The principles of Latin grammar; comprising the ... - Essan.org

:;331APPENDIX.1. ROMAN COMPUTATION OF TIME.1. Divisions of the Year.873.—Romulus is said to have divided the year into teu months, asfollows; 1. Martins, from Mars, his supposed father; 2. Aprilis, fromAperio, "to open;" 3. Maius, from Mai a, the mother of Mercury; 4. Junius,from the goddess Juno. The rest were named from their number, asfollows: 5. Quintilis, afterwards Julius, from Julius Ccesar ; 6. Sextilis,afterwards Augustus, from Augustus Ccesar; 7. September ; 8. October;9. November; and 10. December. Nunia afterwards added two mouths;viz : 11. Januarius, from the god Janus ; 12. Februarius, from februo, u topurify."874.—As the months were regulated by the course of the moon, itwas soon found that the months and seasons did not always correspond,and various expedients were adopted to correct this error. Much confusionhowever still remained till about A. U. 707, when Julius Caesar, assistedby Sosigenes, an astronomer of Alexandria, reformed the Calendar,adjusted the year according to the course of the sun, and assigned to eachof the twelve months the number of days which they still contain.2. The Roman Month.875.—The Romans divided their month into three parts, called Kalends,Nones, and Ides*. The first day of every month was called theKalends; the fifth was called the Nones; and the thirteenth was en liedthe Ides ; except in March, May, July, and October, when the Nones fell onthe seventh, and the Ides on the fifteenth ; and the day was numbered accordingto its distance, (not after but) before eacli of these points ; that is,after the Kalends, they numbered the day according to its distance beforethe Nones ; after the Nones, according to its distance before the Idesand after the Ides, according to its distance before the Kalends—bothdays being always included. The day before each of these points wasnever numbered, but called Pridie, or ante diem Nonorum, or Iduum,or Kalendarum. as the case might be; the day before that was callediertio, the day before that, quarto, &c. ; scil. Nonorum, Iduum, Kalendarum.876.—Various expressions and constructions were used by the Romansin the notation of the days of the months. Thus, for example, the 29thDecember or the 4th of the Kalends of January, was expressed differentlyas follows1st. Quarto Kalendarum Januarii. Abbreviated, IV. Kal. Jan., or"2d. Quarto Kalendas Januarii.IV. Kal. Jan., or* The first day was named Kalends, from the Greek, *aXr-oj, to call, becausewhen the month was regulated according to the course of the moon, the priestannounced the new moon, which was of course the first day of the month.The Nones were so called because that day was always the ninth from theIdes. The term Ides is derived from amobsolete Latin verb iduare, to divide,it is supposed, because that day being about the middle ^the month, dividedit ir'o two nearly equal parts