Grafton, Richard -- Abridgement of the Chronicles of Englande, Vol. 8 (1562)

Dave — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 13:36:45 +0000

Thirty days hath November,
April, June, and September,
February hath xxviii alone,
And all the rest have xxxi.

Richard Grafton (c. 1511-1572) English printer
Abridgement of the Chronicles of Englande, Vol. 8 (1562)

Noted as "A rule to knowe how many dayes every moneth in the yeare hath." The oldest known version of this mnemonic (in Latin) dates back to at 1488. See here for other examples.

Johnson, Samuel -- Comment (22 Mar 1767)

Dave — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 18:40:17 +0000

The Church does not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there should be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Savior, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Comment (22 Mar 1767)
(Source)

In James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791)

WIST Quotations

Grafton, Richard -- Abridgement of the Chronicles of Englande, Vol. 8 (1562)

Johnson, Samuel -- Comment (22 Mar 1767)