Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1828-03-18
MARCH.

March is the third month of the year +;
with the ancients it was the first. The
Romans named it from Mars, the god of
war, because he was the father of their
first prince. AS to the deity's nature,
March has certainly nothing in common
with it, for though it affects to be very
rough, it is one of the best natured months
in the year, drying up the superabundant
moisture of winter with its fierce winds,
and thus restoring us our paths through
the fields, and piping before the flowers
like a bacchanal He sometimes, it must
be confessed, as if in fit of the spleen,
binders the buds which he has dried from
blowing and it is allowable in the less
robust part of his friends out of doors, to
object to the fancy he has for coming in
such a cutting manner from the east.
But it may be truly said, that the oftener
you meet him firmly, the less he will shake
you; and the more smiles you will have
from the fair months that follow him."
Perhaps the ascription of this month to
Mars BY the Romans was compliment
to themselves; they were the sons of War.
and might naturally deduce their origin
from the belligerent deity. Minerva was
also patroness of March.
Verstegan says of the Saxons that " the
month of March they called Lenct-monat.
according to the new photography 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 Herewith the ancienta
christian costume of fasting, they called
this chiefe season of fasting the fast of
Lenct, because of the Lenct-monat. where
on the most part of the time of fastinr
alwayes fell; and hereof it cometh that
we now call it Lent, it being rather the
fast of Lent, though the former name of
Lenct-monat be long since lost, and the
name of March borrowed instead thereof"
Lenct, or Lent, however, means Spring;
hence March was the Spring month. DIR.
Sayer says, the Saxons called it Rhed-
monath, a word derived by some from
one OF their deities, named Rheda. to
whom sacrifices were offered in March
others derive it from red, the Saxon word
for council, March being the month
wherein wars or expeditions were usu-
ally undertaken by the Gothic tribes
The Saxons also called it Hlyd-moaath.
from htyd, which means stormy. and in
this sense March was the Storm month.
Leigh Hunt, in his g Months says of
March " Now the animal creation exhi-
bit unequivocal signs of activity. The
farmer extends the exercise of his plough;
and, if fair weather continues, begins SOW
ing barley and oats. Bats and reptiles
break up their winter sleep; the little
smelts run up the softened rivers to spawn.
the winter birds return to their northern
quarters, while the rocks are all in motion
with building and repairing their nests
hens set; geese and ducks lay pheasants
crow; young lambs come tottering forth
IN mid weather; the robin MARBLES on the
top Of some naked tree, as if he triumphed
over the last lingering of barrenness and.
lastly, forth issues the bee with his vernai
trumpet to tell us that there is news of
sunshine and the flowers. In addition to
the last months flowers, we now have the
crown-imperial, the dogs tooth violet. fri.
ttlllaries, the hyacinth, narcissus, (bending
Its face like its namesake) pilewort, scar.
let ranunculus, great snow-drop, tulips,
and violets, proverbial for their odour.
which were, perhaps, the favourite flowers
OF Shakespeare. The passage, at the be-
ginning of Twelfth Night" in which he
compares the scent with the passing sweet
ness ofmusic, is wen known, and probably
suggested the beautiful one in Lord " Ba-
cons Essay" about the superiority of flow
ers in the open air, I" where the scent comes
and goes like the warbkng of masic.,'