Martyrs of the Arena

Great Caesar, with our dying breath,
Thus we hail thee!

The body thou canst doom to death,
Willing tools will not fail thee;
But the soul shall hold fast her faith.
O Caesar, with our dying breath,
Thus we hail thee!
Great Lord of life and death.

See the town keeps holiday today,
The circus, in festive array.
Now raise a merry shout to the Gods.
With cymbals clashing and trumpets blowing,
Before them the stern lictor's rods.
See the consuls in crimson glowing,
See the pale vestal's white robes flowing,
All attend till the great Caesar nods.

And we, all amid the dread arena,
Naked, defenceless, in God our sole reliance,
We hear, we hear with calm defiance,
The roaring lion and hyena,
Soon to be our living tomb.

Heard ye that ringing cheer?
They open now the cage,
And the tiger and panther in their rage,
They come madly bounding along.
Brethren, be strong!
Lift up the heart in prayer and song!

God of the martyr and the slave,
O Christ who has triumphed over death,
Come, O come, Thy suffering saints to save.
Now they draw their parting breath!

Tis the hour of joyful compensation!
Hark! it greets us from eternity;
Now comes the long looked for salvation,
Now dawns the day of liberty.

God of the martyr and the slave,
O Christ, who has triumphed over death,
Come, O come, Thy suffering saints to save.
Now they draw their parting breath;

And when the life blood is pouring,
And day is darkening into night,
O living God, to thee our souls are soaring
And death is the dawning of endless light.

François Anatole Laurent de Rillé - (Born 24 November 1828 in Orleans, died 26 August 1915 in Paris.)
       A French musician, composer and writer, De Rillé composed a number of operettas and sacred works, but his name is more frequently associated with the Orpheus movement, which also included Hector Berlioz and Charles Gounod among its members. The movement’s purpose was to set up and encourage male voice choir associations to promote participation in music in the community, the first of which was in Paris.
       De Rillé wrote many pieces for male voice choirs and arranged other pieces by Verdi, Donizetti and Rossini, he also wrote books about forming and training choirs. Orpheus societies gained popularity in both France and the United Kingdom during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
       Nowadays most of De Rille’s music is largely forgotten but his choral works, which include the “The Destruction of Gaza” and Martyrs of the Arena remain popular with male voice choirs.

James Steven Stallybrass - (Born 3 October 1826 in Selenginsk, Siberia, died 2 December 1888 in Stoke Newington.)
       J S Stallybrass, the fourth son of the Rev. Edward Stallybrass, of the London Missionary Society, was a well known academic who contributed to various publications, supplying original hymns and poems, and translating or editing the work of others. His translations included various German hymns and poems, scientific works and several volumes of Teutonic Mythology written by Jacob Grimm. He was born in Selenginsk in Siberia, where his father was stationed at the time, but spent much of his life in Stoke Newington, London.

Rosemoor DevonFarthingale Publications: ....... is a hobby website of curiosities and nonsense.
The articles, guides and other reading material published on this website cover topics including local history, walking, cycling, poems, prose and items of general interest including some ramblings of a slightly eccentric and whimsical nature. They are categorised and listed and may be accessed via the links below or the menu bar at the head of the page.
Local Interest: A Cricket Calypso; A Lancashire Lullaby; Dust Upon God's Fair Earth; God's Choir; Isaac Watts 1674 - 1748; It's a Funny Life; John Byrom 1692 - 1793; John Lancaster Wigan MP; Jubilee Park Memorial, Ashton in Makerfield; Little Ships at War 1918; Mind Your Language; Not Much of a Warrior; Peveril of the Peak; Private Thomas Whitham VC; Richmond Hill Dairies; Scot Lane School Wigan; The Brocklebank Line; The Farewell; The Holy City Liverpool; The Lindsays of Haigh; The Nurburgring 1960; Thomas Aspinwall Miners Agent; Thomas Aspinwall Obituary; Thomas Linacre School Wigan; Upholland Telephone Exchange; Wigan Advertisements 1960; Wigan Old Bank 1792; Wigan Soldier Missing in Action.
Walking & Cycling: Abbey Lakes to Coppull Moor; A Lancashire Linear Walk; Blackrod or Bust; Chorley Ice Cream Walk; Cycle the Monsal Trail; Cycle the Sankey Valley; Douglas Valley Dawdle; Freshfield to Crosby; Haigh to Borsdane Wood; Irwell Valley Trail (Bury to Rawtenstall); Irwell Valley Trail (Bury to Salford); Moss Eccles Tarn; Three Counties Cycle Ride; Wigan Circular by Bike.
Words & Poetry: A Lancashire Mon; A Legend of Montrose; A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea; Aw've Turned me bit O' Garden O'er; Boat Song; Calm is the Sea; David Copperfield; Dombey and Son; Dover Harbour; Dust upon God's Fair Earth; God Bless these Poor Wimmen that's Childer; High Flight; Hymn Before Action; Jeff Unsworth's dialect poetry; King Cotton; Martin Chuzzlewit; Martyrs of the Arena; Mind Your Language; Only a Cranky Owd Foo'; On Th' Hills; Redgauntlet; Rogue Herries; The Antiquary; The Armada; The Bride of Lammermoor; Th' Coartin' Neet; The Cottage; The Darkling Thrush; The Donkey; The Fair Rosamond; The Fair Rosamond Comic; The Family Man; The Glory of the Garden; The Heart of Midlothian; The Pickwick Papers; The Rolling English Road; The Wanderer; The Wreck of the Hesperus; Toddlin' Whoam; Tommy; When Winds Breathe Soft; Wisdom.
Wallgate Chronicles: Adolphe Adam; A Tale of Two Cities; A Walk in the Hills; Barnaby Rudge; Bookcase; Cat Bells; Desert Island Discs; Eay Times Uv Changed; Fidelio; Frank Whittle and the Jet Engine; Fun with Trigonometry; Hard Times; Hugo Boss comes to Wigan; In the footsteps of the Manchester Rambler; Ivanhoe; Little Dorrit; Lohengrin; Nicholas Nickleby; Our Mutual Friend; Rob Roy; Romance on a Budget; Semele; Surprise at the Philharmonic; The Battle of Solferino; The Bohemian Girl; The Fair Maid of Perth; The Force of Destiny; The Getaway Car; The Marriage of Figaro; The Old Curiosity Shop; The Ravioli Room; The Spectroscope; The Switchroom Wigan; Travels in Time 1960; Travels in Time 2010.

Selected articles:
Bundestag BerlinRichmond Hill Dairies - Pemberton These pages contain some personal memories from my youth and my association with Richmond Hill Dairies, a local business I grew up with and remember with some affection. A well known and important feature of the local community in its day and part of the heritage of Pemberton, this is my attempt to commit some small snapshot of its history to print, I hope these pages paint a worthy picture.
Mind Your Language
A humorous poem by "the bard of Haydock" George Anderton, inspired by memories of a trip to Bad Canstatt, Stuttgart Germany with the Haydock Male Voice Choir in 1975. This publication will bring a smile to the faces of not only those members who were there at the time and know the people involved but the wider population of Haydock as well who speak the language.
Wigan and the American Civil War
Wigan Coal and Iron Company, The Right Honourable John Lancaster MP for Wigan, the Confederate Raider Alabama, USS Kearsarge, Cherbourg and the yacht Deerhound all feature in the last great sea battle of the American Civil War.
Wigan Old Bank 1792 A tragic boating accident on Windermere and a surprising journey through the social history of Wigan during the reign of Queen Victoria, highlighting the relationships between four families who played an important part in the commercial development of the town.
The Brocklebank Line
Daniel Brocklebank (1741-1801), shipbuilder and mariner, a brief biography, and some background detail of his family and the shipping line he founded.
Little Ships at Zeebrugge 1918
An account of a heroic attempt to block the port of Zeebrugge during the first World War, to protect supply routes into the UK by denying enemy submarines based there access to the open sea.
A Cricket Calypso
A short biopic of cricketer Cyril Washbrook and a snapshot of his career including his role in the West Indies tour of 1950 recorded in the lyrics of the Cricket Calypso.
Not Much of a Warrior
Wigan RLFC in the fifties and sixties, through rose coloured glasses. A golden age of legendary players and memorable moments, along with some personal memories.

The Herbaceous Border, Arley Hall, Cheshire