Sixteenth Century Weather

The Shepheardes Calendar

September

Diggon, I am so stiffe, and so stanck,

That vneth may I stand any more:

And nowe the Westerne wind bloweth sore,

That nowe is in his chiefe souereigntee,

Beating the withered leafe from the tree.

Sitte we downe here under the hill:

Tho may we talke, and tellen our fill,

And make a mocke at the blustring blast.

Now say on Diggon, what euer thou hast.

Were the seasons in a different configuration in the 16th century? September seems rather early for the leaves to be blown off the trees and I've noticed this elsewhere since deciding to use The Shepheardes Calendar to mark the passing months. Either Spenser was not particularly accurate in this or changes happen at different times now. The New Style calendar, adopted in 1732, means that we are thirteen days in advance of Spenser's time. So this might account for part of this effect. But surely not all of it.