test. Palamon, who on
the morning of the following day makes his prayer to Venus, succeeds at
last in winning Emelie, though Arcite, who commends himself to Mars,
conquers him in the tournament. The prayers of both are granted, because
both address themselves to their tutelary deities at hours over which these
deities respectively preside. In order to understand this, we must call to
mind the astrological explanation {132} of the names of the days of the
week. According to Dio Cassius, the Egyptians divided the day into
twenty-four hours, and supposed each of them to be in an especial manner
influenced by some one of the planets. The first hour of the day had the
prerogative of giving its name, or rather that of the planet to which it
was subject, to the whole day. Thus, for instance, Saturn presides over the
first hour of the day, which is called by his name; Jupiter over the
second, and so on; the Moon, as the lowest of the planets, presiding over
the seventh. Again, the eighth is subject to Saturn, and the same cycle
recommences at the fifteenth and at the twenty-second hours. The
twenty-third hour is therefore subject to Jupiter, and the twenty-fourth to
Mars. Consequently, the first hour of the following day is subject to the
sun, and the day itself is accordingly dies Solis, or Sunday. Precisely in
the same way it follows that the next day will be dies Lunae; and so on
throughout the week. To this explanation it has been objected that the
names of the days are more ancient than the division of the day into
twenty-four parts; and Joseph Scaliger has attempted to derive the names of
the days from those of the planets, without reference to this method of
division. His explanation, however, which is altogether geometrical,
inasmuch as it depends on the properties of the heptagon, seems quite
unsatisfactory, though Selden appears to have been inclined to adopt it. At
any rate, the account of the matter given by Dio Cassius has generally been
accepted.

To return to Chaucer: Theseus, as we know, had erected in the place where
the tournament was to be held three oratories, dedicated to Mars, to Venus,
and to Diana. On the day after their arrival, namely, on Monday, Palamon
and Arcite offered their prayers to Venus and Mars respectively, and
Emelie, in like manner, to Diana. Of Palamon we are told that--

"He rose, to wenden on his pilgrimage
Unto the blisful Citherea benigne"

two hours before it was day, and that h