Feast days and the church year

cum tempestates pluviae fuerint, quae opera per imbrem fieri potuerint, dolia lavari picari, villam purgari, frumentum transferri, stercus foras efferri, stercilinum fieri, semen purgari, funes sarciri, novos fieri; centones, cuculiones familiam oportuisse sibi sarcire. per ferias potuisse fossas veteres tergeri, viam publicam muniri, vepres recidi, hortum fodiri, pratum purgari, virgas vinciri, spinas runcari, expinsi far, munditias fieri. cum servi aegrotarint, cibaria tanta dari non oportuisse.

When the weather was rainy, there was work that could have been done in the rain. The storage jars could have been washed and coated with pitch, the farmhouse cleaned, the grain moved, the manure carried out and a manure heap made, the seed cleaned, and the ropes mended or new ones made. The slaves should have mended their own patchwork cloaks and hoods. On holidays the old ditches could have been cleared, the public road repaired, the brambles cut back, the garden dug, the meadow cleared, rods tied in bundles, thorns grubbed up, spelt ground, and the place cleaned. When the slaves were sick, they should not have been given full rations.

Haec erunt vilici officia. disciplina bona utatur. feriae serventur. alieno manum abstineat, sua servet diligenter. litibus familia supersedeat: siquis quid deliquerit, pro noxa bono modo vindicet.

These are the overseer’s duties. He must keep good order. The holidays must be kept. He must keep his hands off other people’s property and take good care of his own. The slaves must keep out of quarrels. If anyone does wrong, the overseer must punish him in fair measure for the offense.

denique cum intercalarium mensem viginti duum vel viginti trium dierum alternis annis addi placuisset, ut civilis annus ad naturalem exaequaretur, in mense potissimum Februario inter terminalia et regifugium intercalatum est, idque diu factum prius quam sentiretur annos civiles aliquanto naturalibus esse maiores, quod delictum ut corrigeretur, pontificibus datum negotium eorumque arbitrio intercalandi ratio permissa.

Next it was decided to add an extra month of 22 or 23 days every other year, so that the civil year would equal the natural one. It was usually inserted in February, between the Terminalia and the Regifugium. This went on for a long time before anyone noticed that the civil years were somewhat longer than the natural ones. To correct this fault, the task was given to the pontiffs, and the method of inserting months was left to their judgment.

secundum quam rationem nisi fallor hic annus, cuius velut index et titulus quidam est V. C. Pii et Pontiani consulatus, ab olympiade prima millensimus est et quartus decimus, ex diebus dumtaxat aestivis, quibus agon Olympicus celebratur; a Roma autem condita nongentensimus nonagensimus primus, et quidem ex Parilibus, unde urbis anni numerantur;

By this reckoning [of Varro's], unless I am mistaken, the present year is the 1,014th since the first Olympiad. This year is marked and named, as it were, by the consulship of those most distinguished men, Pius and Pontianus. Its Olympic count starts from the summer days when the Olympic games are held. It is the 991st year since Rome was founded, counting from the Parilia, the festival from which the city's years are counted.

in hoc autem mense Lupercalibus, cum Roma lustratur, salem calidum ferunt, quod februum appellant, unde dies Lupercalium proprie februatus et ab eo porro mensis Februarius vocitatur.

In this month, at the Lupercalia, when Rome is purified, they carry hot salt, which they call februum. So the day of the Lupercalia is properly called februatus, and from it in turn the month is called February.

hoc mense mercedes exsoluebant magistris, quas completus annus deberi fecit, comitia auspicabantur, uectigalia locabant, et seruis cenas adponebant matronae, ut domini Saturnalibus: illae, ut principio anni ad promptum obsequium honore seruos inuitarent, hi, quia gratiam perfecti operis exsoluerent.

In this month they paid teachers their fees, which fell due when the year was over. They took the auspices for the elections and leased out the collection of public revenues. And the mistresses of households served dinner to their slaves, as the masters did at the Saturnalia. The women did it at the start of the year, to win the slaves' willing service by honoring them. The masters did it to thank them for work completed.

nam illi confecto ultimo mense, Romani non confecto Februario sed post uicesimum et tertium eius diem intercalabant, terminalibus scilicet iam peractis. deinde reliquos Februarii mensis dies, qui erant quinque, post intercalationem subiungebant, credo uetere religionis suae more, ut Februarium omni modo Martius consequeretur.

The Greeks added their days once the last month was over. The Romans added theirs before February was over, after its twenty-third day, once the Terminalia had been held. Then they put the remaining five days of February after the extra period. I believe they did this by an old religious custom of theirs, so that March would always follow February.

And þrie Scottas cuomon to Ælfrede cyninge. on anum bate butan ælcum gereþrum. of Hibernia. þonon hi hi bestælon. forþon þe hi woldon for Godes lufan on elþiodignesse beon. hi ne rohton hwær. se bat wæs geworht of þriddan healfre hyde þe hi on foron. and hi namon mid him þæt hi hæfdun to seofon nihtum mete. and þa comon hie ymb vii niht to londe on Corn walum. and foron þa sona to Ælfrede cyninge. þus hie wæron genemnde. Dubslane and Macc bethu and Maelinmun. And Swifneh se betsta lareow þe on Scottum wæs gefor.

And þy ilcan geare ofer Eastron. ymbe gang dagas oþþe ær. æt eowde se steorra þe mon on boc læden hæt cometa. same men cweþaþ on Englisc þæt hit sie feaxede steorra. forþæm þær stent lang leoma of. hwilum on ane healfe. hwilum on ælce healfe.

Three Irishmen came to King Alfred in a boat with no one to row or steer it. They had slipped away from Ireland because, for the love of God, they wanted to live in exile, and they did not care where. The boat they traveled in was made of two and a half hides. They took with them enough food for seven nights, and after seven nights they came ashore in Cornwall. They went straight to King Alfred. Their names were Dubslane, Macc bethu, and Maelinmun. And Swifneh, the best teacher among the Irish, died. And the same year, after Easter, around Rogation Days or a little before, the star appeared that is called cometa in the Latin of books. In English, too, people call it the long-haired star, because a long ray stands out from it, sometimes on one side, sometimes on every side.

[...] And on þissum geare on sc̃e Michæles mæsse æfan. com þet mycele sæ flod geond wide þisne eard. and ærn swa feor úp swa næfre ær ne dyde. and adrencte feala tuna. and mann cynnes un arimædlice ge teall.

And in this year, on the eve of Michaelmas, the great sea flood came all across this country. It ran farther inland than it ever had before. It drowned many villages and more people than anyone could count.

And on þis ylcan geare. æfter Candelmæssan. cóm se stranga winter. mid forste and mid snawe and mid eallon ungewederon. ꝥ næs nan man þa on liue ꝥ mihte gemunan swa strāgne winter swa se wæs. ge þurh mancwealm ge þurh orfcwealm. ge fugelas and fixas þurh þone micelan cyle and hunger forwurdan.

And in this same year, after Candlemas, the hard winter came, with frost and snow and every kind of foul weather. No one then alive could remember a winter as hard as that one, for the deaths of people and of cattle. Birds and fish died of the great cold and hunger.

On þissum geare man halgode þet mynster æt West mynstre on Cilda mæsse dæg. And se cyng Eadward forðferde on twelfta mæsse æfen. and hine mann bebyrgede on twelftan mæsse dæg. innan þære niwa halgodre circean on Westmynstre. And Harold eorl feng to Engla landes cyne rice. swa swa se cyng hit him ge uðe. and eac men hine þær tó gecuron. and wæs gebletsod to cynge on twelftan mæsse dæg. [...]

In this year the minster at Westminster was consecrated on Holy Innocents’ Day. And King Edward died on the eve of Twelfth Day and was buried on Twelfth Day, in the newly consecrated church at Westminster. And Earl Harold came to the throne of England, as the king had granted it to him, and the people also chose him for it. He was blessed as king on Twelfth Day.

On þisum geare se arwurða muneca feder and frouer Landfranc arc̃b' gewat of þissū life. ac we hopiað ꝥ he ferde to ꝥ heofanlice rice. Swilce eac gewarð ofer eall Engle land mycel eorð styrunge. on þone dæg iii idus Aug'. and wæs swiðe lætsum gear on corne. and on ælces cynnes wæstmum. swa ꝥ manig men ræpon heora corn onbutan Martines mæssan. and gyt lator.

In this year Archbishop Lanfranc, the honored father and comfort of monks, passed from this life. But we hope that he went to the kingdom of heaven. Also, a great earthquake struck all over England on August 11. And it was a very late year for grain and every kind of crop, so that many people reaped their grain around Martinmas, and even later.

[...] On ðes ilces geares wearð swa micel flod on sc̃e Laurent' messe dæig ꝥ feola tunes and men weorðon adrencte. and brigges to brokene. and corn and mædwe spilt mid ealle. and hunger and cwealm on men and on erue. and on ealle westme swa micel untime wearð swa hit ne wæs feola gear ær. [...]

This same year there was such a great flood on St. Lawrence’s Day that many villages and people were drowned and bridges were broken. Grain and meadows were completely ruined. There was hunger and sickness among people and cattle, and every crop failed worse than it had for many years.

On þis gære for se king H' ouer sæ æt te Lāmasse. ⁊ ð oþer dei þa he lai an slep in scip. þa þestrede þe dæi ouer al landes and uuard þe sunne suilc als it uuare thre niht ald mone. an st'res abuten hī at mid dæi. [...]

In this year King Henry crossed the sea at Lammas. And the next day, while he lay asleep on the ship, the day grew dark over all lands. The sun became like a moon three nights old, with stars around it at midday.

Gréene rie haue some,
er Mihelmas come.

Have some rye [sown and] green before Michaelmas comes.

Primis pueritiæ annis mater me manu trahens, interdumque humeris sublevans, crebrò adducere est solita in humiliora juga, montis Heclæ, præsertim circa festum divi Joannis, quando Sol totis 24. horis conspicuus, nocti nullum relinquit locum. Ipsa herbas nonnullas legens multis cæremoniis, domique coquens, sacculos factitabat ex pellibus caprinis, quos inflatos ad vicinum portum venum importans pro Navium patronis, victum hoc pacto sustentabat.

When I was small, my mother often took me up the lower slopes of Mount Hekla, leading me by the hand and sometimes carrying me on her shoulders. She went especially around the feast of Saint John, when the Sun can be seen for all twenty-four hours and leaves no room for night. She gathered certain herbs with many ceremonies and cooked them at home. Then she made little bags of goatskin, blew them up, and took them to the nearby port to sell to ship captains. That was how she made her living.

Prima mei reditus felicitas erat, quod matrem inveni adhuc spirantem, et eadem, quæ olim, factitantem; finemque ei pœnitudinis diuturnæ, ob amissum temeritate filium, vivus et ornatus attuli. Vergebat tunc annus in Autumnum, succedebantque deinceps noctes illæ nostræ longæ, quippè Natalitio Christi mense Sol in Meridie vix parum emergens, è vestigio rursum conditur. Ita Mater per hanc vacationem à suis operis, mihi adhærere, à me non discedere, quocunque me cum commendatitijs literis recepissem; percontari jam de Terris, quas adijssem, jam de Cœlo, quam scientiam me didicisse vehementissimè gaudebat; comparare quæ ipsa habebat comperta, cum meis narratis, exclamare jam se promptam esse ad moriendum, ut quæ scientiæ suæ, quam solam possideret, filium hæredem sit relictura.

The first happiness of my return was to find my mother still alive and doing the same things as before. She had long regretted that her rashness had cost her a son, and I ended her regret by coming home alive and honored. The year was turning toward autumn, and our long nights were coming on. In the month of Christ’s birth, the Sun barely rises at noon before it sets again. Free from her work in this slack season, my mother clung to me. Wherever I went with my letters of recommendation, she did not leave my side. She asked me now about the lands I had visited, now about the heavens. She was overjoyed that I had learned that science. She compared what she herself had discovered with what I told her. She cried out that she was ready to die now, for she would leave her son heir to her knowledge, the only thing she owned.