CHRONOLOGY. 53 



cxifted 6000 years, this imaginary period goes 

 r than the creation. But as all the years 

 n bear diltind characters in all 

 the three revolutions we have mentioned, Scali- 

 nado good uie of it to compare and reduce, 

 with more facility, the years and epochs of t. 

 rent nations of the earth. 



XXVIII. Modern Chriftians count the years 

 from the birth of Chrift ; but the nrft Chriftians 

 reckoned from Dioclefian, and which they called 

 the Dioclefian era, or the year of martyrs. The 

 Moors ibll make uie of it in calculating their fef- 

 tivals, and call them the years of grace. We 

 fhall prdently fpcak more tully of thefe different 

 eras, ar. .lly tlut of modern Chriftians. 



;iftian calendar the feafts or 

 fcfcivals are divided into moveablc and immoveable. 



movcable H .ills, or thole that do not al 

 fail 'MI the ii'.m'j day of the year, are Afli-Wed- 

 , K after- Sunday, Afcenfion- 

 Trinity- Sunday, &c. The 

 immovcable fe.ilis are New year's day, the KJH- 

 phany, I , St. John Haptift, Michaelmas, 



Chriltmas-d., By virtue of the canons or 



uie Council of Nice, " Tbe feqft of 

 E after is to I r celcbr, 



that follows tie Jirjl full moon I vernal equi- 



nox , and if ; ii Sund\, 



day foall be kept tie Sunday following'' M. 

 tical ch* rhods of cal- 



cuUi 



