168 
which they call nacshatras, or asterisms, marking the 
moon's path in the heavens. The names of the Indian 
months are taken from twelve of these lunar mansions, 
or constellations of the solar zodiac, and this has been 
particularly remarked upon by the illustrious Humboldt. 
Time was besides divided into periods of seven days, " the 
most ancient monument of astronomical knowledge" (La 
Place) ; which has been supposed to have been formed from 
being nearly a fourth of twenty-seven days and seven hours, 
the time of a complete revolution of the moon through the 
zodiac ; or perhaps from bearing the same proportion to 
twenty-nine and a-half days, the time of her passing 
through all her phases ; or as probably from the tradition 
of the time in which the world was created. But it is 
remarkable that the days of the Hindoo week are, like 
those of the Egyptian and our own, named after the seven 
heavenly bodies, but with this difference, that Friday is 
the first day of their week. Thus, to take Wednesday as 
an example, which is named from Woden of the Scandi- 
navians, who is the Wud and Bud of the Pagan Arabs, 
Buddha of the Hindoos, Buddas and Sarmancs of the 
Greeks, probably from the Sanscrit Maha-sramana; in 
which language he is also called Maya-devi-suta, or child 
of Maya, the " Mercurius Mayae films'" of Horace. The 
planet Mercury is in Sanscrit called Bouta, and the day of 
Mercury, Boota varam, or Boodh-var. ; Hindee, Boodh ; 
" Mercurii dies," or Wednesday, (v. Prinsep. I.e. 14 and 87.) 
Whatever else may be denied, this at least must be admitted, 
that the concurrence of the Hindoos and Egyptians, in 
similarly naming the days of the week, must have had a 
common origin ; and that both were anterior to the Greeks. 
" Besides their lunar zodiac, the Hindoos had another 
divided into twelve signs of 30° each. This was purely 
mathematical, and served for the purposes of calculation. 
