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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Until 1820 Maine was part of Massachusetts (which latter circumstance, for those of us interested in feasts, is at the origin of Maine's celebration of Patriots' Day, the originally Massachusetts-only holiday commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord). Almost all ports in Maine lie to the east of the ports in Massachusetts. The more troubling part of the phrase "down east" is "down". My assumption is that the reference is nautical, with Maine being downstream (in terms of Atlantic currents) from Massachusetts. Best, John Dillon '"down" somewhere' is a common expression in colloquial English. I wouldn't make too much of it. 'Down' railway lines are the tracks to London, be it from Canterbury, Plymouth or Edinburgh. Anne ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html