MAY, Thomas, English dramatist and his torian: b. Mayfield, Sussex, 1594; d. London, 13 Nov. 1650. He was educated at Cambridge, be came a member of Gray's Inn, but never prac tised, and figured brilliantly at court. He pub lished 'Antigone,' 'Cleopatra,' 'Agrippina' and other dramas and translations of the 'Geor gics> and Loran's 'Pharsalia.' He was an intimate of Charles I and at the latter's behest wrote histories of Edward III and Henry II in verse. He espoused the cause of Parliament in the Civil War, was made secretary and his toriographer to Parliament and wrote 'His tory of the Parliament of England, 1640-43' (1650; several times republished), and a 'Bre viary> of the same history (1650). Until the Restoration his body reposed in Westminster Abbey, but as in the case of other Parliament arians, it was then dishonored and thrown into a neighboring pit.
MAY, Thomas Erskine, BARON FARNBOR oucH, English historian: b. London, 8 Feb. 1815; d. Westminster, 17 May 1886. He was educated at Bedford Grammar School, became assistant librarian to the House of Commons in 1831 and was called to the bar in 1838. He was appointed examiner of petitions for private bills in 1846 and clerk to the House of Commons in 1871. He was knighted in 1866, and just prior to his retirement from office in 1886 was raised to the peerage. He is best known as an anti
quarian and historian. His chief works are 'A Practical Treatise on the Law, Privileges, Pro ceedings, and Usages of Parliament' (1844; 10th ed., much enlarged, 1893), a model of its kind, which has been translated into most mod ern languages; 'Constitutional History of Eng land since the Accession of George III, 1760 186(P (1861-63; republished with supplementary chapter, 1871); 'Democracy in Europe: a His tory> (1877). In 1854 he collected and re duced to writing the 'Rules, Orders, and Forms of Procedure of the House of Commons.> MAY, the fifth month of the year, having 31 days. It was second in the old Alban calen dar, third in that of Romulus and fifth in that of Numa Pompilius. The etymology of the word is doubtful. It was called Maius by Rom ulus, in respect to the senators and nobles of his city, who were called Majores, as the month following was called Junius, in honor of the youth of Rome who served him in war and were named Juniares. Some etymologists are of opinion that it was called Maia, from the goddess of that name, the mother of Mercury, to whom they offered sacrifices on the first day of the month. The sun enters Gemini during May and the plants of the earth generally begin to flower. See CALENDAR.