ing, while he continued on that occasion in those parts, made a visit to the united monasteries of Jarrow and Wearmouth near Durham, was there by Ceolfrid, then abbot of them, so thoroughly convinced of the reasonableness of the Roman way before the other, that on his return to Hy he endeavoured to bring all there to conform to it; but not being able to prevail with them herein, he went into Ireland, and there brought over almost all the northern parts of that island to this way. This happened about A. D. 703. And he had the easier success herein, for that the southern parts of that island had some years before conformed hereto,' being induced to it by an epistle from Honorius, bishop of Rome, written to them about it in A. D. 629. In A. D. 710, the same Ceolfrid above mentioned, having written to Naitan, king of the Picts, an epistle for this way, thereby brought him and all of his nation with him into a conformity to it. This epistle is very learnedly and judiciously written, and no doubt was penned by Bede, who was then a monk under him in these two united monasteries. It is still extant in Bede's Ecclesiastical History, and gives us the best view of this controversy of anything now remaining that hath been written. about it. In A. D. 716,3 Ecgbert, a pious and learned presbyter of the English nation, after having spent many years in his studies in Ireland (which was in that age the prime seat of learning in all Christendom), coming from thence to the monastery of Hy, proposed to them anew the Roman way; and having better success herein then Adamnanus their late abbot had, in that attempt which he had before made upon them for this purpose, brought them all over to it. And after this none but the Welsh persisted in the old form; who, out of the inveterate hatred they had against all of the English nation, were hard to be brought to conform to them in anything. However at length, about A. D. 800, the errors of the old way by that time growing very conspicuous, by reason of the many days which according to the eightyfour years' cycle the lunar account must then have overrun the solar, the Welsh of North Wales were, by the persuasion of Elbodius their bishop, prevailed with to give an ear to those reasons which were alleged for the Roman form; and being convinced by them that it was the better of the two, came into it. And not long after, the Welsh of South Wales followed their example, and did the same; and thenceforth the cycle of eighty-four years, which had lasted for so many ages, became wholly abolished all Christendom over, and was never more brought into use.

Similar contest between the old and new converts respecting the clerical tonsure. There was indeed another controversy between the old Christians of Britain and Ireland and the new ones of the Roman conversion, which was all along at the same time brought upon the stage with that about Easter during the whole contest; that is, that of the clerical tonsure, which was always debated with it, and was everywhere ended at the same time when the other was. But my purpose being to treat only of what related to the Jewish affairs, I have only meddled with this contest, thereby to give the history of the Jew

Beda, Hist. lib. 2, c. 19, et lib. 3, c. 3.

3 Beda, lib. 5, c. 23.

Ibid. lib. 5, c. 22.

Humphredi Lhuid Fragmenta Britannica. Winn's History of Wales, p. 18.
Beda, Hist. lib. 3, c. 25, et lib. 5, c. 22.

but

ish cycle of eighty-four years; and thus far it is within my theme; it being out of it to treat of the other, for this reason I do not here trouble the reader with it.

Particulars of the paschal rule of Dionysius Exiguus.—On the abolition of the eighty-four years' cycle, the paschal rule of Dionysius became the rule of the whole Western church for several ages after; and it being still the rule of Great Britain and Ireland, and all the dominions belonging to them, it will be useful for the English reader to know the particulars of it. They are as followeth :-1. That Easter is a festival annually observed in commemoration of Christ's resurrection. 2. That Sunday being the day on which it is weekly commemorated, that day of the week is the fittest always to be the day on which the annual commemoration of it is to be solemnized. 3. That therefore this festival be always on a Sunday. 4. That it be on the Sunday next after the Jewish Passover. 5. That the Jewish Passover being always slain on the fourteenth day of the first vernal moon, by them called Nisan, the Christian Easter is always to be on the next Sunday after the said fourteenth day of that moon. 6. That to avoid all conformity with the Jews in this matter, though the fourteenth day of the said moon be on a Sunday, this festival is not to be kept on that Sunday, but on the next Sunday after. 7. That the first vernal moon is that whose fourteenth day (commonly called the fourteenth moon) is either upon the day of the vernal equinox, or else is the next fourteenth moon after it. 8. That the vernal equinox, according to the Council of Nice (to the times of which this rule is calculated), is fixed to the 21st day of March. 9. That therefore the first vernal moon, according to this rule, is that whose fourteenth day falls upon the 21st of March, or else is the first fourteenth moon after. 10. That the fourteenth day of the first vernal moon being the limit or boundary which bars and keeps Easter always beyond it, so that it can never happen before or upon that day, but always after it, for this reason it is called the paschal term. 11. That the next Sunday after the paschal term is always Easter-day. 12. That therefore the earliest paschal term being the 21st of March, the 22nd of March is the earliest Easter possible; and the 18th of April being the latest paschal term that can happen, the seventh day after, that is, the 25th of April, is the latest Easter possible; all other Easters are sooner or later, as the paschal terms and the next Sunday after them fall sooner or later within the said limits. 13. That the earliest paschal term, or fourteenth day of the said first vernal moon, being according to this rule on the 21st of March, the fourteenth day before, that is, the 8th of March, must be the earliest first day of this moon that can happen; and the latest paschal term being the 18th of April, the fourteenth day before that, that is, the 5th of April, is the latest first day of this moon that can happen. All other first days of this moon fall sooner or later between the said 8th day of March and the 5th of April following. 14. That the cycle of the moon, which points to us the golden number, always shows us which is the first day of the paschal moon, and consequently which is the fourteenth day of the same; and the cycle of the sun, which points to us the dominical letter, always shows us which is the next Sunday after. And therefore when you know what is the golden number and what is the dominical letter of the year, the following scheme will fully

serve to tell you when Easter will fall, according to this rule, in any year for ever.

Description and explanation of the table for finding out Easter-day.In this scheme, the first column contains the numbers that in the calendar of our Common Prayer Book are called the primes, which are the golden numbers that point out to us the new moons. The second column gives the days of the month. The third contains the golden numbers, which point out to us the paschal terms or the fourteenth day of the first vernal moon (i. e. the day on which the Jews slew their passover). The fourth column gives the dominical letters. And the last, the old Roman calendar. Every number of the prime shows that, in the year when that is the golden number, the new moon is, according to the calculation of this form, on the day of the month over against which it is placed. And every number in the third column shows that, in the year when that is the golden number, the paschal term is on the day of the month over against which it is placed. The dominical letters tell us when is the first Sunday after the paschal term on which Easter begins; and the Roman calendar shows us on what day thereof each particular above mentioned happens. And therefore observing these particulars, when you would find out in any year on what day Easter falls in it, run down your eye in the first column from the 8th of March (which is the earliest first day that can happen of the first vernal moon), you come to that number in it which is the golden number of the

year, and that number tells you that the day of the month over against which it is placed is the first of that moon. And then running down your eye in the third column till you come to the same golden number in that column, that number tells you, that the day of the month over against which it is placed is the paschal term, that is, the fourteenth day of that moon (as by numbering from that which is the same golden number in the first column you will find). And then running down your eye from thence in the fourth column (which is the column of the dominical letters), till you come to the dominical letter of the year, that letter tells you that the day of the month over against which it is placed is the next Sunday after the said paschal term, and that Sunday is the Easter Sunday of the year. As for example, if you would know on what day Easter falls in this present year 1716, run down your eye in the first column till you come to the number seven (which is the golden number of that year), which being placed over against the 17th of March it tells you thereby that this 17th of March is the first day of the first vernal moon of this year. And from thence run down your eye in the third column till you come to the same number of seven in that column, which being placed over against the 30th of March, it tells you thereby that this is the fourteenth day of that moon (as you will find by numbering from the said seventeenth day, which was the first of this moon), or the paschal term of the year. And then run down your eye from thence in the fourth column (which is the column of the dominical letters) till you come to the letter G, (which is the dominical letter of the year), which being placed over against the 1st of April, it tells you thereby that this day is the first Sunday after the said paschal term, and therefore is the Sunday on which Easter is to be solemnized this year. And so, in like manner, if you would know when Easter will fall in the year 1717, eight being the golden number of the year, and placed in the column of the primes over against the 5th of April, it shows that to be the first day of the first vernal moon of that year. And the same number in the third column being placed over against the 18th of April, it shows that to be the paschal term of the year. And the letter F being the dominical letter of the year, and the next F after in the fourth column being placed over against the 21st of April, this shows that the 21st of April is the first Sunday after the said paschal term, and therefore is the Sunday on which Easter is to be observed in that year. And so, by the like method, may be found out when Easter, according to this form, will fall in any year for ever: and hereby not only the rule, but also the reason of the thing, may be seen both together at the same time. And the same may be done by the calendar in the Common Prayer Book, though the third column of this scheme be there wanting. For you having there found, by the method mentioned, the first day of the first vernal moon, number down from thence to the 14th day after, and there you have the paschal term; and the next Sunday_after (which you will know by the dominical letter of the year) is Easter Sunday.

Difference between the true equinox and the Nicene equinox.-But it is to be observed, that the 21st of March is not the true equinox, but only that which was the true equinox at the time of the Nicene council (which was held A. D. 325); since that time the true equinox

hath anticipated the Nicene equinox eleven days. For the Julian solar year, which we reckon by, exceeding the true tropical solar year eleven minutes, this excess in one hundred and thirty years makes a day, and almost eleven times one hundred and thirty years having happened since the time of that Council to this present year 1716, the true equinox now falls eleven days before the Nicene equinox. And so in like manner it hath happened to the primes, that is, the golden numbers, or the numbers of the nineteen years' cycle of the moon in the first column of the calendar in our Common Prayer Book. For they are placed there to show, that the days of the months over against which they stand in that calendar, are the new moons in those years in which they are the golden numbers, and they truly did so at the time of the Council of Nice. But in every one of the nineteen years' cycles of the golden numbers, called the cycles of the moon, the Julian solar reckoning exceeding the true lunar reckoning an hour and almost a half, this hour and a half in three hundred and four years making a day, and four times three hundred and four years and above half three hundred and four years more having now passed since that Council, this hath caused that the true new moons now happen four days and a half before the new moons marked by the primes in the said calendar of our Common Prayer Book. And therefore, if you would have the true equinox by that calendar, you must deduct as many days from the 21st of March as there hath been the number of one hundred and thirty years since the Council of Nice, and that will bring you back to the true time of the equinox in this or any other year wherein it shall be sought for. And so, in like manner, if you would have the true time of the new moon by the same calendar in every month, you must deduct as many days from the days of the month which the primes mark out for the new moons, as there are the number of three hundred and four years in the number of years which are now from the time of the said Council elapsed, that is, four days and a half; and this will lead you back to the true time of the new moon in any month of the year wherein you shall seek to know it. As for example, in this year 1716, the number seven (which is the golden number of the year), as placed in the column of the primes in the month of June, points out the 18th day of the month for the new moon: deduct from it four days and a half, and that will carry you back to the 8th of June, which is the true new moon; and so likewise, in this method, you may know by the same calendar on what day the new moon shall happen in any month or year for ever. And thus far the explication of the Jewish cycle of eighty-four years: and the account of that controversy about it, which was raised in this land among our English ancestors, hath led me, I fear, into too long a digression. To return therefore to our history.