is from the Latin, and refers to the Lord's day. Of late years, however, six of the seven have been omitted, and the Dominical letter only retained to distinguish the Sunday.

ARTHUR. Well, I never could understand before why a letter always stood opposite the Sunday in our Almanacks; much less did I suppose that it had received its origin from the Romans. But pray, papa, why is the Dominical letter sometimes A, sometimes C, D, or E?

MR. CONSTANCE. Because there is not an even number of days in the year. The letter A was always put for the first day of the year; B for the second; C for the third; and so on, in succession, to the seventh. Should the first of January fall on a Sunday, the Dominical, or Sunday letter for that year will be A; the Monday letter, B; and so of the rest, throughout the year. If the year contained 364 days, making an exact number of weeks, it is obvious that A would, for ever, have been the Dominical letter. The year, however, containing one day more, it follows that the Dominical letter of the succeeding year will be G: for, as there are 365 days in a year, Sunday being the first day of the year, it will also be the last; and the first Sunday of the following year will fall on the seventh, which will be marked G.

WILLIAM. But you were about to explain the Calendar of Julius Cæsar, Sir.

MR. CONSTANCE. No: I merely alluded to it, for the purpose of showing the origin of our Dominical letter, and also to observe, that the principal column in that calendar was appropriated, as in ours, to denote those things which chiefly belong to religion. It contained the festivals, the sacrifices, the games, the ceremonies, the fortunate or unfortunate days, and all those circumstances attendant upon the superstitions of a heathen nation. From which time

the Almanack appears to have been the medium through which astrologers, with their learned conceits, and pretended power of foretelling future events, have, from time to time, imposed upon the minds of the credulous; and even at this day, the powers of prediction are ignorantly acknowledged, and the Almanack of "Francis Moore, Physician," considered an oracle.

WILLIAM. The names given to our days of the week are of superstitious origin, I believe?

MR. CONSTANCE. They are so; and our use of them produces some amusing inconsistencies. For instance, all our Acts of Parliament are dated according to the ancient Latin form; and one passed on Tuesday would be dated Dies Martis, that day having been dedicated by the heathens to their god Mars; and yet, previously to the passing of such act, on opening the house for business, Christian prayers are always read. In commercial affairs, however, it is now becoming very general to say first, second, or third day, or month; thereby ceasing to do honour to the heathen deities: which practice originated with the members of the Society of Friends, who invariably name the days and months in numerical order. Perhaps, William, you can explain the heathen names.

WILLIAM. If my memory fail not, Sir, I can. Sunday was called by our Saxon ancestors, Sunnan-dæg, or Sunday, because it was dedicated to the worship of the sun: by the Romans it was termed Dies Solis, for the same reason. Monday is also of Saxon origin, called Monandag, from its being dedicated to the worship of the moon the Romans called it Dies Luna. Tuesday received its name from the most ancient god of the Germans, styled Tuisco, the father and conductor of that people: the Romans named this day Dies Martis, as they dedicated it to Mars. Wednesday is a contraction of Woden's or Odin's day; supposed to have been an eastern god, who

overran Germany, and was ultimately worshipped by Saxons and Danes in this island: the Romans dedicated this day to Mercury, and therefore called it Dies Mercurii Thursday, or Thorsdag, is named in honour of the bravest son of Odin, called Thor; by the Romans, Dies Jovis, Jove's day. Friday was so called in honour of Friga, the wife of Odin; she was the reputed giver of domestic felicity: the Romans consecrated Friday to Venus, and called it Dies Veneris; she is supposed to have possessed similar attributes with Friga. Saturday is from Seater-dag, in honour of the Saxon idol, Seater: by the Romans called Dies Saturni, in honour of Saturn."

MR. CONSTANCE. That is very correct; and from which you perceive, that both Romans and Saxons dedicated the days to deities possessing similar attributes, but known by different names. The titles of the months (which you will acquaint us with in their order) are all of Roman origin, I believe.

WILLIAM. They are so, Sir; and January, so called in honour of the Latin god Janus, held in high veneration by the heathens, is the first month of the year, although March formerly took the lead. It contains thirty-one days.

MR. CONSTANCE, Having mentioned that March once took precedence of all the other months, perhaps you had better explain the reason of the alteration.

WILLIAM. It is said that the Roman emperor, Numa Pompilius, a virtuous and moderate man, wishing to inspire his people with a love of peace and good fellowship, in preference to a desire for warfare, wrested from March, which was dedicated to Mars, the god of war, the distinction of commencing the year, and gave the preference to Janus, the god of peace, the gate of whose temple was closed during peace, and thrown open in times of trouble.

MR. CONSTANCE. But this was not the only reason,` - although it had its proper effect with the people. Numa was actuated by a conviction, that as the sun reached its greatest declension before the time at which the ancient year commenced, it was upon that account, proper then to begin the year, so as to keep pace with the course of that luminary. In the time of Romulus, who was the immediate predecessor of Pompilius, the year had but ten months, or three hundred and four days; but this being found insufficient for the sun's annual course, supplementary days were continued to be added, without any fixed rule, to complete the solar year with as much accuracy as was practicable with the state of knowledge at that period. Numa, however, desirous of amending the calendar, formed these supplementary days into two additional months, and placed them before March, making his year commence on the 1st of January, and to consist of three hundred and fifty-five days; but finding, that even by this emendation, he had not been able to adjust his year so that it might commence regularly at the winter solstice, he ordered fifteen days to be intercalated, or added to every eighth year. For several centuries the Roman calendar was governed by this amendment, when it was again thrown into confusion by the Decemvirs, who gave an additional number of days to some months, while they lessened the number of others; thereby rendering them more unequal in numerical amount, without remedying the inaccuracy well known to exist in the total number required to form a solar year.

WILLIAM. The amendment by Pompilius, which you, Sir, have so kindly explained to us, occasioned an incongruity which remains even to the present day: I mean, in the names given to some of the months; thus, September, October, November, and December, which names imply the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months, now stand

as the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth. But, it is, nevertheless, an evident proof that March was formerly The next alteration, I believe, was made

the precursor.
by Julius Cæsar.

MR. CONSTANCE. It was: that great man, renowned for general learning as well as for military talent, rectified the errors of the old computations; and, with the assistance of an Egyptian astronomer and mathematician, calculated the annual course of the sun, which they made to consist of three hundred and sixty-five days, six hours; when a new calendar was formed agreeably thereto, and established by public edicts. As, however, the odd six hours remained unprovided for in the division of months into days, Cæsar ordered that one day should be added to the month of February every fourth year. Now, Arthur, can you tell me how many four times six are?

ARTHUR. Twenty-four, papa; and twenty-four hours make one day.

MR. CONSTANCE. Well, then; by adding one day every four years, the odd six hours were calculated. This important amendment, as you may suppose, was not made without considerable trouble and confusion. To bring forward the months to their proper place, Cæsar took an account of the days which had been lost by the former mode of reckoning, and formed a year of fifteen months, or four hundred and forty-five days: and which, indeed, on account of its quantity and design, has been called the year of confusion. This year being ended, the Julian year (so called from Julius Cæsar) commenced on the first of January, in the year 46 before the Christian era, or birth of Christ.

ANGELINA. Then we are to understand, that Cæsar made his year to consist of three hundred and sixty-five days for three years successively, and every fourth year,