adopt a more frugal mode of life, to take sufficientbodily exercise, not to indulge in nocturnal speculations; and, ifthese means be ineffectual, to resort either to the tepid bath, or toemploy general friction over the whole body, for at least half anhour, previously to their repose.

WALACHIA, a province of Turkey, in Europe , bounded onthe north by Moldavia, and Transylvania , on the east and southby the Danube, and on the west by Transylvania . It is 225 mileslong, and 125 broad, and was ceded to the Turks by the treaty ofBelgrade, in 1739. It abounds in good horses and cattle ; and thereare mines of several kinds. The soil is so fertile, that it is capa-ble ofproducingany thing; and there are good pastures, with wine,,oil, and all kinds of European fruits. The inhabitants are chieflyof the Greek church.

WALAKA, a province of Abyssinia, between Geslien and theSamba. It is low and unwholesome, having the Upper Xoa on thesouth.

WALCHEREN, an island of Holland , the principal of Zea-land, about 13 miles in length and S in breadth. The chief town,is Middleburg.

- WALCOURT , orWALENCOURT, a town of Namur, seat-ed on the river Iieure, between the Meuse and Sambre. Lon.

4. 30. E. Lat. 50. 10. N. , ,

WALDECIC, a county of Germany , bounded on the north bythe bishopric of Paderborn . It abounds with woods, cattle, antigrain. It lias mines of gold, copper, silver, lead, and iron.

Waldeck, the capital of the above county, 25 miles W. S. W.of Cassel, and 80 E. of Cologn. Lon. lb. 4. E. Lat. 51i 10. N.

WALDEN, a borough of England, in Essex , 42 miles N. E.of London . Lon. 0. 20. E. Lat. 52. N.

WALDENSES. See Albigenses , and Waldo.

WALDKIRK, atown of Germany , in Austrian Brisgaw, on anisland in the Eltz, 5 miles from Friburg. Lon. 8. 3. E. Lat. 48.

9. N.

WALDO, Peter, a merchant of Lyons, who flourished in theend of the eleventh century. Applying himself to the study ofthe Scriptures, and finding no warrant there for several of the Ro-mish doctrines, particularly that of transubstantiation, lie publiclyopposed them. His followers, who from him were called Wal-denses, being chased from Lyons spread over Dauphin^ and Pro-vence ; upon which Philip II. is said to have razed 300 gentle-men’s seats, and destroyed several walled towns to stop theirgrowth; but this, instead of suppressing, spread them over a greatpart of Europe . The articles of their faith, which they drew upand dedicated to the king of France , agreed in most points withthose of the present Protestants .

WALDSCHUT, a town of Suabia, on the Rhine , 19 miles W.of Schaffhausen, and 26 E. of Basil . Lon.. 8. 12. E. Lat. 47-38 N,

WALES, a country situated on the S. W. part of Britain , intowhich the ancient Britons retired from the persecution of theSaxons . Ancientlv it was of greater extent than it is at present,10 D " and