Of the large number of sainted Valentines, the festival of two falls on the same day, February 14, the one a Roman priest imprisoned for succouring persecuted Christians, who was subsequently converted and clubbed to death, even though he restored the sight of his jailers daughter, and the other the bishop of Terni. Both appear to have belonged to the same period, both died on the same day and both were buried on the Via Flaminia but at different distances from Rome. They do not appear to have had anything to do with the fact that today was once a real lovers' day, for that seems to fave been connected with the worship of Juno just about this time of the year. It was the. custom in old England to draw lots for lovers on St. Valentine's Day, the person drawn being given a present, sometimes very expensive, but most generally a pair of gloves. Later only greeting cards were sent, sentimental, humorous or merely vulgar. It is probably a good thing that the custom nas died out, but there are still some who remember the ingenious and very ornate cards which were all the vogue on such an əccasion. Actually this article should have been written by the author of the Country Diary, for further consideration of today leads well into his territory. Chaucer in his "Parliament of Foules" records "For this was on sent Valentynes day, when every foul cometh ther to chose his make." if Chaucer was a little rocky on the subject of spelling the Pastons showed little improvement nearly a century later:—And cosy, oppon Fryday is Sent Valentynes Day and every brydde chesyth hym a make." Gay, he of "The Beggar's Opera," writes of "Last Valentine, the day when birds of kind their paramours with mutual chirping find." -It really would seem that if England had developed a calendar, somewhat after the style of the Chinese, February 14 would undoubtedly be dubbed "The day of excited crnithologists." But probably they would have been excited well before, as it is already on record in a recent issue of this journal that some birds locally have already chosen their mates and are busily engaged in producing families.
Indeed only a little extra research shows that Chaucer was somewhat arbitrary in his statement, for another English proverb has it that not until the first of March do the crows begin to search for their mates, and there is still more evidence to show that no matter how great a poet he was as a naturalist he was hardly in the front rank. Connection between Valentine's Day and bird life does not, however, end here. Ray in 1678, had it that "On Valentine's Day will a good goose lay. If she be a good goose her dame well to pay, she will lay two eggs before Valentines Day." It has been thought by some authorities that it is a bit hard to expect geese to keep track of the calendar in order to comply with the rule, and it is now held that failure of any goose to lay two eggs before the prescribed date no longer reflects upon her moral character. Which merely serves to show that a greater degree of justice is being done to the bird whose end is so often wrapped up with another saint's day, that of St. Michael. But the activity of the birds on this occasion is paralleled by the agriculturist He is ex-borted "On St. Valentine's Day cast beans in clay, but on St. Chad sow good or bad," while another English proverb has it "St. Valentine set thy hopper by mine" and as the hopper is merely a seed basket, the general idea seems to be that sowing should commence today, and be finished for good or evil by the day of St. Chad, though why he, to whom Bede gave a beautiful character, should have been dragged into it, it is difficult to see. It all fits in with the scheme of English farming. The first Monday after Twelfth Night, *Plough Monday" saw the farm hands return to work after their Christmas holidays, but before doing so they dragged their ugh from door to door in the parish soliciting "plough-money" to spend on a final frolic before going back to their annual task of turning the good earth over. That being done St. Valentine became the next saint's day to mark new progress in their work, a day when not only lovers, but birds, and even yeomen sowers had to commence getting busy.
And so back to the lovers. Some will probably remember the sickly ballad sung not so many years ago, when such things were more popular than they are now, which commenced Ill be your sweetheart, if you will be mine All my Ji I'U be your valentine, Bluebells gathered, Keep them and be true.
When Im a man, my plan will be to marry you, Very obviously this song could not have been written for today, for bluebells in England during February are about as scarce as hen's teeth or equally rare phenomena. Why the poor girl should have to accept and keep bluebells, anyhow, as a pledge of her love for the swain is by no means clear, for if memory serves these particular flowers soon have a sorry look when once plucked, and a straggly stem of them would be a poor earnest of the very permanent affection the young man is avowing. But talking of love and marriage, Chapman in his "Mon-slour d'Olive" has something appropriate to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.