THOMAS] THE SEPTENAEY ARRANGEMENT. 113 



closely related to the Ttiblet of the Cross, presents no such septenary 

 arrangement, yet even here there are (counting long and short) seventeen 

 columns, and in the extreme right and left columns just seventeen charac- 

 ters. I find this arrangement by sevens frequently in the Mexican Codices, 

 but in most of these cases it is apparent that this results from the division 

 of 13, a.s a corresponding arrangement by sixes accompanies, or is to be 

 understood. 



Returning to our plate, we may, as I think, make use of this septenary 

 characteristic in determining some of the numerals that are partially oblit- 

 erated. The red are sufficiently distinct except the missing ones in the 

 upper line, in reference to which there is no question of doubt in the minds 

 of students of this work; and the right-hand one of the line next to the 

 bottom — the only question here being whether this is 18 or 19. Adding 

 together all the numbers indicated by these red numeral characters (includ- 

 ing the seven in the upper line), we find the sura to be 153, if we count the 

 right-hand one of the 0th line 18, or 154 if we count it 19. As the latter 

 number (164) is an exact multiple of seven, we conclude that this character 

 is 19, and this agrees with the eroded space and the position of the dots 

 over the remaining portion. 



This septenary arrangement does not appear to hold good with the 

 black numerals. 



Eeturning to the first or top line we observe, as before remarked, that 

 it commences with Ymix According to Landa the Mayas began the com- 

 putation of their days, that is, their calendar, with one Yndx. We quote 

 his language here, as it is somewhat singular: 



"It is curious to note how the dominical letter [of the year] always 

 comes up at the beginning of its year, without mistake or failing, and that 

 none of the other twenty letters appears. They also used this method of 

 counting in order to derive from certain letters a method of counting their 

 epochs and other things, which, though interesting to them, does not con- 

 cern us much here. It is enough to say that the character or letter with 

 which they begin their computation of the days or their calendar is called 



one Ymix, which is this { ,*,*,', | > which has no certain or fixed day on 



8 M T 



