gious.
The first begins with the name of the month; then follows the number
of days; then the nones, which in eight months of the year fall on the
fifth day, and were thence called quintanae--in the others on the
seventh, and were, therefore, called septimanae. The ides are not
mentioned, because seven days always elapsed between them and the
nones. The number of hours in the day and night is also given, the
integral part being given by the usual numerals, the fractional by an
S for semissis, the half, and by small horizontal lines for the
quarters. Lastly, the sign of the zodiac in which the sun is to be
found is named, and the days of the equinoxes and of the summer
solstice are determined; for the winter solstice we read, _Hiemis
initium_, the beginning of winter. Next the calendar proceeds to the
agricultural portion, in which the farmer is reminded of the principal
operations which are to be done within the month. It concludes with
the religious part, in which, besides indicating the god under whose
guardianship the month is placed, it notes the religious festivals
which fall within it, and warns the cultivator against neglecting the
worship of those deities upon whose favor and protection the success
of his labors is supposed mainly to depend.

[Illustration: GOLD LAMP. (_Found at Pompeii._)]

No articles of ancient manufacture are more common than lamps. They
are found in every variety of form and size, in clay and in metal,
from the cheapest to the most costly description. A large and handsome
gold lamp found at Pompeii in 1863 may be seen in the Pompeian room at
the museum in Naples. We have the testimony of the celebrated
antiquary, Winkleman, to the interest of this subject. "I place among
the most curious utensils found at Herculaneum, the lamps, in which
the ancients sought to display elegance and even magnificence. Lamps
of every sort will be found in the museum at Portici, both in clay
and bronze, but especially the latter; and as the ornaments of the
ancients have generally some reference to some particular things, we
often meet with rather remarkable subjects. A considerable number of
these articles will be found in the British Museum, but they are
chiefly of the commoner sort. All the works, however, descriptive of
Herculaneum and Pompeii, present us with specimens of the richer and
more remarkable class which attract admiration both by the beauty of
the workmanship and the whimsical variety of t