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proper intercalation. Having thence take occasion to explain 
and account for the departure of Meton and Calippus from the 
ancient practice, in their endeavour to render their cycles 
conformable to the lunar revolutions and first year of the 
Olympiad, he produces evidence from the ancient Delphic 
quadriennium, and the Pythiads, which took the intercalation 
on February 27, that as inquiry is carried back to remote ages, 
the evidence increases that such was the original and proper 
day of the intercalation. 
In the practice of the Romans, which the author considers 
in its order, there are fewer difficulties; the intercalary day 
having been identified with February 24 in the reformation 
of the calendar by Cesar, who in his choice of that day ad- 
hered expressly to ancient immemorial usage. Some diversi- 
ties in the choice of the day, in which thePontiffs were allowed 
and exercised a discretion, are then explained ; and the conse- 
quent irregularities to which they gave rise in the year of con- 
fusion which called for the correction of Augustus, are described 
in order; and the exceptions, so far from weakening the ge- 
neral conclusion, serve to establish it, and confirm the assump- 
tion that the original day of the intercalation was preserved in 
Cesar’s reformation. 
From the consideration of the fixed year of the Egyptians, 
generally known as the Alexandrian, a like inference is drawn. 
As a continuance of the ancient or vague year,—it necessarily 
took its beginning from the day on which the old year which 
it superseded ended. Although, in compliment to Augustus, 
the neomenia was chosen from the month of August, to which 
he gave its name, the intercalation was effected in the sim- 
plest manner, and that least likely to disturb the order which 
enjoyed so ancient a prescription. In its transfer from the 
middle to the beginning of the first year of the new era, it re- 
tains some evidence of the day of the intercalation having ori- 
ginally fallen on or near February 25. Such was the date 
of the month Phamenoth Ist, by which the Egyptian year is 
