
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 17, 1990                   TAG: 9004170472
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

RECALLING THE LEGEND OF ST. SWITHIN

I LIKE TO read Ben Beagle because we often seem to see things alike. However, I think he should have gotten a little more information before he wrote on April 7, "They didn't, for example, have anything to say about St. Swithin's Day, which is July 15 . . . Maybe they ignored St. Swithin's Day because it's kind of hard to write verses about."

Well St. Swithin's Day is one of my favorite days too, even if I don't consider it a holiday. The legend of St. Swithin, bishop of Winchester, who died ca. 862, is that he desired to be buried in the churchyard that the "sweet rain of heaven might fall upon his grave."

At canonization the monks thought to honor the saint by moving his body into the choir on July 15, but it rained every day for 40 days. This made the monks decide that St. Swithin did not want his body moved, so they abandoned their project.

Thus the saying:

"St. Swithin's day, gif ye do rain, for 40 days it will remain:

"St. Swithin's day, an ye be fair, for 40 days 'twill rain nae mair."

Now I ask you, is this verse or what?

ROBERT M. WIATT\ BLACKSBURG

by CNB