200 CHRONOGRAPHS'. 



Woden, their god of battle : Thursday, from Thor, god of winds 

 and weather; Friday, from Friga, goddess of peace and plenty; 

 and Saturday, from Seator, their god of freedom. The term month, 

 was originally applied to the time from one new or full moon, to the 

 next. The lunar monfh, thus denned, lias an average length of 29 

 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds ; but the calendar months 

 vary in length, as shown by the Almanac. The names of the 

 calendar months, are derived from the Latin ; as follows : January, 

 from Janus, the god who rules the year ; February, from Februa, 

 the goddess of purification ; March, from Mars, the god of war ; 

 ApriT, from Aphrodite, the goddess of love, (or from aperire, 

 to open or blossom) ; May, from Maia, the mother of Mercury ; 

 June, from Juno, the queen of heaven ; July, from Julius Csesar ; 

 August, from Augustus ; September from septem, seven ; October, 

 from octo, eight ; November, from novem, nine ; and December, 

 from decem, ten ; these latter being the seventh, eighth, ninth, and 

 tenth months of the old Roman year ; which previous to the time of 

 Numa, consisted of only ten months, beginning with March. 



The year is naturally regulated by the seasons, as these are, by the 

 return of the sun to the tropics or equator. The solar, tropical or 

 equinoctial year, thus defined, contains 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 

 and 48 seconds ; though the ordinary civil year consists of 365 days. 

 The Julian Calendar, so called because reformed by Julius Csesar, 

 with the aid of Sosigenes of Alexandria, allowed one additional day 

 in every fourth year, which hence was called Bissextile or Leap year, 

 making the average length of the year 365 days and 6 hours. The 

 error thus committed of making the year 11 minutes and 11 seconds 

 too long, was rectified under Pope Gregory XIII., in 1582 ; by drop- 

 ping ten days from the month of October in that year, and omitting 

 one day in every 400 years thereafter. The Calendar thus reformed, 

 is hence called the Gregorian Calendar ; the same which we now 

 use. It was not introduced into England until 1752 ; when, by an 

 act of Parliament, 1 1 days were dropped from that year, by calling 

 the third of September, the fourteenth. This change constitutes the 

 difference between Old and New Style. 



The Solar Cycle, is a period of 28 years, at the end of which, 

 according to the Julian Calendar, the days of the week return to the 

 same days of the month on which they were at its commencement. 

 The Lunar Cycle, invented by Meton, and hence sometimes called 

 the Metonic Cycle, is a period of 19 years; at the end of which 

 the new and full moon return on the same days of the year as at its 

 beginning ; at least for a long period. As the Grecian festivals were 

 regulated by this cycle, the current year of it was incribed on a mar- 

 ble pillar, in letters of gold ; and hence called the golden number. 

 The Cycle of the Indiction, was a period of fifteen years, arbitrarily 

 established by the Roman emperors, in reference to certain judicial 

 acts. And the Julian Period, designed to fix an epoch from which 

 to reckon time, was formed by multiplying together the numbers for 

 the three preceding cycles, 28, 19, and 15; making a product of 

 7980 years; which were made to commence 4714 B. C., or nearly 

 at the Samaritan date of the Creation. 



