EASTER SITNDAY AND THE DOMINICAL LETTP^R. 25 



letter of any date thereafter subtract 4 (the numeral of D) 

 from the date and throw out the sevens. The number of 

 letters to count on from this to the Dominical Letter of the 

 year will be the number of da3^s to add to the Paschal full 

 moon ; in fact, the Number of Direction. i\nd this is why 4 

 is added to the numeral of the Dominical Letter. 



In the year 1904 Easter by the Almanac, which makes no 

 mistakes, was on the 3rd of April. 



The letter of 1904 is B. The Golden Number is 5. From 

 Golden Number subtract one, and multiply by 11 ; product, 

 44. Subtract a lunation, 30, and have 14 as Epact of 1904. 



To 14 add 6, making 20 ; subtract from 50, leaving 30 the 

 Easter limit or number of days from March ist to Paschal 

 full moon. 



Second Clause: To 2, numeral of Dominical Letter, add 

 4, making 6, which subtract from 30, .the Easter limit, bring- 

 ing us to the 34th of March, or 3rd of April, as the date of 

 Easter. 



In point of fact the Epact is 13 and not 14, for reasons 

 which we shall save ourselves a vast deal of useless trouble by 

 taking for granted. This throws the calculation out by making 

 the Easter limit 31 instead of 30. But when we subtract the 6 

 from 31 we leave 25 instead of 24, and finalh' add but three to 

 31 instead of 4 to 30, obtaining the same result, 34th March 

 or 3rd of April. If the rule make the Easter limit less by one, 

 it is because the Epact is greater by one. 



The arbitraiy rule for Epact is therefore neither scientific 

 nor exact, and can only then be trusted to evolve a correct 

 result when " checked " b)^ a more trustworthy standard. 



The change of Epact is, as stated, not exactly eleven days, 

 and the discrepancy is cumulative. In fact, the institution of 

 Epact is entirely analagous to that of leap year, in that the 

 account is purposely kept wrong for convenience sake, and 

 adjusted from time to time to fit the facts. But the periodical 

 discrepancy is smaller in the matter of the Epact, and the 

 adjustment takes place at such long inten-als that it attracts 



