animated nature, may aptly indicate the approach of spring, when seeds and plants are about to vegetate. The common emblem of February is, a man in a dark sky-coloured dress, bearing in his hand that zodiacal sign. The Saxon representations of February were different. In some, a vine-dresser was seen pruning trees; in others, a man, with his jacket buttoned, and warming his hands by striking them across his body, in token of the early portion of this month being generally the most inclement of the whole year,

March.

This month amongst the Romans, was under the immediate protection of MINERVA. When NUMA altered the computation of ROMULUS, the custom of entering upon public offices, on the 1st of March, was still continued and so remained, until the first Punic War, when it was transferred to the 1st of January.

With the Romans, this month was very remarkable. According to MACROBIUS, on the 1st of March, (being the first day of their newyear,) the sacred fire on the altar of VESTA was renewed, from the rays of the sun, concentrated, and reflected, by a polished mirror.

In France, March was generally reckoned the first month until 1564; when by an edict of CHARLES the Ninth the bloody author of the massacre of the Protestants on St. BARTHOLOMEW'S day ----January was decreed to be thenceforth the

first month of the year. Scotland followed the: example of France- with which kingdom she was at all times closely connected-in 1599. But in this country, that necessary alteration did not take place before 1752.

By the Saxons, MARCH was called Rhede or Rethe-Monath, as being a rough or rugged-month, which, according to some authors, Rhede is said to signify. Other authorities state, because, sacrifices to the idol Rheda were made during this month; and it was changed to LenetMonat,

"That is, according to our new orthography, Length-Moneth' because the dayes did then first begin in length to exceed the nights; and this moneth being by our ancestors so called when they received Christianity, and consequently therewith the antient Christian custome of fasting, they called this chiefe season of fasting the fast of Lenet, because of the Lenet-Monat, whereon the most part of the time of this fasting alwaies fell;' and hereof it commeth that we now call it Lent, it being rather the fast of Lent, though the former name of Lenet-Monat be long since lost, and the name of March borrowed instead thereof."

In old paintings, this month is portrayed as, a man of a tawny colour and fierce aspect, with a helmet on his head typical of MARS. But, as appropriate to the season of the year, and the labours of the peaceful husbandman, he is represented leaning on a spade-holding almond blossoms and scions in his left hand, with a basket of seeds on his arm and bearing in his right hand the sign Aries, which the sun enters on the 20th of March. In antient hieroglyphics the increasing power of the sun's rays, was expressed by the horns of animals.

The old English proverb of "A bushel of March dust is worth a King's ransom" arose from

the influence which the state of the weather in this month, was supposed to have over the ensuing harvest. Dry weather in March, is generally deemed favourable to the production of corn on clay lands of which species of soil the proportion in this country is considerable. Hence, a "dusty March" portended a plenteous season; while on the contrary, a wet March frequently proved destructive of both wheat and rye.

In the ancient dialect of Cornwall, this month was called Meurz, or Merk, an obvious corruption of March.

Aprtl.

This is the fourth month of the year, and consists of 30 days.

Respecting the etymology of the word April, there is no doubt it being universally allowed to be derived from "Aprilis," of "aperire, to open," in allusion to the buds then beginning to unfold, and the incipient state of vegetation in general.

By our forefathers, April was depicted as a winged young man, clothed in green, and crowned with a garland of hawthorn buds, intermixed with myrtle. In one hand, he held primroses and violets; and in the other, the celestial sign Taurus, which the sun enters on the 19th of this month.

By the Anglo-Saxons APRIL was called "Oster-Monat, Oster-Monath, and Easter-Monath. thinke of a goddesse called Eoster, whereof I see no great res

Some

son, for if it took appellation of such a goddesse, (a supposed causer of the Easterly windes) it seemeth to have bin somewhat by some miswritten, and should rightly be Oster, and not Eoster. The winds indeed, by antient observation, were found in this moneth most commonly to blow from the East, and East in the Teutonicke is Ost, and Ost-end, which rightly in English is East-end, hath that name for the Easterne situation thereof, as to the ships it appeareth, which through the narrow seas doe come from the West. So as our name of the feast of Easter may be as much to say as the feast of Oster, being yet at this present in Saxony called Ostern, which cometh of Oster-Monat, their and our old name of APRIL."

The Romans dedicated April to Venus. Hence it was sometimes called Mensis Veneris, as well as Aprilis. The name of this month in the Cornish language was Eprell.

As March was esteemed most favourable when dry, April, on the contrary, was regarded as most propitious when wet. This opinion is expressed in many well-known old distiches, such as,

"March Winds and APRIL Showers,
Bring forth May flowers."

"In April, Dove's flood

Is worth a King's good."

Good, here signifies Ransom, with which, in this instance, it appears to be synonimous. The Dove is a river, which divides the Counties of Derby and Stafford; and when it overflows, the adjacent lands are greatly fertilized.

"When APRIL blows his horn,

(i. e. when it thunders)

'Tis good for Hay and Corn,"

is another old adage, evidently implying, that this month, when showery and tempestuous, is favourable to the progress of vegetation.

1

gay.

Amongst the Romans Apollo was the tutelar deity of May, which is the fifth month of the year, and contains 31 days.

With us, May has ever been deemed the most pleasant month being on the confines of both Spring and Summer and metaphorically the early, or gay part of life.

Of the name of this month the derivations are various. OVID, in the 5th Book of his Fasti, after enumerating several, concludes the most probable derivation to be that from MAIA, the Mother of MERCURY, and Daughter of ATLAS and PLEIONE-the most luminous Star of the Constellation of the Pleiades. The Romans sacrificed to MAIA on the first of this month. on the 20th of which the sun enters the sign Gemini.

By the Saxons, it was called Tri-Milki, or TriMilchi; the juices of the young grass being then so nutritious that their cows yielded milk three times in the day.

May is depicted in antient representations, as a Youth with a lovely countenance, and clothed in a robe of white and green, embroidered with daffodils, hawthorns, and blue bottles. His head adorned with a garland of white and damask roses holding in one hand a lute, and on the forefinger of the other, a nightingale.

"Me was the old Cornish word for May; and we may reasonably conclude, from the obvious corruption in the Cornish dialect, of the Roman