322 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. V. 



The following are added to show what a diversity there was in former 

 ages in recording dates:— VICLXXXIIII =684; M'"^^ CCCC-""- = 1400; 

 MCCCCVIII=i4o8; mil trois cens XXX Viij = 1338; L'an de grace 

 MCCCCXLIX= 1449. The following curious advertisement is taken 

 from an old Almanac : — " Prognostycacyon of Mayster John Thybault, 

 Medycyner and Astronomer of the Emperyall Majestie of the year of our 

 Lorde God MCCCCCXXXiij (= 1533); comprehending the iiii partes of 

 this yere and of the influence of the mone, of peas and warre, and of the 

 syknesses of this yere, with the constellacionsof them that be under the 

 Vij pianettes, and the revolucions of kyngs and princes and of the 

 eclipses and comets," d.cccc.LXXXVIIII = 989. Mr. Gladstone's visiting 

 book has an entry made by the Archbishop of Syra and Paros, given 



thus :— — T — -^-tT -^' 



30 Javragh 1870 



In a charter signed by Rogers the first Norman King of Sicily, we 

 have the date 11 30 given thus, MCtricessimo indie (tione) VIII. Here 

 as will be seen, is introduced a new element, that of indiction, which was 

 a period or cycle of 1 5 years. It represented the time during which the an- 

 nual tax on property was paid on the basis of what was its value at the 

 beginning of each quindecennial period. This system began to be 

 used in reckoning time, chiefly by ecclesiastical historians during the 

 middle ages, and its introduction has been attributed to Constantine the 

 Great. Beginning with indiction i, it went up to indiction 15, when the 

 series began again. Owing to the fact that the indiction commenced 

 with different days in different countries, there have been various indic- 

 tions used, such as that of Constantinople, calculated from September 

 1,312; that of the Imperial or Caesarian indiction (commonly used in 

 England and France), beginning September 24, 312 ; another was that 

 of the Roman or pontifical indiction, commencing January ist (or 

 December 25, when that day was taken as the first day of the year) 

 A.D., 313. The indiction of any year of the Christian era could be 

 found by the following rule : — Add 3 to the year (because A.D. i = 

 indiction 4) and divide by 15. If nothing remains the indiction will be 

 15; if there is a remainder it will be the number of the indiction. 

 Manuscripts during the middle ages were dated in various ways — as for 

 example : — By the year of the Christian era, by the regnal year of the 

 reigning sovereign or pontiff", etc., etc. In England, it was the usual 

 practice to date charters and other legal documents by the saint's day 

 or festival nearest which the deed was executed and the year of the 

 king's reign. A great deal of confusion has arisen, not only as I have 

 said, owing to the different days on which the year commenced, but 



