40 UNIVERSAL ERUDITION. 



begin the day at midnight, and count twelve 

 hours to mid-day, and from thence twelve houri 

 more to midnight j and thefc are called Euro- 

 pean hours. 



V. The ancient Arabs, and fome other na- 

 tions, began their day with the aftronomers ; but 

 the Egyptians and Romans at the fame time we 

 do. The Italians and Chinefe (as did alfo the 

 Athenians) begin their day at funfet ; and the 

 modern Greeks, by the example of the Babylo- 

 nians, begin it at funrife. The hours therefore 

 that are counted after the former method are 

 called Italian, and the latter Babylonian hours : 

 and in both methods they count twenty- 

 four hours in fuccefllon. The Jews begin the 

 day alfo at funfet : anciently they divided each 

 day, whether long or fhort, into twelve hours, 

 and the night the fame. Thefe unequal hours 

 are called Judaic or planetary hours : the Judaic 

 hours therefore are long or fhort, according to 

 the duration of the day. The Chaldean fcruple 

 is the T-sVo- part of an hour. The Jews, Arabs, 

 and other oriental nations, make ufe of thisdivi- 

 fion, and call thefe fcruples Helakim. Eighteen 

 Chaldean fcruples are equal to one minute, and 

 confequently 15 minutes are equal to 270 

 fcruples. 



VI. 'A week is the fpace of feven days. This 

 divifion of time took its origin from the creation. 

 It was adopted by the patriarchs and other Jews, 

 has pafled from them to mofl other nations. 



The 



