8 BROWN : 



the week than the year previous. But in the leap year there 

 are recorded 366 days or fifty-two cycles of seven and two days 

 over. In such a year, therefore, the 31st of December does 

 not fall as usual on the same day of the week as the first of 

 Januai-y, but one day after; so that the next following 

 New Year's Day is two days later in the week than the one 

 immediately previous. Everybody knows this, but to have it 

 fresh in mind will throw more light upon what follows. 



The Dominical, Lord's Day or Sunday I^etter, then, is one 

 of the first seven letters of the alphabet, to be fixed upon by 

 computation. It is used to determine Easter Day, to find the 

 day of the week corresponding to any date given, and for other 

 important purposes. 



12 3 4 5 6 7 

 A B C D E F G 

 sa S mo tu we th fr 



Set down the first seven significant figures in consecutive 

 row. Under these respectively the first seven letters of the 

 alphabet in their order. Then under i the day of the week on 

 which falls the first of January, say Saturday ; under 2 the 

 next following day of the week, and so on to the end of the 

 week. The letter under which Sunday falls will be the Domi- 

 nical Letter for the year ; for after the first Sunday eveiy next 

 following seventh day will be a Sunday, which must neces- 

 sarily fall together with the next following seventh letter, 

 which will be the same as in the first instance. And the other 

 days of the week have, each, its letter which will take value 

 accordingly. 



In the little Table, B is the Dominical Letter. 



If the year be a leap year a change must be made. It is 

 no longer true that after the first Sunday every seventh day is 

 a Sunday ; for a day has been interpolated, the 29th of Feb- 

 ruary. The Sunday next following is moved one da)' farther 



