LET. XIV. OF THE. CALENDAR, . 22Z

to reckon from midnight, and others from noon.The Jews and Romans divided the artificial dayinto twelve parts, whether long or short, and thenight in the fame manner; so that their hours,except at the equinoxes, were always unequalwhich custom, notwithstanding its absurdity, isstill followed by the Turks and other easternnations.

The Egyptians, according to Herodotus, werethe first who fixed the length of the year, andmade it to consist of 360 days, which they sepa-rated into 12 months, in order to make it agreewith the course of the moon. Mercury Trif-megistus, added 5 days more; and Thales issaid to have done the same thing among theGreeks. But the Jews, Syrians, Ethiopians,Romans, Persians and Arabs, had all years ofdifferent lengths. The apparent vicissitudes ofthe seasons, occasioned by the various positionsof the fun, seem to have first given occasion tothis institution ; and as the length of the period,would be naturally adapted to comprehend allthe varieties of this kind, that could possiblyhappen, so their principal care would be tomake the same parts of the year agree with thefame seasons. But as different nations wouldmake use of different methods, they would notall chuse the same point of the ecliptic, for thebeginning of the year, nor be entirely agreedabout the exact time of the revolution.

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