cell; and for the following year, 1583, the letter b to the second cell; and for the year 1584, the letters A g to the third cell; and so on to the other years in order until the proposed year is come to, when a return is made to the beginning of the table. The cell in which the proposed year falls, provided it is less than the year 1700, will give the Dominical letter of the proposed year, which, if it occur single, will be a common year, if double, a leap year; and then the upper letter will show the Sunday in the calendar from the beginning of the year to the feast of holy Mathias the apostle, but the lower letter from that feast to the end of the year. For example:-The Dominical letter for the year 1587 is to be found. Number from the year 1582, which divide to the first letter c to the year 1587, by giving sepa

rate years to each cell,-reckoning the two letters, upper and lower, for one cell,—and the year will fall in letter d, which occupies the sixth place in the table. The Dominical letter for the whole year is therefore d, which is a common year when the letter occurs single. Again, the Dominical letter is to be investigated for the year 1616. Number from the year 1582, as has been already explained, to the year 1616, returning to the beginning of the table after having gone over it, and you come to these two letters, c b in the seventh place. The year is therefore leap year, since the letter occurs double; and the upper letter, c, will indicate Sunday from the beginning of that year to the feast of holy Mathias, but the lower, b, on the rest of the year.

The use of this table is this:-In the year 1834, the letter c is divided to the first cell, and in the following year, 1835, the letter d to the second cell, and so to the other years in order; the other cells are divided until the proposed year is arrived at, by returning to the beginning of the table as often as you have gone over it. The cell in which the proposed year falls will give the Sunday Dominical letter of the year, which, if it occur single, will be a common year; if double, a leap year, and then the upper Dominical letter will show Sunday in the calendar from the beginning of the year to the feast of holy Mathias the apostle,

but the lower from this feast to the end of the year.

INDICTION.

Indiction is the revolution of fifteen years, from one to fifteen; which revolution being finished, it again returns to unity, and the year takes its beginning in the cycle from pontifical bulls. And since frequent use of it is made in diplomacy and public writings, the current year of induction may easily be found on any proposed year from the following table, of which the use is perpetual, beginning from the year of correction

1582.

year, by returning to the beginning of the table as often as it is gone over, the proposed year will fall on the indiction that is sought.

MOVEABLE FEASTS.1

Since by the decree of the Sacred Council of Nice, the Pasch, on which the other moveable feasts depend, ought to be celebrated on the Sunday which fol. lows next to the xiv moon of the first month, (for that is called the first among the Hebrews on which the xiv. moon falls on the day of the vernal equinox, viz., the 21st March, or follows near;) and it is so done that if the epact of any year is found, and from it marked in the calendar between the 8th day of March inclusive, and the 5th of April inclusive, (for the xiv moon of this epact will fall either on the day of the vernal equinox, that is, the 21st March, or follows near to it,) they are to be numbered inclusively downwards towards the fourteen days, the next Sunday following the xiv shall be the Paschal (Easter); lest we agree with the Jews if, perchance, the xiv of the moon should fall on a Sunday.

Example. In the year 1605, the epact is x and Dom, letter b; and since we find the epact x between the 8th of March and 5th April inclusively placed in the division of 21st March, from which, if inclusively fourteen days be numbered downwards, we find the xiv moon on the 3d April, which is Sunday, since from its division the Dom. letter is b. Lest we agree with the Jews, who celebrate Paschal on the xiv of the moon, the Dom. letter b is to be taken, namely, that which is placed in the division of the 10th April, and Paschal in that year will be celebrated on the 10th April.

So in the year 1604; the epact is xxix, and the double Dom. letter d c,

since that is leap year. If, then, from the epact xxix, which is placed opposite 1st April, between the 8th March and 5th April inclusively, fourteen days are to be numbered, the xiv moon will fall on the 14th April, and because then the posterior Dom. letter, namely, c, which is after the 14th April, that is, after the xiv moon, is placed opposite to the 18th April. The Paschal in that year will be celebrated on 18th April.

In order that all moveable feasts may be found more easily, the two following Paschal tables have been arranged, the one old and the other new. From the old the moveable feasts are found thus: In the left side of the table the current epact is to be taken; and in the column of Dom. letters, the current Dom. letter is to be taken, below the running epact; so that, if the running Dom. letter is found from the division of the current epact, let the same Dom. letter next below it be assumed; for from the division of this Dominical letter all moveable feasts are held.

Example. In the year 1606 the epact is xxj, and the Dom. letter A. If, then, in the old table, the Dom. letter A be taken, which occurs first below the epact xxj, the Sunday of Septuagesima will be found from the place of this letter to be 22d January, the day of Ash 8th February, Paschal 26th March, Ascension 4th May, Pentecost 14th May, and the Feast of Corpus Christi 25th May. But the Sundays between Pentecost and Advent in that year will be 28, and Advent will be celebrated on the 3d December, and so of the rest. So in the year 1605; the epact is x, and Dom. letter b, which in the table will be found in the place of the epact Wherefore, the other letter b is to be taken, which is to be found next below the epact, from the place of which

X.

you find Septuagesima to be on 6th February, the day of Ash 23d February, Paschal 10th April, &c.

It is to be observed, that, as in the common year, the Dom. letter falling opposite to the epact in the ancient table, the same letter next to it below the epact is taken, as we have already mentioned. So also in the leap year, if one or other of the two current Dom. letters opposite the epact is found, other two similar letters next below are to be assumed that the moveable feasts may be found.

From the new table of Pasch the same moveable feasts may be found thus:In the cell of the current Dominical letter the current epact is to be sought; for from it, directly, all the moveable feasts are to be ascertained. As in the year 1609, in the cell of the current letter d opposite the epact xxiv, which runs in the same year, the Septuagesima is held on 15th February, Ash 4th March, Pasch 19th April, &c.

But whether the old or new Pasch table be used, all the moveable feasts are to be found in leap year by the latter Dom. letter, which runs after the feast of holy Mathias the Apostle, lest any one should doubt which of the two letters is to be taken for discovering this or that feast; so, however, that one day is added to Septuagesima and the day of Ash when found in January or February, which happens, on this account, because before the day of holy Mathias the former Dom. letter runs, which in the calendar always follows last, after the feast of the holy Mathias in February. Although the latter letter runs, yet the intercalary day is then added, so that the 24th February is called the 25th, and the 25th day is called the 26th, &c. But if the day of Ash fall in March, nothing is to be added, because then both the latter letter runs, and the day of the month answers to the proper numbers, since the intercalary day of February may be added. Nay, unless they are investigated by the

posterior letter, Septuagesima will not be found in leap year under the current epact xxiv or xxv, and the Dom, letter d c, as may be made plain in the second and third example for the years 4088 and 3784. For the sake of example:-In the year 2096, leap year, the epact will be v and Dom. letter A g. If, therefore, by the posterior letter g the moveable feasts be investigated, Septuagesima will be found on the 11th February, the day of Ash 28th February. If one day be added, Septuagesima will fall on the 12th February, which is Sunday, and the day of Ash on 29th February, which is the fourth holiday. But Paschal and the other festivals will fall on those days which are expressed in the table. So in the year 4088, leap year, the epact will be xxiv, and Dom. letter d c. If, therefore, by the letter c, which is the posterior, the moveable feasts are sought, Septuagesima will be found on the 21st February; and if one day be added, it will fall on the 22d February, which is Sunday. But the day of Ash will fall on the day of 10th March, therefore it is not added. Again, in the leap year 3784, the epact will be xxv, and Dom. letter d c; therefore, again by the latter letter c, Septuagesima will be found 21st February, that is, one day added, on the 22d. But if it is to be done by the former letter d in both these two years, nothing is effected, since below the epacts xxiv and xxv the letter d indicates the 15th February, which would be false, since, in that year, the posterior letter c gives the Paschal on 25th April, and also Septuagesima on 22d February, as clearly appears, if from the day of Paschal the Sundays be numbered backwards to Septuagesima.

In the first Paschal table we have placed the old reformed epacts to the left, before the golden numbers, in the same order in which they were wont to be placed before the emendation of the calendar, that by them the moveable feasts may be found. But this was done that Pasch and the other moveable

feasts might be traced by any one from the Council of Nice to the year 1582. By the same method, from the golden numbers so distributed, the moveable feasts may be sought through the epacts. Let it be sought, for example, when the feast was celebrated in the year 1450, since in that year the golden number was 7, and Dom. letter d. If the golden number 7 be taken on the left side, and the first letter d occurring below, it will be found from the opposite side of this letter d that Septuagesima is on 1st February, Ash 18th February, Paschal 5th April, &c.

The Advent of the Lord is always celebrated on the Sunday near to

the feast of St Andrew the Apostle, namely, from the 27th November inclusive to 3d December inclusive; so that the current Dom. letter which is found in the calendar, from the 27th November to the 3d December, will indicate the Sunday of Advent. As, for example, if the Dom. letter is g, the Sunday of Advent will fall on the 2d December, because there is the letter g in the calendar, &c.

At the end of the Paschal tables are added time tables for many years, opposite to which all the moveable feasts are to be found; which table is selected from the Paschal tables, from which any others might be taken for any number of years.