The Eve of St
Preserved but no longer current.
Agnes, we are told — how, upon St. Agnes' Eve, Young virgins might have visions of delight, And soft adorings from their loves receive Upon the honey'd middle of the night. If ceremonies due they did aright; As, supperless to bed they must retire.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Eve of St” mean?
Agnes, we are told — how, upon St. Agnes' Eve, Young virgins might have visions of delight, And soft adorings from their loves receive Upon the honey'd middle of the night. If ceremonies due they did aright; As, supperless to bed they must retire.
Is “The Eve of St” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.