The month of Julius Caesar
July is the seventh month of the year. It has thirty-one days. In
ancient Roman times, when the year began in March, July was the fifth
month of the year. It was called Quintilis, meaning \”fifth.”
When the Romans changed the calendar Quintilis became the seventh month.
But it kept its original name. Much later, the Romans renamed this month
Julius, in honor of Julius Caesar.
People living in England long ago had two names for this month. One name
was Maed- monath, or \”meadow month.” For this was the month when
farmers turned their cattle out to feed in the meadows.
This was also the time when farmers harvested hay to feed their cattle
in winter. So the other name for this month was Heg- monath, or \”hay
month.”
Until about two hundred years ago, people said [joo]{.smallcaps} lee
instead of ju [ly.]{.smallcaps} This is why, in some poems, July rhymes
with such words as newly and truly.
