POLYHISTOR.

A They would change old green laurels, the Senate and people would hold Comitia assemblies, and matrons would set meals for their servants just as masters do during the Saturnalia festival of Saturn. The latter acted so as to encourage obedience more readily through honor, the former as if to repay the favor of completed labor. They testify that this month was the first, specifically because the fifth from it was called Quintilis the fifth month; then, as the number progressed, December concluded the annual cycle within the three hundred and fourth day. For then that number completed the year, such that six months were of thirty days, and the remaining four were spread out over thirty-one days each. But because that system before Numa differed from the course of the moon, they equalized the year by lunar computation, with fifty-one days added. Therefore, to complete the twelve months, they subtracted single days from the first six months and added them to those fifty-one. Once these became fifty-eight, they were divided into two months, of which one contained twenty-nine and the other twenty-eight days. Thus the year began to have three hundred and fifty-five days. Afterward, when they realized that the year was rashly closed within the days we mentioned above, since it was apparent that the sun's path completes its journey through the Zodiac circle of animal constellations not before the three hundred and sixty-fifth day, with a quarter-part surplus, they added that quarter and ten days so that the year might consist clearly of three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter. This was urged by the observation of the odd number, which Pythagoras advised should be placed before all others. Hence, because of odd days, both Ianuarius January and Martius March are dedicated to the gods above; because of even days, Februarius February is assigned as if abominable to the gods below. Since this definition pleased the whole world, for the sake of preserving the quarter-day, it was INTERCALATVS inserted/intercalated in various ways by different nations.