42 SHROVE TIDE? 



FEB. 11. St. Theodora, empress, a.d. 867. 



St. Severinus, abbot a.d. 507. 



SS. Saturninus, Dativus, and others, in 304. 



Obs. St. Tlieodora the empress was wife to the apostate 

 Theophilus. She was instrumental in putting an end to the iceno- 

 clastic heresy. She spent eight yeais in a monastery before she 

 died. 



The ancient Jiihan Calendar records today the rising of Arcturus 

 the bright star in Bootes, and it is also mentioned as a period of bad 

 weather. We have often known snow showers at this time, and in 

 one Latin Calendar this day is called JN'ivimbris, evidently from 

 this circumstance. 



Red Primrose Primula verna rubra flowers. 



About this time in the author's garden in mild seasons flowers the 

 Red Primrose, which is a permanent variety of the common sort. 

 It has a deep dark red flower, and is very liable to become a lusus, 

 consisting of a change of its petals into leaves. The plants thus 

 become monstrous should be plucked up and destroyed. 1 he number 

 of varieties of this plant is very great, but their gala time for flower- 

 ing in abundance is the vernal season or true spring. Throughout 

 April and the early part of May they are very abundant. This red 

 variety, called the Empress, is not the " unmarried Primrose" of the 

 poets. It is to the pale wild variety that ihe following lines of 

 Shakespeare relate : 



Pale Primroses, 



That die unmarried e'er they can behold 

 Bright Phoebus in his strength. 



Winter's Tale. 



The poet observes of this plant : 



The lasses rambling in the springtide hour 

 Delight to rob the Primrose of its flower ; 

 Thus have I roam'd a child along the brae, 

 To cull these flowers, and beguile the day ; 

 Made posies of their blooms, with Daisies too. 

 Or newblown Harebels of the purest blue ; 

 And tolter'd home with nosegays in the rain. 

 And felt a joy I'll never feel again. 



Anthology. 



