Blair Collection > Celtic researches, on the origin, traditions & language, of the ancient Britons

2S
Dot then have consisted of fewer than 12 such months or
S60 days. But if with the hest copies of the 70, and with
some other versions of credit, we date the 6l days from the
Itrst of the Elevejith month, this point must be regarded as
fully determined. Tiiere will he 12 months and a few days
over, during which Noah waited for the return of the third
dove, and before he removed the covering of the ark, on the
Jirst day of thej^Vsi month of the new year. And there is
the greatest probability in favour of this reading. Noah
already knew that the waters were abated from οβ" the earth.
The question was now, \vhether the Earth produced any
thing, or whether the dove would be compelled by hunger
to return to the ark. It is not to be supposed that after
having, for some time, dispatched liis weekly messengers,
the patriarch should now wait 29 days to make this experi-
ment; 3 or 4 days must have been fully sufficient for the
purpose. Would not these circumstances have pointed out
some error in the text, had no ancient version suggested and
authoa-ized its correélion ì Upon this authority we have
12 months of 30 days days each, and the Epagones, or in all
300 daj's. But how are we* to account for the number and
the precise length of the months ì Perhaps something in the
fuUowing manner. The hrst periodical phoenomenon which
attraded the notice of our iìiát parents Λvas probably the re-
appearance of the moon, after the change. The iteration of
the seasons, and the periodical approach and retreat of the
sun, with which the seasons were obviously conneekd, must
have also presented themselvc^i to observation. it could not
but be desirable and useful to ascertain the period of these
changes. The moon was resorted to, as the tìrst means of
computation, and 12 lunations were found to come round
nearer to thi; same point, than any other number: Hence the
iu,-tlvc months. But these were very soon discovered to be too
short. The objcòt in view was to obtain a knowledge of the