day to which they reckoned. Thus the 3rd of January was called the third day before the Nones of January, the 10th of March the sixth day before the Ides of March, the 14th of June the eighteenth day before the Calends of July. We observe an analogy to this practice in the Scotch phrase, 'this day eight days;' the German, 'acht Tage,' which alike denote a space of 'seven days;' and the French, 'quinze jours,' which stands for ' a fortnight.'

The form of expression was likewise remarkable. When an event took place on the Calends, Nones, or Ides, it was said to happen, Kalendis, Nonis, Idibus, Ianuariis, Februariis,' &c. or 'Ianuarii, Februarii,' &c. (sc. 'mensis'); when it took place on the day before one of these divisions, then it was said to happen, 'Pridie Kalendas, Nonas, Idus Ianuarias, Februarias,' &c.; but in other cases the formula generally employed was, 'Ante diem tertium, quartum, quintum, sextum, &c., Kalendas, Nonas, Idus Ianuarias, Februarias,' &c. Thus the 31st of January was, 'Pridie Kalendas Februarias;' the 6th of March, Pridie Nonas Martias;' the 12th of April, 'Pridie Idus Apriles;' the 27th of April, 'Ante diem quintum Kalendas Maias;' the 2nd of May, 'Ante diem sextum Nonas Maias;' the 6th of June, ‘Ante diem octavum Idus Iunias;' the 15th of August, Ante diem decimum octavum Kalendas Septembres.' Sometimes, but less frequently, the preposition is omitted, and the numeral put in the ablative. Thus we find 'Quarto Kalendas Septembris' for the 29th of August; 'Decimo sexto Kalendas Novembres,' the 17th of October; 'Quinto Idus Decembres,' the 9th of December, and so on. In ancient monuments and old MSS. the words 'Ante diem' are very frequently indicated by initial letters only, A. D., and the number by the Roman numeral-thus, 'A. D. IV. IDUS OCTOBRES; A. D. vi. Kalendas DECEMBRES; A. D. III. NONAS NOVEMBRES;' or farther abbreviated, 'A. D. Iv. Id. Octob.; a. D. vi. Kal. Dec.; a. D. III. Non. Nov.' The 'ante diem,' or its abbreviation, are often omitted altogether, and the numeral stands alone-'Iv. ID. OCTOB.; VI. Kal. Dec.; 111. NON. NOV.'

Scaliger and others have attempted, with no great success, to account for the origin of the expression 'Ante diem tertium,' &c., instead of what would appear to be the more natural form, 'Diem tertium (or, die tertio') ante. However the phrase may have arisen, the combination 'ante diem'

1 We have in Tacit. Ann. 12. 69, 'tertio ante Idus Octobres,' but such a combination is rare. 1 Vit. Rom. 12.

appears practically to have been a formula, which was regarded as a single word, and hence we occasionally find another preposition prefixed to the 'ante.' Thus Cic. Phil. 3. 8 'In ante diem quartum Kalendas Decembres distulit,' i. e. He put off (the meeting of the senate) to the 28th of November; and again, Ep. ad. Att. 3. 17 'De Quinto fratre nuntii nobis tristes, nec varii venerant ex ante diem Non. Iun. usque ad Prid. Kal. Sept.' i.e. from the Nones of June until the day before the Calends of September. Nay, we even meet with ' ante diem' introduced adverbially where no date is given, as in Caes. B. C. 1. 11 ‘Ante quem diem iturus sit,' for 'quo die,' and the Greek writers translate the phrase literally, when computing time according to the Roman fashion. Thus Plutarchi tells us that Rome was founded ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πρὸ ἕνδεκα Καλανδῶν Μαίων, i. e. 21st of April2.

5. The day added every fourth year, as explained above, was inserted in February, immediately after the festival of the Terminalia, which fell VII. Kal. Mart. (23rd February, see p. 223.) In such years the sixth day before the Calends of March (VI. Kal. Mart.) was repeated twice, from which circumstance the day inserted was termed 'Bissextum3,' or 'Dies Bissextus 4,' and the year itself 'Annus Bissextus 5.' The adjective 'Bissextilis,' from whence comes the modern word 'Bissextile,' is a barbarism. We find that the Roman lawyers decided that of the two days which were called 'VI. Kal. Mart.,' the latter, or that nearest to March, was, strictly speaking, to be considered in all contracts as the inserted day; but that since these two days were one in the eye of the law, any person born on the inserted day was in ordinary years to consider the 'VI. Kal. Mart.' as his birthday, while any person born on the 'VI. Kal. Mart.' in an ordinary year was, in the 'Annus Bissextus,' to consider the former of the two days called 'VI. Kal. Mart.' as his birthday 6.

The edict published by Julius Caesar, which explained the changes introduced, and pointed out the steps to be followed, in order to secure regularity for the future, seems to have been expressed ambiguously. The Julian Era commenced on the 1st of January, 45 B. C.; Caesar was assassinated on

2 Observe also Caes. B. C. 1. 6 Is dies erat ante diem V. Kal. Aprilis,' and Livy 6. 1. Tum de diebus religiosis agitari coeptum, diemque ante diem XV. Kalendas Sextiles-insignem-fecerunt.'

3 Censorin. 20, Amm. Mar. 26. 1.

Ulpian. Digest. 4. 4, 3. 5 Augustin. Ep. 119. ad Ianuar. c. 7. See also Macrob. S. 1. 14. 6 Cels. Digest. 16, leg. 98.

the Ides of March, the year following, and almost immediately after the pontifices fell into an error, and inserted a day every third year, instead of every fourth. This was continued for thirty-six years, in the course of which twelve days were added, instead of nine, when the mistake was rectified by Augustus, who gave orders that the insertion of the 'bissextum' should be omitted for twelve years, by which a compensation would be made for the three supernumerary days, after which the insertion was to proceed regularly every fourth year, according to the original intention of the author of the Calendar 7. A slight correction must on this account be applied to the dates of events which took place within the above period of thirty-six years, when they descend to days. Thus the battle of Actium, which we are told was fought on the 2nd of September, 31 B.C., really happened on the 3rd.

6. From the earliest times the Romans made use of a week of eight days. During seven days the husbandman devoted himself to his rural toils, and on the eighth he repaired to the city to transact business, and exercise his political privileges. These market days were called 'Nundinae,' a word evidently formed from 'nonus,' because, according to the Roman method of computation, they recurred every ninth day, 'nono quoque die.' In the year 98 B.C. a law was passed by the Consuls Q. Caecilius Metellus and T. Didius, thence called 'Lex Caecilia Didia,' which, among other provisions, enacted that every bill should be exhibited for the inspection of the people for three market days before it was submitted to the Comitia. This space of time, which could not be less than seventeen days, was from that time forward called 'Trinundinum,' or Trinum Nundinum 2. The Nundinae' ran on with perfect regularity; but it was considered unlucky for them to fall upon the first day of the year, or upon the Nones of any month 3. Such coincidences were carefully guarded against in the infancy of the republic by the priests, who controlled the Calendar, and even so late as 40 B.C., five years after the adoption of the Julian reform, an extra

1 Macrob. S. 1. 14, Pliny H. N. 18. 57, Sueton. Octav. 26, Solin. Polyh. I.

2 See Cic. Phil. 5. 3, Ep. ad. Att. 2. 3, Ep. ad Fam. 16. 12, Livy 3. 33, Quintil. I. O. 2. 4, § 35.

3 Macrob. S. 1. 13, Dion. 48. 33. See also 40. 47. We cannot doubt however that a day would be subsequently dropped to compensate for this irregularity.

ordinary day was inserted to prevent the 1st of January in the following year from coinciding with one of the 'Nundinae ',' the superstition having been revived, it would seem, by the circumstance that the war of Lepidus (78 B.C.) broke out in a year which commenced in this inauspicious

manner.

The Jewish week of seven days ('hebdomas') was known to the Romans from the time of Pompey, but was not generally adopted until after Christianity became the established religion of the state.

7. We may now proceed to explain the epithets by which the days of the Roman year were distinguished individually, when considered with reference to religion and the ordinary business of life.

'Dies Fasti' were the days upon which the courts of justice were open, and legal business could be transacted before the Praetor, the 'Dies Nefasti' were those upon which the courts were closed. Certain days were 'Fasti’ during one portion, 'Nefasti' during another 2, and such were named 'Intercisi' (halved), or, according to the more ancient form of the word, 'Endotercisi.'

All days consecrated to the worship of the gods by sacrifices, feasts, or games, were named 'Festi,' those hallowed by no such solemnities 'Profesti.'

8. The holy days ('feriae, festa '), included under the general denomination of 'festi dies,' were divided into two classes, Feriae Publicae,' and 'Feriae Privatae,' the former celebrated by the community at large, the latter peculiar to particular clans, families, or individuals. 'Feriae Publicae,' again, were either

The

'Feriae Stativae,' observed regularly every year on a fixed day, such as the 'Terminalia' on the 23rd of February, the 'Festum Annae Perennae' on the Ides of March, and many others; or,

'Feriae Conceptivae,' observed regularly every year, but on days fixed by the priests or magistrates for the time being.

6

1 'Fastus' is derived by some from fas,' by others from fari,” as being the days on which the Praetor was permitted to speak the words which expressed his jurisdiction. See note on Ov. Fast. 1. 47, p. 156.

2 Thus Macrobius S. 1. 16 Intercisi-illorum enim dierum quibusdam horis fas est, quibusdam fas non est ius dicere, nam, cum hostia caeditur, fari nefas est inter caesa et porrecta fari licet: rursus, cum adoletur. non licet.'

Such were the 'Feriae Latinae,' the 'Sementiva,' 'Compitalia,' &c. There were also

'Feriae Imperativae,' extraordinary holidays, being for the most part days of supplication or thanksgiving, appointed by the magistrates on occasions of national distress or triumph. We ought also to notice 'Dies Comitales,' days on which it was lawful to hold assemblies of the people, being for the most part such as were neither 'Fasti,' nor 'Festi,' nor 'Intercisi.'

9. Nor ought we to forget the 'Dies Atri,' on which it was thought unlucky to undertake any business of importance. To this class belonged the day after the Calends, Nones, and Ides of each month, as we are told by Ovid. Fast. 1. 57, see p. 22. Macrobius gives a full account of the origin of this superstition, and his words will fully illustrate the lines just referred to

'Dies autem postridianos ad omnia maiores nostri cavendos putarunt, quos etiam atros, velut infausta appellatione, damnarunt: eosdem tamen nonnulli communes velut ad emendationem nominis vocitaverunt: horum causam Gellius annalium libro quintodecimo, et Cassius Hemina historiarum libro secundo referunt. Anno ab urbe condita trecentesimo sexagesimo tertio, tribunis militum Virgilio Mallio Aemilio Postumio collegisque eorum in senatu tractatum, quid esset propter quod totiens intra paucos annos male esset afflicta republica; et ex praecepto patrum L. Aquinium haruspicem in senatum venire iussum religionum requirendarum gratia dixisse, Q. Sulpicium tribunum militum, ad Aliam adversum Gallos pugnaturum, rem divinam dimicandi gratia fecisse postridie idus Quintiles; item apud Cremeram multisque aliis temporibus et locis post sacrificium die postero celebratum male cessisse conflictum: tunc patres iussisse ut ad collegium pontificum de his religionibus referretur: pontificesque statuisse postridie omnes Kalendas, Nonas, Idus atros dies habendos; ut hi dies, neque proeliales, neque puri, neque comitiales essent: sed et Fabius Maximus Servilianus pontifex in libro XII. negat oportere atro die parentare: quia tunc quoque Ianum Iovemque praefari necesse est, quos nominari atro die non oportet: ante diem quoque quartum Kalendas vel Nonas vel Idus tamquam inominalem diem plerique vitant, eius observationis an religio ulla sit tradita quaeri solet, sed nos nihil super ea rescriptum invenimus: nisi quod Q. Claudius annalium quinto cladem illam vastissimam pugnae Cannensis factam refert ante diem quartum nonas Sextiles.'