is called the White Feast.

NOTE 1.--The Chinese Year commences, according to Duhalde, with the New
Moon nearest to the Sun's Passage of the middle point of Aquarius;
according to Pauthier, with the New Moon immediately preceding the Sun's
entry into Pisces. (These would almost always be identical, but not
always.) Generally speaking, the first month will include part of February
and part of March. The eighth month will then be September-October
(_v. ante_, ch. ii. note 2).

[According to Dr. S. W. Williams (_Middle Kingdom_, II. p. 70): "The year
is lunar, but its commencement is regulated by the sun. New Year falls on
the first new moon after the sun enters Aquarius, which makes it come not
before January 21st nor after February 19th." "The beginning of the civil
year, writes Peter Hoang (_Chinese Calendar_, p. 13), depends upon the
good pleasure of the Emperors. Under the Emperor Hwang-ti (2697 B.C.) and
under the Hsia Dynasty (2205 B.C.), it was made to commence with the 3rd
month _yin-yueeh_ [Pisces]; under the Shang Dynasty (1766 B.C.) with the
2nd month _ch'ou-yueeh_ [Aquarius], and under the Chou Dynasty (1122 B.C.)
with the 1st month _tzu-yueeh_ [Capricorn]."--H. C.]

NOTE 2.--The expression "_a or batuz_" as here applied to robes, is common
among the mediaeval poets and romance-writers, e.g. Chaucer:--

"Full yong he was and merry of thought,
And in samette with birdes wrought
And with gold beaten full fetously,
His bodie was clad full richely."
--_Rom. of the Rose_, 836-839.

M. Michel thinks that in a stuff so termed the gold wire was _beaten out_
after the execution of the embroidery, a process which widened the
metallic surface and gave great richness of appearance. The fact was
rather, however, according to Dr. Rock, that the gold used in weaving such
tissues was _not_ wire but beaten sheets of gold cut into narrow strips.
This would seem sufficient to explain the term "beaten gold," though Dr.
Rock in another passage refers it to a custom which he alleges of sewing
goldsmith's work upon robes. (_Fr. Michel_, _Recherches_, II. 389, also I.
371; _Rock's Catalogue_, pp. xxv. xxix. xxxviii. cvi.)

NOTE 3.--The number of these festivals and distributions of dresses is
_thirteen_ in all the old texts, except the Latin of the Geog. Soc., which
has _twelve_. Thirteen would seem therefore to have been in the original
copy. And the Ramusian version expands this by saying, "Thirteen great
fe