THE MONTHS. 



57. Notwithstanding the discordancy and obscurity which sur- 

 round the records and usages of the Greeks, in relation to their 

 calendar, their knowledge of the period of the lu*nar phases which 

 served as the basis of their chronometric system, attained at an 

 early epoch of their history extraordinary precision. The lunation 

 was estimated at 29| days, which is within three quarters of an 

 hour of its exact length, and it was assumed as their month. 

 Solon went even so far as to make the month exactly conformable 

 to it. The thirtieth day was divided between two successive 

 months ; the first half, from sunrise to sunset, being given to the 

 expiring month, and the other from sunset to sunrise to the 

 new month. The day thus shared between two different months 

 was called eVij ttal vea, the old and new day. This correction, 

 however, was only applied to every other month, the intermediate 

 months being limited to twenty-nine days. 



At a later period, when this had fallen into disuse, the 

 same name, *vt\ /col yea, was applied to the last day of the month 

 generally. 



58. If any evidence were sought to illustrate the difficulty 

 which has attended the attainment of a degree of perfection in 

 {he art of counting and recording time, it would be found in a 

 review of the state of that art among the Greeks and Romans, the 

 two most enlightened and civilised nations of antiquity, to whose 

 labours in literature and the sciences the moderns are so largely 

 indebted. 



Nothing that can be imagined can exceed the confusion and 

 absurdity which prevailed in the Roman chronometric conventions 

 before a very late period in the progress of the empire. 



Romulus, the founder of Rome, established a year, consisting of 

 ten months, six of which had thirty, and four thirty-one days, 

 making the year 304 days. 



Since the names given to these months have, for the most part, 

 come down to modern times, and have been adopted in our own 

 nomenclature, it will be useful here to state them, and notice their 

 origin. 



The first four months of the year of Romulus were called, 

 MAES, APRILIS, MAIA, and Julius, from whence our names 

 MARCH, APRIL, MAY, and JUNE. 



59. The first took its name from Mars, the father of Romulus, 

 according to the Roman fable. 



The origin of the second is somewhat uncertain, some deriving 

 it from the Latin word aperire, to open, allusive to the state of 

 vegetation in spring ; and others from Aphrodite, one of the Greek 

 names of Yenus. 



The names of May and June were taken obviously enough 



149 



