EASTKR SUNDAY AND TIIK DOMINICAL LKTTKR. 7 



Let US see if our machinen- will work, however clumsily, 

 by calculating Easter for 1905 ; remembering that while the 

 astronomical lunation, in fact twenty-nine and a half days 

 (nearly) is called for convenience alternately 30 days and 29 

 days, the ecclesiastical is 28 da^-s, and that the Julian Epact, 

 which requires adjustment as the years go on, calls the luna- 

 tion 30 days. 



• We compute the Epact as 25. That is to say, we lessen 

 the Golden Number, which is 6, by unity, multiply 11 by the 

 remainder 5 ; and from the resulting 55 take the Julian luna- 

 tion of 30, leaving 25. The moon, then, is 25 days old on 

 the ist of March ; 30 days old, that is to say new, on the 6th 

 of March ; full on the 20th of March. This throws the Pas- 

 chal full moon over 28 days later to the 48th of March, or 17th 

 April, which is a Monday. And the 23rd of April, the Sun- 

 day next after, is Easter Sunday. 



That the astronomical facts are at variance with the above 

 matters not. The Epact is 24, not 25 ; and the moon is full 

 on the 19th April, not the i8th. The irregularity is constantly 

 occurring, and is referred to above when speaking of the pos- 

 sible discrepancy between the ecclesiastical full moon and the 

 real or astronomical full moon. It is adjusted by the Domini- 

 cal Letter. 



The Dominical Letter is an immutable landmark, allowing 

 margin in fixing upon the Epact and the Paschal full moon. 



And this is the place for its discussion. 



The matter is one of which many educated persons are apt 

 to know no more than of the Book of Jasher. They have 

 heard the one and the other mentioned, no more. 



The apology for setting it forth at some length is that it is 

 one of those cases in which knowledge is clear gain ; though 

 the lack of it may be little loss. 



The common year is recorded as being 365 days long ; that 

 is, 52 weeks or cycles of seven, and one day over. The first 

 of January is therefore in each common year one day later in 



