Nones. The 7th day of March, May, July & October, and the 5th of all the other months, were the nones of those months. By the Roman account, the nones of March, May, July and October, are the 6 days next following the first day, or the kalends-and of other months, the 4 days next after the first, according to these verses : "Sex nonas Maius, October, Julius, & Mars; Quatuor at reliqui," &c. Though the last of these days is properly called Nones, for the others are reckoned backwards as distant from them, and accounted the 3rd, 4th, or 5th nones, &c.; and nones had their name from beginning the 9th day before the ides (Jacob). Such expressions as 3, 4, or 5 nonas of any month, are better rendered, on the 3rd, 4th, or 5th day before the nones. The Saxon annalist employs the term very intelligibly, when he dates-" On þam dæge non. Aug."- -on the day of the nones of August. The kings of England, in their public acts, when they did not date by the saint days, which seldom happened, used the common computation by the days of the month; but Henry III, in one instance, used the Roman, according to Dugdale : "Not long after this, scil. in 16 Hen. 3, the king summoned all his nobles, as well the Layty as Prelates, to meet him at Westminster on the nones of March" -Baronage, v. I, p. 44. Non Terminus.-The vacation between term and term in our law-courts, formerly called the time or days of the king's peace.-Lambert., 126. Noon Day.-Nontag was an old German name of the Ascension, which was so called, not because it was the ninth day before Pentecost, but because the Saviour was supposed to have ascended to heaven on the ninth hour. In a Kalend. Alem., "Der schön none tage."-Schilter., Thes. Antiq. Teuton., t. III, p. 198. Notre Dame de l'Angevine, or Septembreche.-The nativity of our Lady in Anjou. Notre Dame de Chasse Mars.-The Annunciation. Notre Dame aux Marteaux,-The same.-Daniel, Mil. Franc., t. I, p. 133. Notre Dame de Pitié.-Wednesday before Palm Sunday, in many churches in France. Nouel.-Christmas, in our Fr. records. Nicot derives the word from Emmanuel, but Menage thinks it comes from Natale, the nativity. It is now called Noel. Nowell.-An old English and French name of Christmas, from Nouel. "Feste de Nowel" occurs in the body of an indenture, dated 1360.-Rymer, Fœder., t. I, p. 510. Nox Sacrata.-The eve of Easter, nox, night, being used for day. Nox Sancta.-The eve of Easter, nor for day: but in the epitaph on Pacificus, archdeacon of Verona, under the emperor Lothaire, it is Saturday night: "Mole carnis est solutus, Obiit Septembriam Nocte sancta, quæ vocatur A Dominica." Du Cange, t. IV, col. 1236. Nuit.-Night. Like nox, it was used by the French for the eve of a festival: "C'est assavoir que la veille ou nuit des trois rois ou de l'epiphanie à l'heure de huit heures à matin" (Du Cange, Suppl.); and there is an instance of "6 Night" used in the same sense in Robert of Gloucester (p. 531)— þe next ger þerafter, a seinte Steuenes nigt, As tuelf hundred and fifti, in ger of grace rigt." Numen.-Poetically, a pagan deity, May 6: G. 405-Sept. 24: G. 414, &c. In these cases, however, it appears to be used instead of nomen. Roman Catholic writers have adopted and applied it to their male and female divinities. In the following date, the 17th light (see Lux) of the month of that deity, whom the dying adore, is Feb. 17: "M. semel x seno, centum quater et simul uno Cum lux septena fuerat mensis quoque dena Inter solares pugnantes et boreales Magna cohors cecidit, duo millia plebs numeravit." Joh. Whithamsted, p. 502. February, as mentioned suprà (p. 39), takes its name from Februa, the infernal Juno, or Proserpine, whose festival was observed in the beginning of this month. This deity was termed Juno Februata, the purified Juno, in imitation of which the Virgin is called Maria Februata, the purified Mary, whose feast of the purification occurs at the same time as that of Juno. Hence, having borrowed the appellation of Juno, it was no great excess of boldness to attribute the month of the Numen of Juno to the Numen of Mary. Nundinæ.-Fairs, for feriæ, days.-The fire which consumed great part of Salisbury, in 1288, says Thomas Wikes, took place "in nundinis sancti Botulphi" (Gale Edit., t. II, p. 117), or about June 17. Nundina were so called, quasi novendina, because the country people came to Rome to buy and sell their commodities every ninth day, being occupied the other seven in their rustic employments (Liv., l. III, c. 35); hence, Nundina expressed market days, a sort of holidays, so that the subsequent metonymy was perfectly easy. Nuptiæ in Chana.-The Epiphany. See Eau changée en Vin, &c. Nutante. In our Fr. records, before night. Nute, Nuyt, Nuyte.-Night, in Fr. records. Nygt, Nygth, Nyth.-Night, in old English. Thus, in the romance of Sir Launfal "For sche wold wt all her mygt þt he hadde be bore day & nygt." Cott. MS., Calig., A. II, fo. 34 b. The last occurs as a termination, as sevenyth for seven night, or se'night (see Dysday), which is sometimes written "VII nyght.”—Paston Letters, v. III, p. 100. Obdormitio.-See Dormitio. It is mostly used for the Virgin's Assumption. See Festum Obdormitionis B. MARIE. Obit. The death of a person, recorded in Kalendars and Annuaria, or annuals of religious houses. "The monks of Pontefract covenanted to celebrate the obit and anniversary of Peter de Falkeberge, and likewise the obit and anniversary of Beatrice his wife, as solemnly as for any monk of their own convent."-Dugdale, Baronag, v. II, p. 3. Oblatio S. MARIE in Templo Domini, cum esset trium Annorum.-Nov. 21: V. 432; T. 445. The Offering of our Lady in the Temple of our Lord, when she was three Years old. This festival is now called the Presentation; but there is an ancient festival of the Presentation V. M., which is now called the Purification (see Festum Presentationis; Hypapante). There is a sermon of George, archbishop of Nicomedia, with the Latin title-" Oratio de Oblatione B. Virginis triennis in templo, in sancta sanctorum."Bodl. MSS., Cromwel., 283, 104, 3. OCCILLE.-See EULALIA. Occursus. See Festum Occursus. Octaba. An octave, or eighth day of a festival, very generally so written instead of octava. Both are indifferently used in the citation of Richard, king of the Romans, in 1263.-Rymer, Fœder., t. I, p. 431. Octava, Octave.-The ancient Christians celebrated their festivals for eight days, but made the last their chief solemnity, from Levit., xxiii, 36, On this account, observes Baronius, it ought to be the holiest of the festivals (Not. ad Martyrol., iv non. Jan.) The antiquity of octaves is attested by St. Leo, who sat from 440 to 461, in his "Serm. VII, de Jejunio Septimi Mensis." They consist of four kinds :-1, of suppletion or renewal; 2, of veneration; 3, of devotion; and, 4, of figure or form. The first is the octave of the Nativity, in which, whatever was omitted in the Nativity is supplied; the second consists of the octaves of Easter, Pentecost, and the Nativities of Christ and St. John the Baptist; the third may be made out of devotion to any saint; and the fourth is an actave in token of the resurrection of saints (Petr. de Natal., l. II, c. 27). Hildebrand entirely omits the last nor are these distinctions of the least importance to any but Papists. All festivals are not octaves, but those which are honored with them, are observed by a repetition of part of the same ceremonies on each of the days called the octaves (Spelm., Gloss., p. 433). It would appear that even some of the principal feasts were without octaves, for, among the customs of the abbey of Evesham, in the Chartulary of that house, the monks "debent eciam habere caritatem de cellario ad prandium singulis diebus octabarum principalium festivitatum quæ octabas habent, exceptis diebus quibus sunt in capis" (Harl. MS., 3763, fo. 152). The octave is the eighth day after a festival inclusively; thus the Epiphany, Jan. 6, has its octave on the 13th, on which day was celebrated the festival of St. Hillary, whose octave (in English law only, for that festival had no octave) was Jan. 20. Apparently because the octave of the Epiphany fell on the 13th, the day of St. Hillary was removed to the 14th, and hence the octave now is Jan. 21, and not Jan. 22, as stated by Mr. Nicholas. "In octabam S. Johannis," is as much as to say, On St. John's day week, or "A week after St. John's day. "Infra Octabas," or "octavas," within the octaves, is any day between the festival and the octave. Octava Infantium.-A name given by St. Augustine to Sunday, in the octaves of Easter. Octave of St. AGNES.-Jan. 28: V. 422; T. 435. This is mostly called Festum S. Agnetis secundo, as being the second celebration of the festival.Suprà, p. 150. Octave of St. ANDREW.-Dec. 7: V. 433, Octave of the Apostles -July 6: E. 455. Octave of the Assumption.-Aug. 22. Octave of St. BIRIN.-Dec. 10: V. 433. Octave of St. CUTHBERT.-Sept. 11. Octave of St. DIONYSIUS & Companions.-Oct. 16. Octave of the Epiphany.-Jan. 13. Octave of the Innocents.-Jan. 4. Octave of St. JOHN.-Jan. 3. Octave of St. JOHN the Baptist.-July 1. Octave of St. LAURENCE.-Aug. 17. Octave of St. MARY.-Sept. 15. Octave of St. MARTIN.-Nov. 18. Octave of the Name of JESUS.-Aug. 14: D. 456. Octave of the Nativity.-Jan 1.-This is said to have been appointed by Fe lix II, in 487; it is mentioned by Isidore in 630-and it appears in some very ancient kalendars; in the Benedictional of St. Æthelwold, and Benc dict's Liber Pollicitus. See Festum Dominicæ Circumcisionis. Octave of St. OSWALD.-Aug. 12. Octave of St. PETER & St. PAUL the Apostles.-July 6. Octave of St. STEPHEN.-Jan. 2. Octave of St. SWITHUN.-July 22. Octave of St. THOMAS, Archbp.—Jan. 5. Octember-October, G. 415.-Flodoard., l. III, c. 3; Menol. Sax., Jul., A. X, fo. 160. Octimber-October.-Wandalbert., Horol., v. 6. Octo Dies Neophytorum.-See Albæ. Octubrium.-October. "Mediante Octubrio.-Lib. Pollicit., n. 75. Oculi mei.-Introit from Ps. 24, and name of the third Sunday in Lent. "In nomine Domini, Amen. Anno ejusdem millesimo trecentesimo decimo tertio die Lunæ post oculi mei, 11 mensis Martii, Indictione 12," &c. (D'Achery, Spicil., t. I, p. 201; Ed. Fol.) The year 1313, which is expressly named, does not correspond with the smaller dates, which, as well as the Indiction, belong to 1314. In a German charter of 1498-" Ame Dinsdage na Oculi in der hilghen Vasten.”—Baring., Clav. Dipl., c. XII, p. 591. Oeptaves.-Octaves, in our Fr. records. Oeptaves de seint Michel."-Acts Priv. Counc., I, 12 a. Octaves.-Octaves, in our Fr. records: "Oetaves de la Tiphanie" (octaves of the Theophany, i. e. Epiphany).--36 Edw. III, st. 1, c. 12. Offering Days.-All offerings made at the altar by the king and queen, are distributed among the poor by the dean of the chapel. There are 12 days called Offering Days, with respect to this practice-Christmas, Epiphany, Candlemas, Easter, Whitsunday, All Saints, New Year's Day, Annunciation, Ascension, Trinity Sunday, St. John Baptist, and Michaelmas Day, all which are high festivals (Lex Constit., 184; see Jacob in voc.) George II and the prince made their offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh, at the chapel royal at St. James's, on Twelfth Day, 1731. Officiari Dies.-Festival Days. Officiata Dies.-A Festival Day. Oictouvre.-October, in French diplomas of the 13th and 14th centuries. Oitieves.-Octaves, in Fr. records: "Et el dyemanche de la Resurrection."— Miracles de S. Louis, ch. 39. OLACIE, OLAILLE, OLAZIE.-See EULALIA. Oleries. Name of the OO of Advent, used in the date of a letter in the year 1478: "Le dernier dimanche des Oleries de devant Noel" (Du Cange, Suppl.) It is the "Festum B. Mariæ de O," in the Offic. Mozarab. See Expectatio B. MARIÆ. OLYMPIA. Apr. 15. A martyr in Persia, in 253.-Hospin. de Fest. Christ., fo. 78. Olympiads.-The Greeks registered the events of their history by Olympiads, or the quadrennial celebration of the Olympic games. This practice began 776 years before the birth of Christ, 23 before the building of Rome, and on the year of the Julian period 3938. As the games were exhibited at the time of the full moon, immediately after the summer solstice, the Olympiads were of unequal length, because the time of the full moon differs 11 days every year. Hence, the Olympiad sometimes began the day after the solstice, and at other times 4 weeks after. The establishment of the indiction is said to have excluded Olympiads from public acts, but they were not abolished until the 16th and last year of Theodosius the Great. However that may be, some authors employed them in dates after Theodosius. The following, which is perhaps unique, was employed by Philip I of France, in one of his charters in favour of the church of St. Ambrose, of Bourges: "Institutio autem istius regiæ liberalitatis domini regis Philippi fuit facta in solemnitate sancti Ambrosii, quæ celebratur mediante octobris, anno ab Incarn. Dom. millesimo centesimo secundo, indictione quinta, olympiade trecentesima secunda, epacta xx," &c. We must not always take this term Olympiad literally from the writers of the middle ages. They frequently employ it to mark absolutely a duration of four years, without any reference to the series of revolutions which it denotes. This seems to be the meaning of a date of Ethelred. It is in this sense that Sidonius Apollinaris, in reply to Orosius, who had asked him for some verses, said that it was now three olympiads (i. e. 12 years) since he had taken leave of the Muses. Before him, Ausonius had said, speaking of his father's age-" undecies binas vixit olympiades," that is, he had lived 88 years. The Romans, also, sometimes used their lustra in the same manner (see Lustrum). St. Colomela, in a piece of poetry addressed to Fedolus, to signify that he is in his 72nd year, says that he has attained the eighteenth olympiad : "Nunc ad olympiadis ter senæ venimus annos." Some deeds of the 8th and 9th centuries employ the term in the sam VOL II. Q Q |