[ I9I ] 
pe«ft, was intentional, and for the fake of the odd num- 
bers. Thus the 4th, 8 th, and t 2th days of the Moon 
hiould have been critical, inftead of the 3d, 7th, and 
1 1 th, if the mean motions of the Moon had been the 
ling-le thine attended to. But pliny, or whoever was the 
firft author of the rule he gives us, chofe the latter as 
containing, beiides much of the lunar influence, all the 
magic virtue of imparity, of which the others, taking 
their numerical denomination from even numbers, are 
totally deflitute. Among the numerous believers in the 
Moon of our days, few, I fuppofe, retain any confidence 
in the phyfical powers of the odd numbers. They may 
imagine therefore, that the apparent inconfiftence of 
pliny’s rule v/ith the truth of things, may be owing to 
his fuperftition about the odd numbers, which led him 
wilfully to deviate from the mean epochs, little apprized 
(for the Romans never were afironomers) how much 
they fometimes differ from the true ones, on account of 
the great and various inequalities of the Moon’s mo- 
tions, and how very widely his arbitrary arrangement 
would in confequeiice often differ from the times it 
was intended nearly to reprefent. Inftead of pliny’s 
critical days, I fliall now, therefore, examine the days for 
which, I imagine, they were fubfiiituted; thofe I mean of 
true fyzygie, true quadrature, and true o6fagonal afpedf. 
The following table diftinguiflies the changes of wea- 
ther which fell on thefe days. There were only 2 2 fuch 
out of all the 69 ; which is fcarce four more than their, 
even proportion. And reje( 5 ting, as before, on both fides, 
VoL. LXV. E e the 
