MONTH

MONTH, in its proper acceptance, 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 civi, and the Greeks χρονι; the latter were termed pleni and πλην.

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 the moon 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 Hecatombacon, answering to the latter half of June, and the 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 heptades. The first was called Metis heptades or heptades, or the decade of the beginning of the month; the second was Metis mesantes or the decade of the middle; and the third was Metis perantes, perantes or heptades, the decade of the expiring month.

The first day of the first decade was termed heptades, because the first month began with the new moon; the second day was heptades mesantes; the third heptades perantes, &c. The first day of the second decade was heptades mesantes, the second heptades mesantes, &c.—the days of this decade were also called heptades mesantes, heptades mesantes, &c. The first day of the third decade was heptades perantes; the second was heptades perantes, &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: perantes heptades the 21st, perantes heptades the 22d, perantes heptades the 23d, and so of the rest to the last day of the month, which was called heptades, 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 Demetrios; it sometimes was named heptades.

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 schismatis, was invented.—In this cycle, after the first two years, they added an intercalated month called schismatis, 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 day. 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 31, which was the number that Romulus's year, in his opinion, wanted to make it perfect. Numa had now 37 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 10 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 bissextile 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 kalends, nones, and ides, all of which were reckoned backwards. The kalends were the first day of the month. The nones fell on the seventh, and the ides on the 15th, of March, May, July, October—but in all other months the nones 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 Bissextile.