of the names of the days of the week. According 

 to Dio Cassius, the Egyptians divided the day 

 into twenty-four houis, and supposed each of 

 them to be in an especial manner influenced by 

 some one of the phmets. The first hour of the 

 day had the prerogative of giving its name, or 

 rather that of the planet to which it was subject, to 

 the whole day. Thus, for instance, Saturn pre- 

 sides over the first liour of the day, which is called 

 by his name ; Jupiter over the second, and so on ; 

 the Moon, as the lowest of the planets, presiding 

 over the seventh. Again, the eighth is subject to 

 Saturn, and the same cycle recommences at the 

 fifteenth and at the twenty-second hours. The 

 twenty-third hour is theretbre subject to Jupiter, 

 and the twenty-fourth to Mars. Consequently, the 

 first hour of the following day is subject to the 

 sun, and the day itself is accordingly dies Solis, or 

 Sunday. Precisely in the same way it follows 

 that the next day will be dies Luna; ; and so on 

 throughout the week. To this explanation it has 

 been objected that the names of the days are 

 more ancient than the division of the day into 

 twenty-four parts; and Joseph Scaliger has at- 

 tempted to derive the names of the days from 

 those of the jilanets, without reference to this 

 method of division. His explanation, however, 

 which is altogether geometrical, inasmuch as it 

 depends on the properties of the heptagon, seems 

 quite unsatisfactory, though Selden appears to 

 have been inclined to adopt it. At any rate, the 

 account of the matter given by Dio Cassius has 

 generally been accepted. 



To return to Chaucer : Theseus, as we know, 

 had erected in the place where the tournament 

 was to be held three oratories, dedicated to JMars, 

 to Venus, and to Diana. On the day after their 

 arrival, namely, on Mon<lay, Palamon and Arcite 

 offered their prayers to Venus and Mars re- 

 spectively, and Emelie, in like manner, to Diana. 

 Of Palamon we are told that — 



" He rose, to wenden on his pilgrimage 

 Unto the blisful Citherea benigne " 



two hours before it was day, and that he repaired 

 to her temple "in hire hour." 

 In the third hour afterwards, 



" Up rose the sonne, and up rose Emelie 

 And to the temple of Diane gan hie." 



Her prayer also was favourably heard by the 

 deity to wliom it was addressed ; the first hour of 

 Monday (the natural day beginning at sunrise) 

 being subject to Luna or Diana. The orisons of 

 Palamon were offered two hours earlier, namely, 

 in the twenty-third hour of Sunday, which is 

 smilary subject to Venus, the twenty-fourth or 

 last hour belonging to Mercury, the planet inter- 

 mediate between Venus and the Moon. It is on 

 this account that Palamon is said to have j)rayed 

 to Venus in her hour. 



Arcite's vows were made later in the day than 

 those of Palamon and Emelie. We are told that 



" Tlie nexte hour of Mars following this," 

 (namely after Enielie's return from the temple of 

 Diana) 



" Arcite unto tlie temple walked is 

 Of fierce Mars." 



The first hour of Mars is on Monday, the fourth 

 hour of the day ; so that as the tournament took 

 place in April or May, Arcite went to the temple 

 of INIars about eight or nine o'clock. 



It may be well to explain the word " inequal " 

 in the lines — 



" The thridde hour inequal that Palamon 

 Began to Venus temple for to gun, 

 Up rose tlie sonne, and up rose Kmelie." 



In astrology, the heavens are divided into twelve 

 houses, corresponding to a division of the ecliptic 

 into twelve equal parts, the fiist of which is mea- 

 sured from the point of the eclii)tic which is on 

 the horizon and about to rise above it, at the in- 

 stant which the astrologer has to considei", namely, 

 the instant of birth in the case of a nativity, or 

 that in which a journey or any other enterprise is 

 undertaken. 



The hours inequal here spoken of similarly cor- 

 respond to a division of the ecliptic into twenty- 

 four parts, so that each house comprehends the 

 portions of the ecliptic belonging to two of these 

 hours, provided the division into houses is made 

 at sunrise, when the first hour commences. It is 

 obvious that these astrological hours will be of 

 unequal length, as equal portions of the ecliptic 

 subtend unecjual angles at the pole of the equator. 



With regard to the time of year at which the 

 tournament takes place, there seems to be an in- 

 consistency. Palamon escapes from prison on the 

 3rd of May, anil is discovered by Theseus on the 

 5th. Theseus fixes "this day fifty wekes " for 

 the rendezvous at Athens, so that the tournament 

 seems to fall in April. Chaucer, however, says 

 that — 

 " Gret was the feste in Athenes thilke day, 

 And eke the lusty seson of that May 

 Made every wiglit to be, in swiclie plesance," &c. 



Why the 3rd of May is particularly men- 

 tioned as the time of Palamon's escape, 1 cannot 

 tell : there is probably some astrological reason. 

 The mixture of astrological notions with mythology 

 is curious : "the pale Saturnus the colde" is once 

 more a dweller on Olympus, and interposes to 

 reconcile Mars and Venus. By his influence Ar- 

 cite is made to perish after having obtained from 

 Mars the fulfilment of his prayer — 



" Yeve me the victorie, I axe thee no more." e. 



FOI.K LORE. 



" Svail, Snail, come out of your Hole" — In Surrey, 

 and most probably in other counties where shell- 



