CALENDS

, Calendæ, in the Roman Chronology, denoted the first days of each month; being so named from kalew, calo, I call, or proclaim; because that, before the publication of the Roman Fasti, and counting their months by the motion of the moon, a priest was appointed to observe the first appearance of the new moon; who, having seen her, gave notice to the president of the sacrifices to offer one; and cailing the people together, he proclaimed unto them how they should reckon the days until the nones; pronouncing the word Caleo 5 times if the nones should happen on the 5th day, or seven times if they happened on the 7th day of the month.

The calends were reckoned backwards, or in a re- | trograde order; thus, for example, the first of May being the calends of May; the last or 30th day of April, was the pridie calendarum, or 2d of the calends of May; the 29th of April, the 3d of the calends, or before the calends: and so back to the 13th, where the ides commence; which are likewise numbered backwards to the 5th, where the nones begin; which are also reckoned after the same manner to the sirst day of the month, which is the calends of April.

Hence comes this rule to find the day of the calends answering to any day of the month, viz, Consider how many days of the month are yet remaining after the day proposed, and to that number add 2, for the number of or from the calends. For example, suppose it were the 23d day of April, it would then be the 9th of the caledns of May: for April containing 30 days, from which 23 being taken, there remains 7; to which 2 being added, makes the sum 9. And the reason for this addition of the constant number 2, is because the last day of the month is called the 2d of the calends of the month following.