MONTH

MONTH, in its proper acceptation, is that space of time which the moon takes up in passing from any certain point to the same again, which is called a periodical month; or it is the space of time between two conjunctions of the moon with the sun, which is called a synodical month. That space of time which the sun takes up in passing through one sign or 12th part of the zodiac, is also called (but improperly) a month. So that there are two sorts of months; lunar, which are measured by the moon; and solar, which are measured by the sun. The lunar periodical month consists of 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, 5 seconds: The lunar synodical month is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 3 seconds, and 11 thirds. A solar month contains, upon a mean calculation, 30 days, 10 hours, 29 minutes, 5 seconds.

The Jews, Greeks, and Romans, made use of lunar synodical months; but, to avoid fractions, they consisted alternately of 29 and 30 days. The former, the Romans called cali, and the Greeks χρήσι; the latter were termed pleni and reguli.

1. The Hebrew months were ranged differently in their sacred and in their civil year.

These months being lunar cannot exactly answer to our solar months; but every Jewish month must be conceived to answer to two of ours, and partake of both. As these 12 lunar months consisted only of 354 days, the Jews, in order to bring it nearer to the true year, took care every three years to intercalate a 13th month into the number, which they called ve-adar, or the second adar. The new moon was always the beginning of the month; and it is said the Jews had people posted on elevated places, to give notice to the Sanhedrim as soon as she made her appearance: After this, proclamation was made by sound of trumpet, and "the feast of the new moon, the feast of the new moon," resounded amongst the people.

The ancient Hebrew months were of 30 days each, excepting the last, which consisted of 35; so that the year contained 365 days, with an intercalary month at the end of 120 years, which, by absorbing the odd hours which remained at the conclusion of each year, brought it back nearly to its proper place. This regulation of the year was borrowed from the Egyptians.

2. The months of the Athenian year, as we have before observed, consisted alternately of 29 and 30 days. The first month, according to Meton's reformation of the calendar, began with the first new moon after the summer solstice, and was called brontaeon, answering to the latter half of June, and the

Month. former half of July. The order of the months, with the number of days in each, are as follows:

Each month was divided into three decades of days called δεκάδες. The first was called Μετα αρχήν or εκατόν, or the decade of the beginning of the month; the second was Μετα μέσης or the decade of the middle; and the third was Μετα τέλος, τελευταίον or ἀρχήν, the decade of the expiring month.

The first day of the first decade was termed Νεμερία, because the first month began with the new moon; the second day was δευτέρα εκατόν; the third τρίτη εκατόν, &c. The first day of the second decade was πρῶτον μέσης, the second δευτέρην μέσης, &c.—the days of this decade were also called πρῶτον εκατόν, δευτέρην εκατόν, &c. The first day of the third decade was πρῶτον τέλους; the second was δευτέρην τέλους, &c. i. e. the first, second, &c. after 20, because the last decade began on the 20th day. This decade was also counted by inversion thus; πρῶτος τέλους the 21st, δευτέρην τέλους the 22d, τρίτην τέλους the 23d, and so of the rest to the last day of the month, which was called τελευταίον, the old and the new, because one part of that day belonged to the old and the other to the new moon; but after the time of Demetrius, the last day of the month was called from him τελευταίον; it sometimes was named τελευταίον.

The Grecian months, thus consisting of 29 and 30 days alternately, fell short of the solar year 11 days 6 hours. To remedy this defect the cycle of four years, called τρίετης, was invented.—In this cycle, after the first two years, they added an intercalated month called εμβολήν, consisting of 22 days; and again, after the expiration of two years more, they inserted another month of 23 days, the fourth part of a day having in the space of four years amounted to a whole year. See YEAR.

3. The Roman year under Romulus consisted of 10 months only, and began with March, which contained 31 days, then followed April which had 30, May 31, June 30, Quintilis 31, Sextilis 30, September 30, October 31, November 30, December 30. These 10 months containing no more than 304 days, this account was in a short time found to be deficient. Numa Pompilius, therefore, took away one day from each of these six months, April, June, Sextilis, September, November, December; and to the six days thus obtained he added 51, which was the number that Romulus's year, in his opinion, wanted to make it perfect. Numa had now 57 days to dispose of; he therefore divided them, and constituted two other months, January and February; the former consisting of 29 and the latter of 28 days. The month of January, which he placed at the winter solstice, he made instead of March to begin the year. Thus Numa's year consisted of 355 days: but this being found 11 days 6 hours short of the solar year, he made use of the intercalation of 90 days at the expiration of eight years perpetually; which number, being made up of the 11 days and a quarter, kept the year pretty well to its place. The beginning of the year in Julius Cæsar's time had anticipated its true place 67 whole

days: these he intercalated betwixt November and December; so that the year consisted, for this one time, of 15 months or 445 days. This reformation was called the Julian correction, and this year the year of confusion. At the end of 12 years, by the ignorance of priests, who did not understand intercalation, 12 days had been intercalated for nine. This was observed by Augustus Cæsar, and rectified, by ordering 12 years to pass without any intercalary days. The order and succession of months was the same as that of Numa: But January, March, May, Quintilis, Sextilis, October, and December, had each 31 days; April, June, September 30, and February, in common years, 28; but every fourth year or bisextile 29. This, with a very little difference, is the account observed at present. Quintilis, in compliment to Julius Cæsar, was called July, because in this month he was born; and Sextilis, in honour of Augustus, was called August; both which names are still continued.—See YEAR.

Each month by the Romans was divided into kalendæ, nonæ, and ides, all of which were reckoned backwards. The kalendæ were the first day of the month. The nonæ fell on the seventh, and the ides on the 15th, of March, May, July, October—but in all other months the nonæ were on the fifth, and the ides on the 13th. For the more easy comprehension of the Roman manner of dating, according to this division of the months, here follows a table.

N. B. Every leap year, February consisting of 29 days, the 24th and 25th of that month are written sexto Kal. Mart.; hence leap year is called Bisextilis.