Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 15.djvu/680

Rh G48 MAY M A Y majestas, majores (the patres of the old Roman city), and JIaia, the mother of Mercury, to whom the Romans were accustomed to sacrifice on the first day of the month. It was considered unlucky among the Romans to contract marriages during this month, on account of the celebration of the Lemuria, a superstition of which traces are still to be found among ourselves. In the Roman Catholic Church May is known as &quot; the month of Mary.&quot; May-day is the name given to the first day of the month in England, when, according to ancient custom, all ranks of the people rose at early dawn and went out &quot; a-Maying&quot; to welcome the advent of spring. The customs of the day chiefly took their rise with the llomans. In the southern counties of England they differ materially from those of the northern and western. That of gather ing branches of trees and flowers, to deck the person, is still observed in many places. The May-Pole was once general throughout the country. The assemblage of the people, sanctioned by the presence of the priests, marching on May morning in pro cession to some neighbouring wood, returned in triumph with the pole, round which were suspended flowers, boughs, and other tokens of the spring season. On one of these festive occasions, Henry VIII. assembled his court at Shooter s Hill ; and Queen Elizabeth also used to keep &quot; May Games &quot; at Greenwich. The May-pole, once fixed, often remained until nearly the end of the year ; and there were some specially made of durable wood, which remained for many years, and were from time to time resorted to at other seasons of festivity. The last May-pole erected in London, 100 feet in height, was on the spot where the church in the Strand now stands, near Somerset House. Being taken down in 1717-18 it was conveyed to Wanstead Park in Essex, where it was fixed as part of the support of a large telescope set up by Sir Isaac Newton. The May Lady, Manikin, Jack in the Green, and Morris Dancing are merely variations in the mode of representing the goddess Flora. The chimney sweepers, who are now the principal performers, are probably more interested than any other class in May sports. For, as the commencement of summer deprives them in a considerable degree of their business occupation, they naturally seek to avail themselves of the customary liberality of festive meetings. The other principal fixed days observed and noted in th-3 month are May 9, Half-Quarter-Day, and May 15, Whitsunday term, not to be confounded with Whit Sunday, which is a movable feast. MAYA. See MEXICO. MAYBOLE, a burgh of barony and market-town of Scotland, in the county of Ayr, 9 miles south of Ayr on the railway to Stranraer, is built on the face of a hill gently sloping to the south. The characteristic features of the place are the old family mansions in the main street, the castle of the earls of Cassilis, and the old church ruins with the Cassilis burial-place. It has recently increased considerably in size, and it is now busy with various manufacturing industries in addition to its staple trade of shoemaking. The population was 3797 in 1871 and 4474 in 1881. New waterworks to supply 60,000 gallons daily were commenced in 1882 ; the site of the reservoir, about 3 miles south-east of the town, is almost that of the remarkable Lochspouts crannog (see Ayr and Wir/ton Arch, and IIi*t. Collections, vol. iii. ; and Munro, Ancient Scottish Lake Dwellings, 1882). A charter was granted to the town by Duncan in 1193 ; and the church was bestowed in 1213 on the Cistercian nunnery at North Berwick. In 1516 Maybolo became a burgh of regality, and in 1639 the seat of the head courts of Carrick ; but the independence of its local government was long contested by the superiors, the earls of Cassilis. Cotton weaving was introduced in the 18th century. See J. Paterson, History of Ayr and jriytun, vol. ii., 1864. MAYENCE. See MAINZ. MAYENNE, a department of north-western France, three-fourths of which formerly belonged to Lower Maine and the remainder to Anjou, lies between 47 45 10&quot; and 48 34 30&quot; N. lat., and 2 E. and 1 14 W. long., and is bounded on the N. by Manche and Orne, on the E. by Sarthe, on the S. by Maine-et-Loire, and on the W. by Ille-et-Yilaine, having a maximum length from north to south of 51 miles, a breadth of 39 miles, and an area of 19DG square miles. Its ancient geological forma tions connect it with Brittany. The surface is agreeably undulated ; forests are numerous, and the beauty of tie cultivated portions is enhanced by the hedgerows and lines of trees by which the farms are divided. Tl.e highest point of the department, and indeed of the wholo north-west of France, is the Mont des Avaloirs (1368 feet). Hydrographically Mayenne belongs to the basins of the Loire, the Yilaine, and the Selune ; the first-mentioned has the larger part of the entire area. The principal stream is the Mayenne, which passes successively from north to south through the three most important towns Mayenne, Laval, and Chateau-Gontier ; by means of weirs and sluices it is navigable below Mayenne, but steamers do not ascend past Chateau-Contier. The chief affluents are the Jouanne on the left, and on the right the Col- mont, the Ern6e, and the Oudon. A small area in the east of the department drains by the Erve into the Sarthe ; the Yilaine rises in the west, and in the north-west the Selune flows into the English Channel. The climate of Mayenne, which is that of the Sequaniqjp region, is gene rally healthy except in the neighbourhood of the numerous marshes. The temperature is lower and the moisture of the atmosphere greater than in the neighbouring depart ments ; the rainfall is above the average for France. Of the entire area two-thirds are arable, and a twentieth is under wood. A large number of horned cattle are reared (98,000 oxen, 150,000 cows), and in no other French department are so many horses (92,500) found within the same area ; the breed, that of Craon, is famed for its strength. Craon has also given its name to the most prized breed of pigs in western France. There are 83,000 pigs in the department, 80,000 sheep, and 5000 goats. Mayenne produces excellent butter, poultry, and game, and a large quantity of honey. The cultivation of the vine is very limited, and the most common beverage is cider, of which nearly 9,000,000 gallons are annually made. Agriculture is in a flourishing condition ; in 1878 were produced upwards of 3^ million bushels of wheat, f million of meslin, nearly an equal amount of rye, 1 J million of barley, 2 million of oats, and nearly 3 million bushels of potatoes, besides a large quantity of flax and hemp. The timber grown is chiefly beech, oak, birch, elm, and chestnut. The department produces a little iron-ore and manganese ; it is rich in anthracite and coal, of which, however, the annual production has recently decreased from 80,000 tons to 60,000. Marble and granite, limestone, slate, and porphyry are quarried ; the last-named material is capable of a fine polish, and is also used for paving the streets of Paris. There are several chalybeate springs. The industries include iron and brass found ing, brick and tile making, brewing, the manufacture of caudles, cotton, linen, and woollen thread, and the production of various tex tile fabrics (that of ticking being the specialty of the department), agricultural implement making, wood and marble sawing, tanning, dyeing, and the like. The population in 1881 was 343,167. The arrondissements are those of Laval, Chateau-Gcntier, and Mayenne. MAYENNE, capital of an arrondissement in the above department of France, is an old feudal town irregularly built on two hillocks which overlook the river Mayenne, at the point w^here the railway from Caen to Laval is joined by that from Fougeres to Alencon. The old castle still has towards the river five towers, one of which has retained its conical roof ; the vaulted chambers and chapel are ornamented in the style of the 13th century ; the building is now used as a prison. The church of Notre Dame, dating partly from the 12th century, is the only other building of any special interest. In the Place de Cheverus is a statue, by David of Angers, to the cardinal of that name, who was born in Mayenne. The chief