Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-03-08
MARI, II.
shore

Sturdy March with brows full sternly bent,
Aud armed strongly, r rde upon ram,
The same which over Hriespontus swan;
Yet in his hand spade he also hent,
AMI in A bag all sorts OF weeds ysamc,
which ON the earth he styewed as he went,
And fil'd her womb with fruitful couris'ment.
SPESsER.
N,pcH is the third month Of the year, with
The an tents il was the frs. he Romans ma
med IT from Mas, lie god Of war, because ne
WAS the father OF. their FIRST prince. AS 10 the
driry's nature, Msr>h has certainly nothing IN
common with i, for though /, Affects 10 be We"
r, rough, il is one of the best ua,ured months
i'm ne yesr, drying up the superabundanl mois-
ture Of winter with is fierce winds, and thus
restoring Us our paths through the fields, and
oining before tbs Mers IS r4ah has h m ii
oil -. ,nlstn, hIoder> the buds which he has
dried fr M blowint; ana il is allow able in the
les robust part Of hi, friends out OF doors, 10
obiect 20 the fancy he has tor coming in such
Cutting manner from the east But IL m.y
b. uurly sal }, ina: the oftener you meet him
firmly, the less he will shake you,-and e
more smil,s you will have from the fair
months that follow him"
Prrhaps the asorip,iun TO this month OF
Mr., by the Romans, Vas compliment TO
III ,n,ely's 6; they were the sons of War, and
NIGH, naturally deduce their origin from the
b, IL greet deny. Minerva waS also paironess
OF March.
VersIegan saws OF the Saxons, that "Ihe mo-
meth of March they called Lene;-monat (ac>
cnrding t. the new nr,h .graphy, Leng; h.mo-
neih, brcuus, the doyes did then first begin in
length exceed the mig hts. And this moneth
beng ~ our ancestors so call-d I" hen they re-
cercd Chsis ianiIy, and consequently ,hsre-
wi h the ancient christian ouslome ol lasting,
they a,lei tl,s ctiefe season Of fasting the
fist Of Lrne,, because OF the LeHei .mouat;
wlierrun he mpsl part Of the time Of this fast
ing alravs t-, anl hereof it comeih that we
nov cal i. mt It being rather b. fast oil Lent
IN ,sh the former name Of Len>mon he
lcng sinoe los, aud the namt OF March Dor
rowed instead tert of.
L-net, or Leot. however, means Spring;
hence Ma,ch VAS he the Spring month. DR..
Saver says the Saxons csiIed IL Rhed ,mona,h
word derived by some from one Of their dei>
tie, named Rheda, To whom sacrifices were
offered IN March, others derive il from red,
the Saxon word Tor council, March being the
month wacr,in rars o. expeditions were usu-
a v uoeItaken by The 60 hio tribes. Ihs Sax
ons also called it Hlyd-monath, from hlyd
which means stormy, and IN this sense, March
was the stormy mouth.
Mr.. Leigh Hunt, in his "Months saws Of
qulvocal signs factisity. The farmer extends
the exerciss of his plough: and if fair weather
couunues, begins sowing harly and oats. Bats
aud reptiles break up their winter sleep: tie
little SINE Is run up the softs nee river to spawn
the winter birds rvtuin 10 their northern Quaf-
trrs, lie he rooks are all in motion with
building and repairing their uests;. hens set;
g,ese AID ducks lay, Pheasants crow, young
LAMBS come iOtrerng forth in mud weather;
the r@bin MARBLES the top Of some naked
lr,e, il he triamphed ovrr the las lingering
Of harreaness; and, lastly, forth issue the bee
wi lis strnal lrumpe, 10 T. II US that tn re is
news Of sunshins and The flowers. In addition
TO tur last enonth's how.rs we now have the
CROWN imperial, he dogs tooth violet fri,il-
laries, me ny acinth nsrGissis bending its face
like its names.ke, pilewort, scarlet ranunculus
great snow-d drop, tulips, and v,olrts, pro,erbial
Tor their odpur. which we're perhaps the fav.
surile bowers OF Shakespeare. The passage at