66 HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



the worfhip of the ancient gods of the nation would 

 ceafe, and that it would remain confined to the worfhip 

 of one fole divinity, which was never feen nor under- 

 ftood, and fubje&ed to the power of certain ftrangers 

 who would arrive from diftant countries ; that the 

 kings of Mexico being made acquainted with this pre- 

 diction, ordered, that whenever two feftivals concurred 

 upon the fame day, the principal feftival was to be ce- 

 lebrated on fuch day, and the other on the day after ; 

 and that the day which was ufually added every four 

 years, fhould be omitted ; and that at the end of the 

 century, the thirteen days fhould be added inftead of 

 them. But we are not willing to give credit to this ac- 

 count. 



Two things mull appear truly ftrange in the Mexican 

 fyftem, the one is, that they did not regulate their 

 months by the changes of the moon ; the other that 

 they ufed no particular character to diftinguifh one 

 century from another. But with refpecl to the firft, 

 we do not mean that their agronomical months did not 

 accord with the lunar periods ; becaufe we know that 

 their year was juftly regulated by the fun, and becaufe 

 they ufed the fame name, which was Metztli, indiffer- 

 ently for month or moon. The month now mentioned 

 by us is their religious month, according to which they 

 obferved the celebration of feftivals, and practifed divi- 

 nation ; not their aftronomical month, of which we know 

 nothing unlels that it was divided into two periods, that 

 is, into the period of the watching, and into that of the 

 Jleep of the moon. We are however perfuaded, that 

 they mull: have made ufe of fome characters to diftin- 

 guifh one century from another, as this diftinction was 

 fo very eafy and neceffary ; but we have not been able 

 to afcertain this upon the authority of any hiftorian. 



The 



