[MR] St. Valentine article

[Alianora Munro]

--- EoganOg at aol.com wrote:
> I would only point out that Chaucer's reference does
> not mention a specific 
> date, other than St. Valentine's day, and while his
> description of the season 
> would certainly indicate a later date, there is no
> hard evidence to prove 
> that he meant May.

No, but if you read the preceding lines you will find
he does mention the season, and while there is a
tendency to think mediaevals were primitive, I think
they could tell the difference between February and
May, even in England.

> According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, at least
> three different Valentines 
> are mentioned in early martyrologies under February
> 14.  They further say:
<snip for space>

Is this from the online Catholic Encyclopedia?  If so,
please note that the online version is more than a
little dated, and that many Chaucerian scholars now
argue for a May date.  Certainly my Chaucer professors
in graduate school argued strongly for the May dating.

regards,
Alianora Munro

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