The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-02-14

1t is recorded, as a rural tradition, that
on st. Valentines day each bird of the
air chooses its mate. Hence it is presum-
ed that our hOmely ancestors, in their
lusty youth, adopted a practice which
we still find peculiar to a season when
nature bursts its imprisonments for the
coming pleasures of the cheerful spring.
Lydgate, the monk of Bury, who died
in l440, has Il poem Valentine in praise
of Queen Catherine, consort to Henry
", which we are obliged to omit for
want of space. Chaucer also INDUCES
POLITICALLY to a great extent on the sub
ject of Valentines, as also most of the
old English poets. Old John Dunton's
British Appolo' sings question and
answer:
''Why Valentines day to choose
4 mistress, and our freedom loose
May my reason mterpOse,
The question with answer close:
To initiate we have q mind
And couple like the winged kind
Farther on in the same miscellany is
another question and answer:
"QueStiOR. In chpSiRg Valentines, is
not the party chusing (be it man or wo-
man) to make a present to the party
chosen?
"Ans10er. We think it more proper to
say dr0sring of Valentines, since the
most customary way is for each to take
his or her lot. And chance cannot be
termed choice. According to this
method, the obligations are equal; and
therefore it was formerly the custom
mutually to present, but now it is custO-
mary only for the gentleman"
"On the eve of the 14th of February
the young folks OfEngland and Scotland;
by way of ancient custom, celebrate a
little festival. An equal number of
maids and bachelors get together, each
write their true or some feigned name
upon separate billets, which they roll up
and draw by way of lots, the maids TAX
ing the mems billets and the men the
maids; so that each of the young men
lights upon a girl that he calls his Valen-
tine, and each of the girls upon a young
man which she calls hers. BY this
means each has two Valentines; but the
man sticks faster to the Valentine that
has fallen to him than to the Valentine
to whom he is fallen. Fortune having
thus divided the company into so many
couples, the Valentines give balls and
treats to their mistrcSses, wear their bill
lets several days upon their bOsOms or
sleeves; and this little sport often ends
in love. There is another kind of Nalen-
tine, which is the first young man or
woman that chance throws in your way
in the street or elsewhere on that day"
In some places the lads Valentine is
the first lass he sees in the morning who
is not an inmate Of the house, and the
lass Valentine is the first youth.
IN the "Connoisseurn there is mention
made of the same usage, preceded by
certain mysterious circumstances the
night befOre-as thus:
Last Friday was Valentines day,
and the night before got five bay leaves,
and pinned four of them to the four cor
ners of my pillow, and the fifth to the
middle and then if | dreamed of my
sweetheart, Betty said we should he mar
ried before the end of the year. But TO
make il more sure, boiled an egg hard.
and took out the yOlk and filed it with
salt and when / went TO bed ate it shell
and ALL without speaking or drinking
afterit Wealso wrote our lovers names
on bits of paper, and rolled them up III
clay, and put them into water; and the
first that rose up was TO be our Valentine.
Would YOU think of it, Mr.. Blossom was
my man l lay abed and shut my eyes
all the morning, till he came to our
house; for l would not have seen anO-
ther man before him for all the world.
st. Valentine is the saint of all true
lovers, and hence the letters missive To
the fair from wOoers on his festival, bear
his uane. Charles Lamb, in his quaint
style, thus apostrophizes him: Hail
to thy returning festival, old Bishop
Nalentinel Great is thy name in the
rubric, thou venerable archfiamen of
Hymenl Immortal go-between who
and what manner Of person art thou
Art thou but a name, typifying the rest
less principle which impels poor humans
to seek perfection in union? or vert thou
indeed a mortal prelate, with thy tippet,
thy apron, and decent lawn sleeves?-
Mysterious parsonage. like unto thee,
assuredly, there is no other mitred saint
in the calendar. Thou contest attended
with thousands and ten thousands of
little loves, and the air is
"'BiusL,J with the hiss Of rustling Wings"
Good-morrow to my Valentine,
sings poor Ophelia; and no better wish,
bat with better auspices, we wish to al
faithful lovers, who are not too wise to
despise old legends, but are content to
rank themselves humble diOcesans with
old Bishop Valentine and his true
church.