prosegoriai ton hemeron
katonomasthesan. En hei men gar hemerai nea he selene phainetai, kata
synaloiphen neomenia prosegoreuthe; en hei de hemerai ten deuteran phasin
poieitai, deuteran prosegoreusan; ten de kata meson tou menos ginomenen
phasin tes selenes, apo autou tou symbainontos dichomenian ekalesan. kai
katholou de pasas tas hemeras apo ton tes selenes photismaton prosonomasan.
hothen kai ten triakosten tou menos hemeran eschaten ousan apo autou tou
symbainontos triakada ekalesan.] _Propositum enim fuit veteribus, menses
quidem agere secundum Lunam, annos vero secundum Solem. Quod enim a legibus
& Oraculis praecipiebatur, ut sacrificarent secundum tria, videlicet patria,
menses, dies, annos; hoc ita distincte faciebant universi Graeci, ut annos
agerent congruenter cum Sole, dies vero & menses cum Luna. Porro secundum
Solem annos agere, est circa easdem tempestates anni eadem sacrificia Diis
perfici, & vernum sacrificium semper in vere consummari, aestivum autem in
aestate: similiter & in reliquis anni temporibus eadem sacrificia cadere.
Hoc enim putabant acceptum & gratum esse Diis. Hoc autem aliter fieri non
posset nisi conversiones solstitiales & aequinoctia in iisdem Zodiaci locis
fierent. Secundum Lunam vero dies agere est tale ut congruant cum Lunae
illuminationibus appellationes dierum. Nam a Lunae illuminationibus
appellationes dierum sunt denominatae. In qua enim die Luna apparet nova, ea
per Synaloephen, seu compositionem [Greek: neomenia] id est, Novilunium
appellatur. In qua vero die secundam facit apparitionem, eam secundam Lunam
vocarunt. Apparitionem Lunae quae circa medium mensis fit, ab ipso eventu
[Greek: dichomenian], id est medietatem mensis nominarunt. Ac summatim,
omnes dies a Lunae illuminationibus denominarunt. Unde etiam tricesimam
mensis diem, cum ultima sit, ab ipso eventu [Greek: triakada] vocarunt_.

The ancient Calendar year of the _Greeks_ consisted therefore of twelve
Lunar months, and every month of thirty days: and these years and months
they corrected from time to time, by the courses of the Sun and Moon,
omitting a day or two in the month, as often as they found the month too
long for the course of the Moon; and adding a month to the year, as often
as they found the twelve Lunar months too short for the return of the four
seasons. _Cleobulus_, [52] one of the seven wise men of _Greece_, alluded
to this year of the _Greeks_, in his Parable of one father who had twelve
sons, each