know at what time the seasons would return, these two series of seven and of ten must have been brought into comparison with each other, and both then regulated by reference to sol-lunar cycles, or long periods of time in the course of which the annual fractions of time became definite numbers and could be intercalated with the greatest precision. For this comparison and adjustment more knowledge was required than the people could attain; and the priests, who were sworn not to intercalate a day in Egypt, and probably in other countries, and who were also required to regulate the calendar and predict the seasons, were constrained both to acquire the requisite knowledge and to keep it to themselves. Herodotus witnesses to the reluctance which the Egyptian priests felt to impart their mysteries, and he does not think himself at liberty to disclose any thing more than what was already commonly known (Euterp. c. iii.); but he points out how much superior the Egyptian astronomy was to the Grecian, especially in its making the intercalation annual, of five days to the twelve months of thirty days, instead of intercalating an entire month every third year, as the Grecians did (chap. iv).

The knowledge, thus exclusively possessed by the priests, and thus necessary to the people, gave the former a great ascendancy over the latter; and, with so strong a temptation before them, it was quite natural that the learned class should endeavour to increase their own importance and the dependence of the people, by rendering this knowledge as abstruse as possible, and involving its records in more than their necessary obscurity and mystery. Herodotus states that the Egyptians first of all men found out the true length of the year, discovering it from observations of the stars; and Syncellus states that Aseth (who, as predecessor of Amosis, reigned during the youth of Moses and the second Hermes, both learned in all the learning of the Egyptians) added the five intercalary days to the year. But the regulation of the calendar was to a very late period monopolized by the priests in Egypt; and deemed by them so important to be retained exclusively to themselves, that they refused to communicate the astronomical data on which it depended till the inquirer had by patient importunity evinced such strength of character as to engage their confidence, and to afford a sufficient warrant that their confidence would not be abused. That the priests were liable to abuse their power, and that there was no other check upon abuse but solemn adjuration, is made evident by the oath exacted from them never to intercalate a day, but to keep the year of 365 days as of old (Schol. in Arat. Plut. de Iside.; Sir. J. Marsham, Chron. 237).

It is recorded by Geminus (Isag. ch. vi.) that the Greeks were commanded by an oracle to follow the usage of their fore

fathers, in making their festivals agree with the three points of time-namely, years, months, and days;—that is, to keep the festival day at the prescribed age of the moon, whether new, full, or quarters; and at the appointed season of the year, whether spring, summer, autumn, or winter.

Motives like these, which influenced the Greeks and Egyptians, would operate in all countries where festivals were kept at particular seasons; and where to the general were added local motives-such as the periodical inundations, on which the harvests of some countries depended-the exact regulation of the calendar would be an affair of paramount importance.

Every community must have a calendar of some kind, for without it they cannot combine their operations. In semi-barbarous tribes, each family would have its notched stick, which by degrees would become more artificial, and be perfected into a permanent calendar, like the Runstocks, Primstaries, or Clog Almanacks of our ancestors-one of which has been described by Dr. Plott, in his History of Staffordshire-and which pilgrims were accustomed to carve on the top of their staves, that they might keep the feasts of the saints; and which farmers carved on their implements of husbandry, to direct them when to sow the different kinds of grain, as "Lammas wheat," &c.

These Runic staves being constructed according to the Julian, the last and most perfect computation of time, only require a knowledge of the Golden Number of the year; that all the festivals may fall into their proper places. The stamped bricks of Nineveh and Babylon were designed to answer the purposes of a calendar for one month only, requiring monthly application to the priests, who alone had the key of knowledge, and of whom the people learned continually how to intercalate each month so as to adjust it to its proper season. The permanent calendar was stamped on the edge of the Ninevite bricks; and both sides, being left smooth, would serve to receive memoranda in chalk of the directions necessary for one month, to be obliterated the following month, when fresh directions were to be given.

There are two lines of characters on the edges of the Ninevite bricks. That on the right-hand consist of seven characters, designed for lunar time, and regulating the festivals of the month, which would therefore be marked on the right-hand flat side of the brick when standing on its edge. The left-hand line is of five or ten characters, representing solar time, and regulating the seasons and labours of husbandry: these would be marked on the left side of the brick. Or the one memorandum would be made in chalk on the upper, the other on the under side, if we choose to regard the brick as lying flat, a position in which those of Nineveh were not meant to lie. On the bricks of Babylon, solar and lunar time are incorporated together, and not kept in distinct lines, as in the Ninevite inscriptions: therefore

the temporary menioranda both for the festivals and the labours of husbandry were inscribed on the broad smooth margin_left round the calendar impressed in the centre of the flat side of the bricks.

No one, who shall attentively compare the bricks of Nineveh with those of Babylon, will have any doubt that their intention was to answer the purposes which we have now stated. To facilitate this comparison we have given (in Plate II.) the characters of Nineveh and Babylon numbered and in juxta-position : the centre being the two lines of Nineveh of the most usual form of character; and the sides shewing the Babylonian series of (on the right) seven, for the marking of lunar time, and (on the left) ten, for solar time.

It will be manifest on inspection, that great ingenuity is shewn in expanding the lunar series of seven into the solar series of ten, so as to lose sight of neither; and that this is done by the occasional, yet systematic, introduction of substitutes or equivalents for some of the seven primary characters: we have therefore given the principal of these subsidiary characters in two columns, running parallel with the primary column of seven. (See Plate I.)

For the satisfaction of those who live at a distance, and have not access to such perfect inscriptions as many which we have seen, we give also two blocks of the exact size of the impressions; one in six, the other in seven columns; and both are as distinct and clear on the bricks as on these plates. (See Plates III. and IV.) We also add here separate impressions of each primary character, by means of which all persons who are interested in the inquiry may examine different inscriptions for themselves.

The first character (given in the margin) is invariably the same, not only on the bricks, but in all astronomical inscriptions, on the large stone in the India House, and on a fragment of jasper at the same place. This character usually recurs as the eighth, twenty-first, and twenty-eighth, according to the solar or lunar

series.

The second character is generally the same, but seldom, if ever, recurs as the ninth or twentyninth, but only as the twenty-second, on the bricks.

The third character is always double on the six and seven-lined bricks, and on the larger stones; but on the three-lined inscriptions, and on the smaller stones, is often supplied by a single character.

The seventh character is generally the same, or only slightly varied in form.

The tenth character is invariably the same in its outline, but sometimes has two or three points, instead of four, in the centre: it commences the last column of nineteen lines on the stone at the India-House; this column being the lunar cycle commonly ascribed to Meton.

Many confirmations of the general principles on which we have proceeded are to be derived from collateral sources, especially from the hieroglyphics of Egypt. The leading character at Babylon resembles a star of eight points, being formed by the crossing of four horns.

An hieroglyphic precisely similar in form, with lines instead of horns, characterises Sate, the Egyptian goddess of the year. Wilkinson so represents her in his Pantheon; she is so represented on the Memnonium, and twice on the Obelisk of Feiyoom: nearly the same hieroglyphic designates her in the procession at Denderah, where she and Thoth, between

Leo and Virgo, mark each the same notch in the serrated standard or guage of the year: and a similar figure marks one of the half-months in the Chamber of Osiris at Philæ.

On the Obelisk at Feiyoom there is a variation of form, like that of the astronomical mark for the ascending and descending nodes: the figure on the head of the uppermost Sate being this;

V

that on the head of the lowermost this;

不

and we believe that they mark the summer and the winter halves of the year, the ascension and declination of the sun.

These few remarks must suffice for the present, for God in his good providence has stopped us short in the middle of our inquiry. Enough has been said to guide the intelligent to a full investigation of the subject; we now readily relinquish to others the further prosecution of the Arrow-headed Characters, not thinking it probable that we shall be at liberty to continue or resume the study.