May was called a trying month for people who had been long ill. Of an invalid it was said that he would never get up May hill, or that if he could climb over May hill he would do, meaning that surviving the month was the test of recovery. Hone gives the saying under Ascension Day 1825, with Dr Forster’s advice to rise early in May for health.
Over May hill
12 May
Lore and belief
It is common to say, "Ah, he'll never get up May-hill!" or, "If he can climb over May-hill he'll do."
From Hone's Every-Day Book, vol. 1, col. 652. Read the original
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