ogies, he stated
that he had been alarmed by hearing that Prof. De M. had an intention of
altering Easter next year. Mrs. De M. kept her countenance, and assured him
that I had no such intention, and further, that she greatly doubted my
having the power to do it. Was she quite sure? his authority was very good:
fresh assurances given. He was greatly relieved, for he had some horses
training for after Easter, which {356} would not be ready to run if it were
altered the wrong way. A doubt comes over him: would Mrs. De M., in the
event of her being mistaken, give him the very earliest information?
Promise given; profusion of thanks; more apologies; and departure.

Now, candid reader!--or uncandid either!--which most deserves to be laughed
at? A public instructor, who undertakes to settle for the world whether a
reader of Clavius, the constructor of the Gregorian Calendar, is fool or
knave, upon information derived from a compiler--in this matter--of his own
day; or a gentleman of horse and dog associations, who, misapprehending
something which he heard about a current topic, infers that the reader of
Clavius had the ear of the Government on a proposed alteration. I suppose
the querist had heard some one say, perhaps, that the day ought to be set
right, and some one else remark that I might be consulted, as the only
person who had discussed the matter from the original source of the
Calendar.

To give a better chance of the explanation being at once produced, next
time the real full moon and Easter Day shall fall together, I insert here a
summary which was printed in the Irish Prayer-book of the Ecclesiastical
Society. If the amusement given by paradoxers should prevent a useless
discussion some years hence, I and the paradoxers shall have done a little
good between us--at any rate, I have done my best to keep the heavy weight
afloat by tying bladders to it. I think the next occurrence will be in
1875.

EASTER DAY.

In the years 1818 and 1845, Easter Day, as given by the _rules in_ 24 Geo.
II cap. 23. (known as the act for the _change of style_) contradicted the
_precept_ given in the preliminary explanations. The precept is as follows:

"_Easter Day_, on which the rest" of the moveable feasts "depend, is always
the First Sunday after the Full Moon, which happens upon or next after the
Twenty-first Day of {357} _March_; and if the Full Moon happens upon a
Sunday, _Easter Day_ is the Sunday after."

But in 1818 and 184