fore for the first Lessons selects from the Old Testament the most appropriate Book, ISAIAH, the "Evangelical Prophet." The reading of this continues till Septuagesima, when the book of GENESIS is begun; the first part of which, relating the fall of man, and the fatal effects that followed, was probably thought appropriate to the season of Lent; in which it was also read by the Primitive Church.

At the approach of Easter, and particularly on Easter Day, the book of EXODUS is chosen; as the description of the deliverance of the Children of Israel from their Egyptian slavery, and of the institution of the Passover, so well suit the season of the Christian's deliverance from more than Egyptian bondage, by the sacrifice and resurrection of the Lamb of God, the true Passover.

The other books of the Old Testament are then partially gone through to the Prophet HABBAKUK, and the Ecclesiastical year concludes with several chapters from the book of PROVERBS, which book had not been taken in its regular order.

The second Lessons for Sundays (2) are the same as for other days, except the four Sundays mentioned before, note (6) p. 102.

song annexed to the appropriate service at the Communion; according to this example extracted from King Edward's Book.

"ALL SAINTS."

"PROPER LESSONS AT MATTINS."

“The first Lesson SAPI. iii. unto Blessed is rather the barren." "The second "Lesson Hebre. xi. xii. Saints by faith subdued, unto If ye endure chastising."

"AT THE COMMUNION."

"Cantate domino, Psalm 149. Sing unto the Lord a new song, &c." This was the Introit, after which were printed the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, as in our modern books. After the Gospel stood

"PROPER LESSONS AT EVENSONG."

"The first Lesson, Sap. v. (unto) His jealousy also." “Apoc. xix. (unto) And I saw an Angel stand."

"The second Lesson,

And thus all the other proper Lessons, then appointed, were ordered; those for the Morning being noticed before the Introit, and those for the Evening after the Gospel. (1 Shepherd Com. Pr. 187.)

(2) For the laws relating to the observance of Sunday, see ante page 12, note (5): and for a full account of this Holy Day, see post the Rubric before "The Collects, Epistles, and Gospels," and INDEX, title "SUNDAY.”

Ҧ Lessons proper for Holy-days."

OBSERVATION. For the Holy-days, or Commemoration of Saints, and particular seasons, the Church has generally appointed moral Lessons out of the books more peculiarly treating of such subjects, whether Canonical, or Apocryphal, as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Wisdom of Solomon, and Ecclesiasticus: and great prudence and judgment seem to be shewn in the selection of Lessons inculcating moral duties, and holiness of life, from the Apocrypha, on such days as the Purification of the Virgin, &c.; to which the Church of Rome inclines to pay undue honours. On the peculiar Holy-days of the Nativity, Circumcision, Epiphany, Good Friday, &c. appropriate chapters are appointed.

Proper second Lessons for the Holy-days are more frequent than for Sundays.

For the various alterations that have been made as to the Lessons, see Nicholls, and the Notes of Cosins, Overall, &c. there introduced, and L'Estrange.

"Proper Psalms on certain Days."

OBSERVATION. The only days in which there is any deviation from the usual course of the Psalms are Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter Day, Ascension Day, and Whitsunday; when appropriate Psalms are appointed both for Morning and Evening.

N. B. The terms "Mattins" and "Evensong," which still remain standing at the head of the columns of proper Lessons, for Sundays and Holy-days, &c. had for more than a century prior to the last review, been disused in other parts of the Book of Common Prayer.

I. OF THE CALENDAR.

THE first instrument by which the progress of time was ascertained, and regularly marked, was probably the Sun-dial, (from "Dies," a day) which, in some form or other, is no doubt of the highest antiquity; since the regular motion exhibited by the shadow of any fixed object could not fail to have attracted the attention of even the most barbarous nations. The earliest notice we have however of a dial occurs in the 2 Kings xx. 9, 11, -before Christ 713; where a direct reference is made to "the dial of "Ahaz," and the "shadow," and the "degree," marked by it; dials are first mentioned in the Roman history, about B. C. 300. The invention of hourglasses, clocks, and watches, followed at later, and very unequal periods.

As the absence of the Sun marks the distinction between day and night, so the difference in length of the shadow made by it, must soon have indicated the revolution of a year; and the different appearances of the moon naturally led to an intermediate division by months. The distinction of weeks, though arbitrary, and less obvious, ranks, however, in point of antiquity next to the division of day and night; both being noticed by the Creator of all things, in the progress, and at the completion of his great work; when a SABBATH, or day of holy rest fixed the limits of the first week.

The different gradations of time being once commonly observed, some method of recording its progress, and the events that it witnessed, would naturally be adopted; which in the ruder ages of antiquity, was probably at first nothing more than a stick with notches in it; and on this instrument refinements would be made, till the invention of paper afforded a greater inducement to observation, by offering a more satisfactory method of recording the results of it. Of an instrument but a little removed from the notched stick we have an example, even so late as in the days of our Saxon ancestors, and of which an engraved fac-simile is given in Brady's "Clavis Calendaria."

The word CALENDAR is formed from "Calendæ," Calends, the first day of every month in the Roman chronology, which is derived from xaλsw, or Calo, I call or proclaim, (hence used indifferently with a C or K,) because before the publication of the Roman Fasti, or Calendar of Festivals, the Pontifices, or Priests watched the appearance of the new moon, and gave notice thereof to the Rex Sacrificulus; on which a sacrifice being offered, the Pontiff summoned the people to the Capitol, and there proclaimed aloud the number of Calends, or the day whereon the Nones

would be; repeating as often as there were days of Calends:" " Calo "Juno Novella."

By some the appellation is derived from the custom of the Pontifices proclaiming on this day, the several holidays in the month, to the people assembled for such purpose, and which custom continued till the year of Rome 450, when the Fasti, or Calendar, was set up in public places. From this term arose the word nefasti, applied to things not lawful to be done. The Calends were reckoned backwards: thus, the 1st of May being the calends of May, the last day, or 30th of April, was the pridie calendarum, -day before, or 2nd of the Calends of May; the 29th of April, the 3rd of the Calends, or before the Calends: and so back to the 13th, where the Ides commence, (iday to see, or sidos a figure, both referring to the appearance of the moon; or iduo to divide, as the month is nearly divided by them). These are also numbered backwards to the 5th, when the Nones begin, (nono-idus, quasi nine days from the Ides), which are numbered after the same manner to the 1st day of the month, called the Calends of April.

The Greeks did not make use of Calends; hence the Proverb "at the "Greek Calends," meaning, never.

Calends, Kalendæ, are also used in the Church History to denote conferences anciently held by the Clergy of each deanery, on the 1st day of every month, concerning their conduct; and especially relative to the imposition of penance.

The term Calendar, applying generally to any year, may be used for any particular year, with the term Almanac, (Saxon Al-mon-aght," allmoon-heed, observation of the moons; or Arabic " Al Manach," the reckoning;) but the latter term is not applicable generally, as the former is.

II. THE ROMAN CALENDAR.

THE Roman Calendar owed its origin to Romulus; who, being better versed in matters of war than astronomy, divided the year into 10 months only, of an unequal number of day; 20 to 35, and more, according to Plutarch, but according to Macrobius, of 30 and 31 days; and made the year to begin on the 1st of March, imagining that the sun completed his annual course in 304 days.

The Calendar of Romulus was reformed by Numa, who at first intended to make a complete lunar year of 354 days, and therefore added 50 days to the 304; and from every month of 30 days borrowed 1, which he added to the 50; and of these 56 days composed 2 months, calling them January and February. He afterwards added a day to January, in order to have

n

the number of days odd, or lucky; making the year to commence January, but throwing February, which consisted of 28 days only, and was always considered unlucky, to the end of the year. In order to adjust the lunar year to the solar, he added 90 days in 8 years, equal to 11 each. Of these 90 days, 4 months were composed of 22 and 23 days alternately; and one of each, alternately, was intercalated every 2 years, taking place after the 23rd February.

By these intercalations the year became too great, and the excess in 8 years amounted to 8 days, 1 hour 29′ 56′′ nearly. To cut off this excess it was proposed, in every 3d octennial period, i. e. from 16 to 24 years, to insert 66 days instead of 90, or 3 months of 22 days, a quantity still too great by 4 hours 28′ 20′′.

The year of Numa underwent no alteration until the year B. C. 452, when the Decemviri changed the order of the months by placing February where it now stands; which has, however, perpetuated an apparent absurdity, December being the twelfth month, though named as if the tenth.

The intercalations being ill observed, great disorder followed, which at length Julius Cæsar undertook, with the assistance of Sosigenes, a celebrated Egyptian mathematician, to rectify, B. C. 46. He found that the months had considerably receded from the seasons, since the adjustment by Numa. 90 days having been thus lost: and that the Calendar could never be long correct unless it corresponded with the annual course of the sun. In order to bring forward the months, he added an intercalary month of 23 days, between the 23rd and 24th of February; and 67 days more, between November and December, making up the 90 lost days; and thus formed a year of 15 months, or 445 days, which was called "the year of confusion." On the termination of this year, the Julian year commenced, viz. on the 1st day of January, B. C. 46. The year of Numa being 10 days shorter than the solar year, two days were added by Julius Cæsar to each of the months of January, August, and December, and one to April, June, September and November: and as the annual revolution of the sun is completed in 365 days, and about 6 hours, he made every 4th year to consist of 366 days, in order to comprehend the odd 6 hours. This intercalary day was added to the 23rd of February, so that the 24th of February, the "sextus calendas," or 6th of the Calends of March, was to be twice reckoned, and hence this 4th year was called "BISSEXTILIS," or twice Sextile. It was also called " Leap year," from its leaping forwards that year more by a day than on any other.

This regulation was misapplied by those who had the direction of the Calendar, for they intercalated every 3rd, instead of every 4th year; so that, in 36 years, 3 days more than the due number were inserted. The