Proctor, Richard A.: The Great Pyramid: observatory, tomb, and temple (New York, 1883)

THE ORIGIN OF THE WEEK. 225

that middle point has travelled exactly three-
fourths of the way across, the moon has gone two-
thirds of the way from ' new ' to ' full.' Either
stage can be determined almost as easily with the
frame and threads, or some such contrivance, as
the time of half-moon, and similarly of the cor-
responding stages from ' full ' to ' new.' Thus,
including new and full, we have six stages in the
moon's complete circuit. She starts from ' new ; '
when she has gone one-sixth of the way round, the
advancing arc of light has travelled one-fourth of
the way across her disc ; when she has gone two-
sixths round, it has travelled three-fourths of the
way across : then comes ' full,' corresponding to
half-way round ; then, at four-sixths of the way
round, the receding edge is one-fourth of the way
back across the moon's disc ; at five-sixths it is
three-fourths of the way back ; and lastly she com-
pletes her circuit at ' new ' again. Each stage of
her journey lasts one-sixth of a lunar month ; or
five days, less about two hours. Thus five days
more nearly represents one of these stages than a
week represents a quarter of a lunar month. For
a week falls short of a quarter of a month by more
than nine hours, while five days exceeds a sixth of
a month by rather less than two hours. Moreover^
while six periods of five days exceed a month by
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