48 THE ROLL OF THE SEASONS 



even the rook flirts his tail and spatchcocks his 

 wings, and is like one attempting a tune on a motor- 

 horn. The performance is not absolutely without 

 rehearsal, nor is it completely full-dress. But it is 

 now, for the first time, of a strength that justifies the 

 poetic ones in declaring that here is a critical day in 

 the solar calendar. 



Ever since the annual course of the sun has been 

 appreciated, the half-way day between the winter 

 solstice and the vernal equinox has been specially 

 observed. It was by a kind of inevitable fate that 

 the observance of this day of St. Valentine was ever 

 introduced, a solar feast, into the midst of a Christian 

 year. If Romulus and Remus were ever suckled by 

 a wolf, it could not have happened in mid-February, 

 since wolf-cubs are born in May. So the Roman 

 feast of the Lupercal was a poorly disguised founda- 

 tion on the midwinter solar festival of the Egyptians 

 and older people. Its nature can be gathered from 

 the opening scene of Shakespeare's Julius Ccesar : 



Enter Antony for the course. 

 C/ESAR. Calphurnia, 

 CALPHURNIA. Here, my lord. 

 CAESAR. Stand you directly in Antonius' way, 



When he doth run his course. Antonius. 

 ANTONY. Caesar, my lord. 

 CAESAR. Forget not, in your speed, Antonius, 



To touch Calphurnia ; for our elders say, 



The barren, touched in this holy chase, 



Shake off their sterile curse. 



It was as a counterblast to the pagan Lupercal 

 that the Christian Church, not wishing to strain the 

 bottle with wine that was too new, instituted the 



