[ON THINGS TB: 



from Mai'a, the mother of Mercury, and Juno, the queen ol 

 gods.* 



The names of the other six months, expressing merely their 

 numerical order, were 



Quintilis (the fifth) 

 Sextilis (the sixth) 

 September (the seventh) 



October (the eighth) 

 November (the ninth) 

 December (the tenth). 



60. A year of 304 days could not long endure, since it would be 

 soon thrown into discordance with the nature of things. It was, 

 accordingly, no later than the succeeding reign, that of Numa, 

 that two months were added to the year. These were called 

 JANUARY and FEBRUARY. 



In the first instance, February stood before January, the formei 

 being put at the end, and the latter at the beginning of the year. 

 This order was, however, subsequently reversed, and January 

 remaining the first month of the year, February became the 

 second, March being the third, and so on. This will explain, 

 a circumstance, which often excites inquiries in relation to the 

 last four months of the year, which appear to hold an order in the 

 series of months different from that indicated by their names. It 

 must be remembered, that when they received their names March 

 was the first month. 



61. JANUARY, the first month of the year, took its name from. 

 JANUS, a divinity who held an important place in the Roman 

 religion. Janus presided over the beginning of every thing ; he 

 was the guardian deity of gates, and was represented with two 

 faces looking to opposite sides. He was on this account selected 

 to preside over the first month. 



FEBRUARY took its name from FEBRUUS, an ancient Italian 

 divinity, whose rites were celebrated during the latter part of that 

 month. This divinity also presided over the dead, whose festival, 

 called FERALIA, was celebrated about the same time. 



At a later period, the names of the months Q.UINTILIS and 

 SEXTILIS were changed to those of JULIUS and AUGUSTUS, to 

 commemorate these Emperors, the former of whom, as we shall 

 see, was signalised by a most important reform of the methods of 

 recording time. These names are continued by us for the months 

 of July and August. 



Such was the origin of the present names of the twelve months 

 of the year. 



* Ovid gives a different derivation of the names of May and Jum 

 namely, that they are the months of the old (majores) and young (juvei 



" Tertius a senibus, juvenum de nomine quartus." 



Fasti, Book I. line 41. 

 150 





