e moon. Here you are shown and
hear the conjunction of the moon: And a bell brings to the ears by its
sound, all eclipses."]

Webster defines a chronogram as an inscription, sentence, or phrase in
which certain letters express a date or epoch. The method used by Father
Borghesi for forming chronograms was a simple one. He used combinations
of uppercase and lowercase letters in two sizes in the inscriptions on
the clock dial and in his writings. At first this curious combination in
the inscriptions on the dial plate was a source of considerable
speculation. The extremely fine quality of the engraving and artistry
was such that these combinations could only be deliberate in nature and
not the accidental whims or accidents of the engraver. Accordingly, they
must be chronographic in intention. Such proved to be the case.

Borghesi used the larger size of uppercase letters to form the
chronogram, and each chronogram was complete within a phrase or line. He
accomplished this by using for this purpose those letters of the
alphabet which form the Roman numerals. The uppercase letters found
within words are copied off in the order in which they appear in the
inscription or phrase. These are then converted into their numerical
equivalents, and totaled. Taking the uppermost inscription on the clock
dial as the first example:

FranCIsCVs I sIt pLan. DoMInator aeternVs

The letters which are intended to form the chronogram are:

C I C V I I L D M I V

100 1 100 5 1 1 50 500 1000 1 5

These figures added together total 1764.

The second inscription on the clock dial which forms a chronogram is

LaVs saCrosanCtae TrIaDI VnI Deo, et DeIparae

L V C C I D I V I D D I

50 5 100 100 1 500 1 5 1 500 500 1 = 1764.

The third inscription required a little more planning, because of its
greater length. Accordingly, Father Borghesi divided it into nine parts,
each of which is separated from the other by means of asterisks. Each of
the nine parts of the inscription formed a chronogram which, in every
instance, totals to the date 1764, the year in which the second clock
was completed. The same procedure was followed with the inscriptions in
the lower left and the lower right corners of the dial as well as with
the maker's inscription within the central disk. This inscription is

BVrghesIo DoCtore, et BertoLLa LIMatore AnnanIensIbVs

V I D C L L L I M I I V

5 1 5