i. st. 35.
On l. 97. (G.):--
"Those brooks with lilies bravely deck't."
_Drayton_, 1447.
On l. 106. (G.):--
"Pan entertains, this coming night,
His paramour, the Syrinx bright."
_Fletcher's Faithful Shepherdess_, Act i.
J.F.M.
* * * * *
DERIVATION OF EASTER.
Southey, in his _Book of the Church_, derives our word _Easter_ from a
_Saxon_ source:--
"The worship," he says, "of the goddess _Eostre_ or _Eastre_,
which may probably be traced to the Astarte of the Phoenicians,
is retained among us in the word _Easter_; her annual festival
having been superseded by that sacred day."
Should he not rather have given a _British_ origin to the name of our
Christian holy day? Southey acknowledges that the "heathenism which the
{116} Saxons introduced, bears no [very little?] affinity either to that
of the Britons or the Romans;" yet it is certain that the Britons
worshipped Baal and _Ashtaroth_, a relic of whose worship appears to be
still retained in Cornwall to this day. The Druids, as Southey tells us,
"made the people pass through the fire in honour of Baal." But the
_festival_ in honour of Baal appears to have been in the _autumn_: for
"They made the people," he informs us, "at the beginning of
_winter_, extinguish all their fires on one day and kindle them
again from the sacred fire of the Druids, which would make the
house fortunate for the ensuing year; and, if any man came who
had not paid his yearly dues, [Easter offerings, &c.
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