fix months of 33 Anno Christi = 30 Anno Domini, reckoning I A.D. from 754 A.U.C. according to the Roman system of dating the Auguftan Era. But as Victorinus made V belong to 463 A.D., the year in which he commenced his cycle, he caused a difference of three numbers between his cycle and the Metonic Cycle, hence we have the "Lunar Cycle of Hilarius" to distinguish it from the other cycles. We thus have XII of the "Lunar Cycle" belonging to 33 A.D., and the 5th of April is again commemorated with Year-Letter D, as with the previous cycle [See p. 134].

A.D. 532 Dionyfius Exiguus commenced his cycle of 19 years with Golden Number I, which number, with Year-Letter A, would commemorate the 9th of April (the true date) for Eafter-day Anno Chrifti 33 = Anno Domini 30. But as Dionyfius made Golden Number I fall to 532, he caufed XV [the number of the Metonic Cycle belonging to I A.D. of his reckoning] to fall to 33 Anno Domini = 36 Anno Chrifti, and thus with YearLetter D, and Golden Number XV, the 5th of April was again commemorated for the date of Easter-day A.D. 33 = A.C. 36, and a difference of three numbers was caused by making XV fall to 33 A.D. instead of XII of the previous cycle.

And further, Dionyfius by making Golden Number I of his cycle of 19 years fall to 532, made Number II fall to I A.D. of his reckoning, as well as to 533 with the Year-Letter B, and thus the 27th of March was the date of Eafter-day for 533 A.D. while the 25th of March, the date of the Annunciation" was commemorated for Good Friday; hence we have the fuppofititious statement of fome writers, that our Lord fuffered on the 25th of March.

d

The dates in the Roman and Church Calendar to which the initial numbers of each of the three cycles belong, are as follows:

the 13th of July, with I of the Metonic Cycle.

16th of July, with I of the Lunar Cycle of Hilarius. 19th of July, with I of the Dionyfian Cycle of 19 years.

So that XV of the Metonic Cycle, and XVIII of the Lunar Cycle of Hilarius, and II of the Dionyfian Cycle of 19 years, can be made to fall to 1 Anno Domini

A.U.C.

= 754

But notwithstanding the difference between the year of Rome 750, for the true date for 1 Anno Christi, and 754 A.U.C., the commencement of the Christian Era of the Roman reckoning, from which I Anno Domini is dated, there is no neceffity for the disturbance of the prefent reckoning by imagining, for inftance, that the year 1869 fhould be called 1872, for it would be injudicious to make any change, inasmuch as 754 A.U.C. = I A.D. the 28th of Auguftus of the Roman reckoning after the fecond century, is the fixed point in time to which all Eras have been adjusted by means of the letters B.C., (meaning before I A.D. = 754 A.U.C.) It is only neceffary to point out, to those who wish to enquire into hiftorical facts connected with the history of the Christian Era at its commencement, that the words of the Gospels will be found to fuit only the reckoning of the early Chriftians, who dated the years of Auguftus from the Battle of Actium, the date of the foundation of the Era of the Roman Emperors, viz. 723 A.U.C., by which the 28th of Augustus, the guiding date for the birth of our Lord, falls to 750 A.U.C.

7

The Year.

N the earliest times of Rome, the name of Romulus is commonly attached to the year which is faid to have then prevailed. Cen

forinus obferves that the year then confifted of ten months, in which year January and February had no place. Macrobius alfo notices that a year of ten months is implied in the fact, that at Laurentum, a facrifice was offered to Juno Kalendaris on the first of every month, except January and February. The ten months of the year were called Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, and December. That March was the first month, is implied in the laft fix names; and even Plutarch, who afcribes twelve months to the Romulian year, places Januarius and Februarius at the end. The fact that March was the first month is alfo confirmed by the

A full account of the Roman Calendar can be feen in Ideler's works, and Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.

B

ceremony of rekindling the facred fire in the Temple of Vefta, on the first day of March. By the practice of placing fresh laurels in the public buildings on that day: and by many other customs recorded by Macrobius. The Romulian year, if we follow the majority of authors, contained but 304 days, a period of time, differing fo widely from the length of the fun's courfe, that the months would rapidly revolve through all the seasons of the year. Macrobius obferves that a certain number of days neceffary to make the year approximate to the length of the true year had to be intercalated: this intercalated period Servius fpeaks of as confifting of two months, which eventually obtained the names of Januarius and Februarius.

The Calendar of Julius Cæfar.

AIUS JULIUS CAESAR, in the year 45 B. C., with the affiftance of Sofigenes, an Egyptian aftronomer, introduced his re

formed Roman Calendar, when the ft of January was the firft day, and the 31st of December the last day of the year. February was to have 29 days in fourth years (or leap-years as they are now called), fo that fuch fourth years might confift of 366 days. The intercalation of the extra day was made after the day marked in the Roman Calendars, " a. d. vj. Kal. Martias," which date will be found to correfpond to the 24th of February in our Calendar. This fixth of the Kalends of March was counted twice, hence the term bifextum has been applied to the intercalary day.

The reformation of the Calendar is thus defcribed by Cenforinus. The confufion was at laft carried fo far, that C. J. Cæfar, the Pontifex Maximus, in his third Confulate, with Lepidus for his colleague, inferted between the months of November and December two intercalary months (if the intercalated period may be fo termed), confifting of fixty-seven days, the month of February having already received an intercalation of twenty-three days, and thus the whole year was made to confist of 445 days, which year was called by Macrobius, "the last year of confufion."

It appears that everything connected with the business of intercalations was left to the unreftrained pleasure of the Pontifices; and the majority of these, on personal grounds, added to, or took from the year, capriciously, fo as to lengthen or fhorten the period during which a magiftrate remained in office, and thus to benefit or injure the farmer of the public revenue to a confiderable extent. Cæfar, therefore, to provide against this, and the errors caufed by the fyftem, caft afide the intercalary month, and adapted the year to the sun's course, reckoning it at 365 days and 6 hours; and in confideration of the quarter of a day, which he confidered would be neceffary to complete the true year, he established the rule that at the end of every four years, a fingle day fhould be intercalated where the month had hitherto been inferted; that is, immediately after the terminalia, which intercalary day was at one time called the "bifextum." But those who had to attend to the Calendar (interpreting Cæfar's meaning to be, that the intercalation fhould take place every fourth year, reckoning according to the Roman fyftem, which included the first and last year) caused the intercalation to take place every third year, after the last