A complete dictionary of the Greek and Roman antiquities explaining the obscure places in classic authors and ancient historians relating to the religion, mythology, history, geography and chronology of the ancient Greeks and Romans, their ... rites and customs, laws, polity, arts and engines of war : also an account of their navigations, arts and sciences and the inventors of them : with the lives and opinions of their philosophers / compiled originally in French ... by Monsieur Danet ; made English, with the addition of very useful mapps.

HEBDOMADA,

A Week, the num∣of seven days. Four Weeks make up a Month, because of the four chief and more apparent Phasis of the changes of the Moon. And as these four changes of the Moon, are in a manner the space of seven days one from another, 'tis very likely that from thence the first Egyptians and Assyrians have taken occasi∣on to divide time by intervals of seven days, which therefore were called Weeks. As for the Hebrews, their way of reckoning the time by weeks, has a most august Origine, and the Law commanded them to forbear from all kind of work the seventh day, to imprint in their memory the great Mystery of the Creation of the World, in which God had wrought during six days, and rested the seventh, whereupon it was called the Sab∣bath-day, which in their Language signifies a day of rest. The other days took their name from that day; for the following day was called by the Jews prima Sabbati, the first day of the Sabbath; the next day, the second of the Sabbath; then the third and fourth, &c. till the sixth, called otherwise Parasceve, which signifies the day of preparation for the Sabbath.

This way of reckoning by Weeks, was, pro∣perly speaking, used only by the Eastern Na∣tions, for the Greeks reckoned their days from ten to ten, or by decads, dividing each month in three parts; the first part was reckoned from the beginning of the Month, the second was the middle of the Month, and the third was the rest of the Month, from the middle to the end thereof. And thus the Romans, besides the division of the Month by Kalends, Nones and Ides, made use also of a political distribution of a series of eight days, distributed from the beginning of the year to the end thereof.

The names of the days of the week used by the Primitive Christians, were founded on a more holy principle, viz. the resurrection of our Lord, which has given the name of Dominica, or the Lord's-day, to the day called the Sabbath by the Jews. And because they, to shew their joy in the celebration of the Feast of Easter, i. e. of the Resurrection, were used to keep the whole week holy, resting from all servile work, which is called in Latin Periani, therefore they called the day following immediately after the Holy Sun∣day Prima Feria; and the second day Secunda Feria; the third day Tertia Feria, and so forth; and from thence the days of all the weeks were afterwards improperly called Foriae in practice of the Church.

The Origine of the names commonly gi∣ven to the days of the week, being names of Divinities ador'd by superstitious Antiquity, comes from a more remote principle: for 'tis likely that these names passed from the Assy∣rians to the Greeks, and from the Greeks to the Christians.

And we may reasonably presume that the Chaldeans, who were esteemed the first Men who addicted themselves to study Astrono∣my, have also given the name of their Gods to the Planets, or at least the same names, which they have afterwards ascribed to the Gods whom they ador'd: and that they might give more authority to that art which they profess, and by which they foretold things to come, by the observation of the Stars. They attempted to ascribe them an absolute Empire over the nature of Men, al∣lowing to each of them several Offices and Employments, to dispense good and evil; and that lest that dreadful power which they ascribed to them, should be kept in the only extent of their spheres, they had very much enlarg'd the bounds of their Dominions, sub∣mitting to them, not only the several parts of the Earth and the Elements, not only the Fortunes, Inclination and Secrets of the most close Men, overthrow of States, Plagues, Deluges, and a thousand other things of that nature; but endeavoured also to set them up for the absolute Masters of time, allowing a Planet to preside over each year, another to each month, to each week, each day, each hour, and perhaps to each moment.

From thence each day of the week has took the name of the Planet ruling over it, and Monday, which is in Latin dies Luna, i. e. the day of the Moon, was so called, because the Moon presides that day; dies Martis, i. e. the day of Mars, which was under the directi∣on of Mars; dies Mercurii, ruled by Mercury; dies Jovis, under the conduct of Jupiter; dies Veneris, under the direction of Venus; dies Sa∣turni, under that of Saturn; dies Solis, ruled by the Sun.

'Tis true, that the order that the Planets follow in the week, is quite different from that which they observe in Heaven; for ac∣cording to the disposition of their Spheres, Jupiter is immediately below Saturn; Mars below Jupiter; the Sun under Mars; Venus ac∣cording to the vulgar opinion, beneath the Sun; Mercury below Venus; and in fine, the Moon the lowest of all beneath Mercury: But in the order of the week Sunday, called the day of the Sun, comes after Saturday, which is the day of Saturn, in the room of Thursday the day of Jupiter; and Monday the day of the Moon, follows the day of the Sun instead of Friday, the day of Venus; likewise instead of Saturday or the day of Saturn, which ac∣cording to the Planets order, should follow the Munday or the day of the Moon; they reckon Tuesday the day of Mars; and after Tuesday comes Wednesday the day of Mercury, instead of Thursday the day of the Sun, and so forth. Whereby it doth appear, that the disposition of the Planets in the days of the week, is very different from the order and situation of their Orbs.

But the Ancients having not only commit∣ted the days, but also the hours of each day to the care of some Planet, 'tis very likely, that the day was called by the name of the Planet, that had the direction of the first hour: Wherefore Saturday or the day of Sa∣turn was thus called, because the first hour of that day was under the direction of Saturn; and as the following hours came on succes∣sively, under the power of the following Planets, the second hour was for Jupiter, who immediately followed Saturn; the third was for Mars, the fourth for the Sun, the fifth for Venus, the sixth for Mercury, and the se∣venth for the Moon, and afterwards the eighth hour return'd under the power of Saturn; and according to the same order, the same Planet Saturn had still the fifteenth and the two and twentieth hours under his direction; and by consequence the three and twentieth hour was under the command of Jupiter, and the four and twentieth, viz. the last hour of the day, was found under the direction of Mars: So that the first hour of the following day came under the dominion of the Sun, who consequently gave his name to the se∣cond day; and following always the same order to the eighth, the fifteenth and the two and twentieth hour did always belong to the Sun, the twenty third to Venus, and the last to Mercury: wherefore the first hour of the third day appertained to the Moon, called for that reason the day of the Moon, to which al∣so was referr'd the eighth, the fifteenth, and the two and twentieth hours of the same day; and therefore the twenty third hour was ascribed to Saturn, (for from the Moon we must return again to Saturn) and the last to Jupiter; from whence the first hour of the fourth day was found under the direction of Mars, (who gave also his name to the day) as also the eighth, the fifteenth and the two and twentieth; and consequently the twen∣ty third hour belonged to the Sun, the twenty fourth to Venus; and the first of the fifteenth day to Mercury; and so forth, following the same order, whereby we see the origine and the necessary series of the names given to the days of the week, and the reason why the day of the Sun comes after the day of Saturn, viz. Sunday after Saturday, the day of the Moon after the day of the Sun, or Monday after Sun∣day; the day of Mars after the day of the Moon, or Tuesday after Monday; Wednesday after Tuesday; then Thursday, Friday, and at last Sa∣turday, and so of all the rest.

There is still another ingenious reason that might be given for these denominations of

days; for the names of the Planets given to the days of the week, follow one another in proportion with the musical harmony, called in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which was the Origne and principle of all the good harmony of the Antients, the nature whereof consists betwixt two tones of four voices, or three intervals or sounds, different one from another; wherefore there are always two silent tones betwixt both. And 'tis likely, that the An∣cients to leave us some idea of this admirable Musick, have disposed the days of the week, which follow one another according to their musical harmony; wherefore the Planet which comes immediately after another, leaves two others behind, which are silent; viz. after Saturn comes the Sun, leaving Jupiter and Mars; and after the Sun follows the Moon, over-running Venus and Mercury; after the Moon appears Mars; after Mars, Mercury, with∣out mentioning either the Sun or Venus; after Mercury, Jupiter, without reckoning either the Moon or Saturn; next to Jupiter, Venus, leav∣ing Mars and the Sun; and the last of all next to Venus comes Saturn; and by this per∣petual revolution, we know why Sunday the day of the Sun, follows Saturday the day of Saturn, and why after Sunday comes Mon∣day, &c.