Gotta Love That Man in the Moon!

[capri0mni]

Lyrics to a late 17th-Century Catch (aka 'round') that popped into my head, just now (if you really want it, let me know, and I'll post the ABC code for the tune... I just don't know how many people on my f'list give a hoot):

Ha' we to the other world,
Where, 'tis said, they very merry be!
There, the Man in the Moon drinks claret --
A health, to thee, to me!

And then, there's yet another of my favorite (and lesser-known) Mother Goose rhymes:

The Man in the Moon drinks claret,
But he is a dull Jack-a-Dandy.
If he knew a sheep's head from a carrot,
He would learn to drink cider and brandy!

(and be on the lookout for a GIP from me, one of these days: "Is it a Sheep's Head? Or is it a carrot?")

Anyway, that got me wondering: where did this idea of the Man in the Moon favoring claret as a libation come from?

Here's my snap theory: It's because, when there's a lunar eclipse, the moon seems to turn a clarety color...

Thoughts?