Mathematical Garden

774 before the birth of Christ with three months: and this was in the times of Jotham, king of Judah: namely, in the 3186th incomplete year from the origin of the world according to Lucidus. Indeed, the years of the Olympiads have their beginning at the autumnal equinox. Wherefore, from the beginning of the autumn of the 3186th year of the world, up to the autumnal equinox of the 1562nd year of Christ, 584 Olympiads have elapsed, and immediately the 584th Olympiad begins. And so on, each year, to the extent that it adds one Olympiad (as we will explain below in chapter 15 of the second treatise) to be added to the others, claims it for itself. A lustrum a period of five years contains five completed years. An indictio a fifteen-year taxation cycle, however, contains fifteen years, which was instituted by the Romans for the sake of paying tributes. For seeing that it would be difficult for tributes to be paid every year from remote parts of the world, they established a time of fifteen years. And in the first five-year period, they offered iron to manufacture weapons. In the second, silver for the soldiers' stipends. In the third, indeed, gold for making statues. Afterwards followed the first year of offering iron; and thus it was a certain revolution. The beginning of the year for indictiones tax cycles, however, is the eighth day before the Kalends of October: that is, the 24th of September (for on the same day in ancient times the beginning of autumn was celebrated), and their first origin was in the third year before the birth of Christ, at the beginning of the 194th Olympiad. The years of the indictiones, however, according to the Roman pontiffs, take their beginning on the day of the birth of the Lord. Regarding the finding of indictional years, see below in chapter 16 of the second treatise. Furthermore, a seculum century or age, so called from following Latin: "a sequendo" (and because it follows, and revolves into itself), is a space of one hundred years, although some think a seculum is a period of thirty years: like the course of Saturn. Others, however, think a seculum holds one thousand years. But since these things are most known to all, I shall pass over them briefly.

Lustrum. Why the Indiction was instituted.

On the seven ages of both the world and man. Chapter 7.

What the ages of man are.

An age, although it is often spoken of for one year, for seven, or for one hundred: properly, however, an age is taken in two ways, namely either of man or of the world. The ages of man are seven, namely, Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence, Youth, Manhood, Old Age, Decrepitude. Infancy begins from the start of life, and lasts up to the fourth year. Childhood, up to 14. Adolescence, up to 22. Youth, up to 41. Manhood, up to 56. Old Age, up to the 68th year. Decrepitude, however, up to the 98th year, after which infancy arises again. By these ages, therefore, individual planets hold sway, as is evident in the present table.