here until all the race of men shall be gone in, father Adam and all his children, and all the saints who were with him in hell.'" And all the patriarchs and prophets, when they heard the words of the malefactor, spake with one voice: "Blessed be the Lord Almighty and the Father everlasting, who gave thee such remission of thy sins, and with such grace led thee unto Paradise." He answered and said: "Amen." These are the divine and holy mysteries which the two prophets, Carinus and Leuticus, truly beheld and heard. CHAUNCEY B. TINKER SELECTIONS FROM THE MINOR WORKS OF BEDE1 1. THE ENGLISH MONTHS De Temporum Ratione 15 The ancient English peoples - for it does not seem to me proper to explain the yearly observance of other nations, and to keep silence concerning my own-reckoned their months by the course of the moon, just as they were named from the moon in Hebrew and Greek. Accordingly, as they called the moon mona, the month was called monath. The first month, which the Romans name January, is with them Giuli.2 Then follow February, Solmōnath; March, Hrēdmōnath; April, Eosturmōnath; May, Thrimilchi; June, Litha; July, also Litha; August, Wēodmōnath; September, Hālegmōnath; October, Winterfylleth; November, Blōtmōnath; December, Giuli, the same as for January. They began the year with December 25, the day we now celebrate as Christmas; and the very night to which we attach special sanctity they designated by the heathen term modraniht, that is, the mothers' night — a name bestowed, I suspect, on account of the ceremonies which they performed while watching this night through. The peoples who welcomed the year in the same way also assigned three lunar months to each season of the year. When, however, an embolism occurred, that is, a year of thirteen lunar months, they added the intercalated month to the summer, so that in that case three months 2 Mod. Eng. 'Yule' 1 For prefatory note on Bede, see pp. 3, 4. in succession were called Litha. Such a year was known as thrilīthi, having four months of summer, and three of each of the other seasons. The general division of the year was into two seasons, winter and summer, summer comprising the six months in which the days are longer than the nights, and winter the others. Hence the month with which they began the winter season was called Winterfylleth, a name compounded of the terms for winter and full moon, because from the full moon of that month winter was esteemed to begin. It will not be foreign to our purpose if I endeavor to interpret the names of their other months. The months called Giuli receive their name from the sun's change to a longer day, since the first precedes, and the second follows. Solmōnath may be rendered month of cakes,' cakes being offered in this month to their gods.1 Hrēdmōnath2 was named from their goddess Hrēda, to whom they sacrificed in this month. Eosturmōnath, which is now interpreted as 'Paschal month,' had its name from their goddess Easter (Eostre), to whom they held festivals in this month; thus in naming the Paschal season after her, they designate the joys of a new celebration by the customary term applied to an ancient observance. Thrimilchi was so called because in that month milking was performed three times a day, such being then the richness of Britain, or perhaps rather of Germany, from which the English people entered Britain. Lītha3 means delightful, or navigable, because in both of these months the serenity of the air is delightful, and the seas are wont to be navigated. Wēodmōnath is the month of weeds, since then they most abound. Hālegmōnath is the month 1 Cf. Jer. 7. 18. 2 Grimm (Deutsche Mythologie, p. 267) associates this with OE. hrēð, victory,' 'glory.' 3 In Old English, lide means 'mild,' 'gentle,' and lian, 'to sail.' |