years by winters, as others counted their by autumns. The Samoiedes, Ostiacs, Burates and others, having no knowledge of the kalendar, and little acquaintance with the apparent motion of the sun, compute their time by the snow, which falls at regular intervals, and every winter they say-I am so many snows old (Voltaire, Pierre le Grand, ch. 1). The custom of reckoning time by winters was not immediately laid aside. King Cambuscan, says Chaucer, "Had twenty winter borne his diadem." Squiers Tale. Johanne Lady of Bergavenny, in 1434, employs this term in her will: I ordein & devise to have five Prests to sing for me 20 winters for my lord my Fader, my lady my Moder, my husband, my son Richard Earl of Worcester, S Hugh Burnel K. and alle my good doers, and alle Chrysten Soules." (Dugd. Baron., v. 240.) Old Scottish poets sometimes compute by winters; thus in Wyntoun's Cronicle, VI, l. 75: Sevyn hundyr wynter & fourty And fyve to rekyn fullyly." In the reign of Henry VI, the duke of Norfolk, providing for his foundation at Ewelme, wills, " that a nother lerned man of the Universitie of Oxenford, passed xxxti. winter of age, if any such may goodly be hadde, be provided." -Duo Rerum Angl. Script., t. II, p. 565. This season is employed for the whole year by Horace, who advises Leuconoe not to inquire whether several winters are allotted to him, or the present is his last : "Seu plures hyemes, seu tribuit Jupiter ultimam." I, Od. 11, v. 4. In the same manner, Nereus prophecies the destruction of Troy after the lapse of certain winters: He has burned with love of Inachia three Decembers, or years. Claudian also represents a husbandman computing his years by the number of his harvests-to him of far more inportance than the succession of consuls; but it does not appear that the Romans ever dated their transactions by the part of a year for the whole, like the Gothic nations. On the northern computation by winters, see Lakmann, de Comput. Annorum per Hyemes; 4to, Kiel, 1744. Winter Fylleth-October: V. 431. The Menol. Sax., Jul., A. X, gives no explanation of this term, probably because the words signify no more than Winter is filling, or coming in. See Wynterfyllet. VOL. II. 3 E And þær embe tpa niht on fole feɲeð. rpa hine pide cigd. 1gbuende engle reaxe. perar mid pifum. And then after two nights the tenth month to people passes as widely call it the islanders Angles & Saxons Cott. MS., Tib., B. I, fo. 11 b. Winter Heyning.-The season between 11th Nov. and 23rd April, which is excepted from the liberty of commoning in the forest of Dean.-St. 20 Car. II, cap. 3. Wissonday.-Whitsunday, in Robert of Brunne, p. 61: "On the Wissonday at Burgh in Lyndeseie Com bode to the kyug and thus gan to seie." This term is closely allied to the Teutonic " Weissentag." Witembre.-October, in a charter of 1228, from the Fr. huit, eight. Wittave, Wittive.-Octave; foreign corruptions of the Fr. huitiere & huittiere. Witt Sonday.-Whitsunday, but with a different derivation. In a MS. homily of the 15th century (In die Pentecosten), the "righte worshipfulle frendis" are told that "this day is callide Witt Sonday because the Holy Goste this day brought wytte & wisdome to alle Cristes appostles & disciplis, and so bi theire prechinge, Doctrine ande Teachinge, to alle Cristene Peple" (Harl. MS., 2247). The same thing is found nearly in the same words, in several other ancient MSS. Wives' Feast Day.-Candlemas Day, in the north of England. WLFRANNUS, Bishop & Confessor.-Oct. 15: E. 458. See WULFran. WLMAR.-July 20: G. 410; V. 428; T. 441. See WULMAR. Englisse clupede, after Woden, Wodnesday, þat ys day in þe wouke, and, after Frye, Fryday." Woke.—A Week, from the Sax. poec: "xvid wokely, that is to say lxix3 iiiid in the yere."-Duo Rer. Angl. Script., p. 549. Wolfmouat.-January, among the Saxons.-Verstegan, p. 62. Woodmunday.-The Monday after Midsummer Day. The following is the title of a MS. in the Bodleian Library (Codex 2067, fo. 1136): "Insurrectio comitatus Essexiæ & Middlesexiæ propter metum Ducis Burgundiæ, &c. applicantis apud Maldon, ut dicebatur, in crastino S. Johannis Baptista, scil. die Lunæ vocato le Woodmunday." WOLSTAN, Bishop.-January 19: L. 461. His Translation, June 7. See WULSTAN: "The viij day the trowth to telle In the fest of seint Wolston that day bifelle, Oure kynge thanne in good aray, Fulle rialliche in his estate As a conquerour there he sate. Siege of Rouen, Harl. MS., 2256, fo. 192 b. Wouke. A Week, from one of the Saxon varieties, poec or puce : "Jon king Richards broper, after his broper depe WULFRAN. See WLFRANNUS. Robert of Gloucester, p. 492. He was canonized in the 7th century-Vin cent., l. XXIII, c. 131; Hospin. de Fest., fo. 16. WULMARUS.-July 20: G. 410. A confessor, who died on this day.-Petr. de Natal., 1. XI, c. ult., n. 173. WULSTAN, Translation of.-June 7: V. 427 (interpolated): "" VII id. Junii" (Tho. Wikes, Chron., p. 39). See WOLSTAN. Wunne Monath.-The Month of Joy, i. e. May. Wyke.—A Week (see Wouke). "In the wyke Friday.”—Robert of Gloucester, p. 112. Wyn Monath.-The Month of Wine, i. e. October. Wynter. See Winter. The date of King Athelstan's death, in Robert of Brunne, p. 32, is— "The date whan he died of God men tellis by Nien hundreth wynter, & fulle fourty." þan sayde pe lady ga quothe scheo mykul may fallon in xxx wyntur, gow we & be weddud."-Cott. MS., Claud., A. II, fo. 66. Wynterfyllet.-See Winter Fylleth." Ac si dicas composito nomine hyemeplenium."-Bed., Oper., t. I, De Rat. Temp., c. 13. Wytesoneday.-Whitsunday. Robert of Gloucester, p. 148. Wytsonday." Gode men ge knoweth wel pt pis day is callyd Wytsonday for encheson þ' pe holy goste as þis day broght wytte & wysdam in to alle crystes dysciplus & so be here prechyng aftur into all crystys pepul. þan schal ze knowen þt many have wytte bot no wysdome," &c. (Cott. MS., Claud., A. II, fo. 73). Wytson Tyde, Wyttesontyd.-Whitsuntide.-Robert of Gloucester, p. 149, 187, 332, &c. Wytson Wyke.-Whitsun Week (see Wyke).-Paston Letters, v. IV, p. 210. XENA.-Jan. 24. XENOPHON & Sons.-January 26. Xerophagia.-A Greek fast. Sce Lent, p. 238. Yannunciac'on.-The Annunciation (Paston Letters, v. IV, p. 76). Y, in this case, and others similar, is a corrupt writing of þ, as þ'annunciacion, after the p had ceased to be recognized as an English letter. In some MSS. as early as the 14th century, we find p instead of þ; now p in writing may very easily be changed into the y of our older MS. characters. Such words as the, them, this, that, &c., were mostly contracted thus-pe, pTM, þ", &c.; then p, p, &c., and, lastly, ye, yt, ym. In the Progressus Domini Suffraganei (an original MS., by one of the visitants of monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII), y, p, & th, are used indifferently in contractions of this kind; as, for instance-" Item to Lanchast' to ye Fryer p'cheers off ye fu'dac'on off S Hew Haryngtone knyghte v mylys fro' ye toper" x mylys fþr" 'But yis furst fu'dac'on was in yo yeer off our lord," &c.-Harl. MS., 604, fo. 106. 66 Yassumpcion.-The Assumption.-Rot. Parl. Years of Christ.-Epochs of the Nativity. Father Thomas Vincent Morelia has drawn a brief synopsis of the writers who have supported five hypotheses, respecting the precise year from the building of Rome in which Christ was born. Hardouin appears to be the only chronologist who places his birth in the year 747-and from him widely differ Baronius, Scaliger & others, who ascribe the Nativity to 759. Sub his consulibus Christum mense Septembri natum perperam censuit J. Harduinus. 748. In hunc annum conferunt natalem Christi diem, Keplerus, M. Anton. Capellus, Henschenius, Pagius, Schestratius, Blanchinus. 749.-Hoc anno auspicatissimo nativitatem J. Christi consignant J. Deckerius, Petavius, Usserius, Lancelottus, Norisius, Natalis Alexander, Tillemontius, Gravesonus, ceterique eruditi viri, quibus accedimus. 750.-Sub his consulibus (Calvisio Sabino, Rufo, seu Rufino) natum Christum sensit inter veteres Sulpitius Severus, inter recentiores Bernardus Lamius. 751.-Baronius, Josephus Scaliger aliique arbitrati sunt hoc anno nativitatem consignandam, &c. (Tab. Chron. XVII), De Annis Jesu Christ. Dissert. Rom., 1741. Ancient Commencements of the Year. The Latins had eight beginnings of the year. Some began it in March, with the first Romans under Romulus; others in January, like the Romans under Numa. Several began it on Dec. 25, seven days before us. Others went back to the 25th of March, the day of the conception or incarnation, com monly called the Ascension, so that they began the year 9 months and 7 days before us. There were others who taking March 25 for New Year's Day, differed a whole year in their manner of reckoning from those who have just been mentioned. The former carried the year back 9 months and 7 days, and reckoned, for instance, the year 1000 from March 25 of our year 999; the latter, on the contrary, delayed the beginning 3 months minus 7 days, and still counted the year 999 to the 24th March inclusively, where we reckon 1000 from Jan. 1.. Others began the year at Easter, and advanced or retarded the first day according to Easter Day; these, like the preceding, also began the year 3 months after ussometimes a little more or less, as Easter might fall. There were some few who appear to have begun the year an entire year before us, dating, ex. gr. from January, 1103, where we should reckon the year 1102. We shall not extend the proof that Gregory of Tours, and other writers of the 6th & 7th centuries, have sometimes begun the year in March. Mabillon has demonstrated it in his Diplom., l. II, c. 23, n. 4. We still find this usage in the 8th century, as in a statute of the Council of Ver, or Vern (Concil. Vernense), held in 755, by which it is ordained-" ut bis in anno Synodus fiat prima synodus mense primo, quod est kalendis Martiis." Here not only the month of March, but the kalends, or March 1, appear for the beginning of the new year. It is indifferent to our subject to enquire into the kind of year, whether solar or lunar, of which this council speaks. We know that these sorts of years have often been distinguished, and that different beginnings have often been given to them. This well-founded distinction may conduce to raise several difficulties-but for the present it matters little we are merely seeking to prove a commencement of the year in The French derived their usage of beginning the year at March 1 from Germany. In fact we see in the German laws, that tres kalendæ Martiæ are employed to express three years: "Ne in mallo publico transactis, tribus kalendis martiis posthac ancilla maneat in perpetuum" (tit. 17, s. 5). The decree of Thassilo, duke of Bavaria in the 8th century, says the same thing c. 2, s. 12). This mallum publicum was the general assembly of the people called Campus Martis,* because it opened with this month, and consequently with the year. But in 755, according to the Annales Petaviennes, it was transferred to the 1st of May: "Venit Thasilo ad Martis Campum, et mutaverunt Martis Campum in mense maio." But it does not appear that this change carried with it that of beginning the year. We see by a letter from Pope Zacchary to St. Boniface, archbishop of Mayence, that in this same age, during the life of Thassilo, the year began Jan. 1 in Germany: "Ubi Germani kalendas januarias et brumam ritu Paganorum colere, et aliquid novi facere propter novum annum prohibentur." * It was called Campus Martii by our writers, and the meeting was held May 1.-See Vol. I, p. 267-8. |