Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-02-11
The Valentines
Of the
Long, Long Ago

The practice of choosing a valentine
can be traced back to very remote pc
Rod in England. Chaucer refers to the
day, and John Lydgate, the English po-
eft, who knew Chaucer and often called
himself "Chaucer's disciple" produced
at least one valentine. This was in
praise of Queen Catherine, consort of
Henry V, and it was written between
1920 and 1925. Lydgate was court po-
ct to Henry V. and Henry VI. As will
be seen by the following extract from
his lines to Queen Catherine it was
easy to be poet in those days provided
one could spell we'll:
Saynt Valentine. of custom yecre by yeere,
Men have an usaunce in this regiOun
To loke and serche Cupide's Kalendere
And chose theyrr ohosye by crete affec-
ioun.
One of the earliest known writers of
poetical amorous addresses for st. Val
entines day was Charles, duke of Or
leans, who was taken ut the battle of
Agincourt and remained Il prisoner in
England for twenty-five years. The fol-
lowing song is one of the many he
wrote, all distinguished by delicacy of
sentiment and simplicity of style:
Wilt thou be mine. dear love? Reply!
Sweetly consent or else deny;
Whisper softly; none shall know;
Wilt thou be mine, love? Aye, or no?
Spite of fortune we may be
Happy by one word from thee;
Life flies swiftly; ere 1T go,
Wilt thou be mine love? Aye or no?
st. Valentines day is alluded to by
Shakespeare in Hamlet" where poor
Ophelia sings:
Tomorrow is St. Valentines day
All In the morning betime.
And / a maid at your window,
To be your valentine.
OF old St Valentines day was sup
posed to be the day on which the birds
chose their mates. This is referred to
in "A Midsummer Nights Dream"
when Theseus, on discovering the
sleeping lovers in the woods, exclaims:
Good morrow. friends. st. Valentine is
past;
Begin these wood birds but to couple now
ST. Valentine was a Christian martyr
of the reign of the Roman emperor
Claudius IL. On Feb. IA, A. ID. go,
the saint was beaten with clubs and
then beheaded. Despite the fact that
the custom of sending valentines bears
his name, the saint had nothing what
ever to do with originating it. The
custom had its origin in a heather
practice connected with the worship of
Pan and June ON or about Feb. II.
The names of young women were writ
ten on scrolls and then dropped in
box, from which they were later drawn
by the beaus of the time, each beau
devoting himself for year to the
young woman whose name he drew.
On Feb. II, 27S. Pope julius l. hon
ored st. Valentines memory by build
ing a church called ST Praxedes. i'll
which the saints remains and relics
are still venerated.
During the reign of Charles III. any
one chosen as a valentine was In honor
bound to give present to the person
choosing him or her. Married people
were equally eligible with single ones
for the lottery of st. Valentine.
Presents of great value were at times
given. According to Pepys, Miss
Stuart, afterward Duchess of Rich
mond, having chosen the Duke of York
as her valentine, was rewarded with a
jewel valued at $4,000 The next year
she chose Lord Vaudeville and receiv-
ed ring worth $1,000.
In the 'Fair Maid of Perth Sir Wal
ter Scott has the mighty armorer give
Catharine Glover ruby heart and
steel purse bearing these words:
Loves darts
Cleave hearts
Through mail shirts
One of the funniest valentine incl.
dents In fiction is the scene that fol-