THE WEEK OF SEVEN DAYS. 385 



we can not be surprised to find that with most persons any speculation 

 which transcends the limits of the facts just noticed is likely to meet 

 with small encouragement. 



Nevertheless, when we observe the necessarily hyper-historical 

 character (if I may coin such a phrase) of the Mosaic cosmogony, as 

 it is sometimes called; when we perceive, as we must upon considera- 

 tion, the impossibility of interpreting the sacred narrative without 

 some reference to the knowledge already possessed by those to whom 

 it was given — we shall probably come to the conclusion that the 

 reference to the creative work and the seventh day's rest of God 

 does not exhaust the question of the existence of a seven days' week. 

 Therefore, as it is manifestly impossible to detach the ordinary week 

 of a large portion of the world from the history contained in Genesis, 

 and as it is equally impossible to find in that history a complete ex- 

 planation of the phenomenon, I have thought it might be interesting 

 to examine the subject a little more closely, and see what light can be 

 thrown upon it. 



I begin my investigation with a few remarks upon what may be 

 described as favorite numbers. There are certain numbers with 

 which we meet more frequently than others, and of which we make 

 more use in dealing with common things. The most favorite may, 

 perhaps, be said to be ten, twelve, and seven. 



The reason why ten is a favorite — perhaps the most favorite — 

 number is obvious enough, namely, that we have ten fingers. When 

 we begin to count we almost of necessity do so with our fingers ; if 

 we have a large number of things to count, say a flock of sheep,* we 

 instinctively divide them into tens, or perhaps into scores ; if the 

 number of things be very large, the collection of tens are naturally 

 grouped again by tens, and so we have hundreds. A further group- 

 ing of hundreds leads to thousands, etc. Thus we get the ordinary 

 system of enumeration, and there can be no manner of doubt that 

 man's ten fingers are the root of it. We are told in treatises on 

 arithmetic that it would have been much more convenient if we had 

 agreed to count by twelves instead of by tens ; and possibly this may 

 be true. But if it be, we have so much the more evidence, if evidence 



* I have taken the counting of sheep as an example, not merely because such count- 

 ing would necessarily take place in the earliest times, but also because we happen to 

 know that the reckoning of sheep by tens or by scores was effected in olden days, and! 

 is effected still in many places far distant from each other, by the help of numerals, 

 which appear to be appropriated to this sole purpose. In a paper headed "Sheep- 

 scoring Numerals," and published in vol. iii, p. 385 of the "Transactions of the Cumber- 

 land and Westmoreland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society," may be found no less 

 than fifteen varieties of these sheep-scoring numerals as used in Coniston, Borrowdale, 

 Millom, Eskdale (Cumberland), Kirkby Stephen, Epping, Knaresborough, Middleton 

 (Durham), Cornwall, Brittany ; in Hebron, Maine, and Cincinnati, among the North 

 American Indians ; and in some other places. There is a curious resemblance among 

 the greater number of these numerals, and they all agree in counting by ten. 

 vol. xxs. — 25 



