By the Rev. A. C. Smith 49 



And 



M April weather, 

 Rain and sunshine both together." 



And another, lauding the prolongation of the fierce winds of 

 March : — 



" When April blows his horn, 

 'Tis good for both hay and corn." 



While even for May we have : — 



Cl Mist in May, and heat in June, 

 Makes the harvest come right soon." 



And a^ain :• 



" Who doffs his coat on a winter's day, 

 Will gladly put it on in May." 



And again more generally : — 



" Cast not a clout 

 Till May be out ; " 



that is, do not leave off your overcoat, till May is gone by. 

 And again : — 



And 



" Blossoms in May * 

 Are not good, some say." 



" A May flood 

 Never did good.' 



* Indeed " the merry month of May," so highly lauded, 



" First of May 



Robin Hood's day," 



seems to have been generally looked upon witb suspicion. In Germany they have the proverb :— 



" Wenn der Mai deD Maien [the White-Thorn] bringet, 

 1st es besser als wenn er ihn findet." 



Even in sunny Spain there is the same caution against throwing aside the cloak in this treacherous 

 month :— 



" Hasta pasado Mayo 

 No te quites el sayo." 



Moreover, just as we usually have a return of warm genial weatber for a few days at the latter end 

 of October, which we designate " St. Luke's " or the " Indian summer," so we often have a sudden 

 return of cold in the middle of May. Tbis is notorious enough abroad to find expression in the 

 following proverbs : — 



" Saint Mamert (May 11th), Saint Pancrace (May 12th), et Saint Gervais (May 13th), 

 Sans froid ces Saints de glace ne vont jamais." 



go too the Germans have three " Ice saints," and say : — 



41 Pancraz, Servaz, und Bonifaz (May 14th), sind drei Ei6manner." 



VOL. XV. — NO. XLVIII. H 



