“Levati sut disse’l Maestro, in piede: 
    La via e lunga, e’l cammino e malvagio: 
  E gia il Sole a mezza terza riede.” (Inf. xxxiv,)

Half-prime we have in Chaucer:—­

  “Say forth thy tale and tary not the time
  Lo Depeford, and it is half way prime.” 
      —­(Reeve’s Prologue.)

Definitions of these terms as given by Sir H. Nicolas and Mr. Thomas Wright (Chron. of Hist. p. 195, and Marco Polo, p. 392) do not agree with those of Italian authorities; perhaps in the north they were applied with variation.  Dante dwells on the matter in two passages of his Convito (Tratt.  III. cap. 6, and Tratt.  IV. cap. 23); and the following diagram elucidates the terms in accordance with his words, and with other Italian authority, oral and literary:—­

“Te lucis ante terminum.”

X 12 6
. 
Compieta. .
.
* 11 5
. 
Mezza-Vespro. .
.
* 10 4
.
.
. 
Vespro.  X 9 3
.
.  E
. c
* 8 c 2 P.M.
. l
Mezza-Nona. . e C
. s i
* 7 i 1 v
. a i
Nona. . s l
. t
# 6 i 12
. c H
Sesta. . a o
. l u
* 5 11 r
.  H s
. o
. u A.M.
* 4 r 10
. s
Terza. .
. 
X 3 9
.
.
.
* 2 8
. 
Mezza-Terza. .
.
* 1 7
. 
Prima. .
. 
X 12 6

“Jam Lucis orto Sidere.”

NOTE 4.—­Valentyn mentions among what the Coromandel Hindus reckon unlucky rencounters which will induce a man to turn back on the road:  an empty can, buffaloes, donkeys, a dog or he-goat without food in his mouth, a monkey, a loose hart, a goldsmith, a carpenter, a barber, a tailor, a cotton-cleaner, a smith, a widow, a corpse, a person coming from a funeral without having washed or changed, men carrying butter, oil, sweet milk, molasses, acids, iron, or weapons of war.  Lucky objects to meet are an elephant, a camel, a laden cart, an unladen horse, a cow or bullock laden with water (if unladen ’tis an ill omen), a dog or he-goat with food in the mouth, a cat on the right hand, one carrying meat, curds, or sugar, etc., etc. (p. 91). (See also Sonnerat, I. 73.)

NOTE 5.—­Chughi of course stands for JOGI, used loosely for any Hindu ascetic.  Arghun Khan of Persia (see Prologue, ch. xvii.), who was much given to alchemy and secret science, had asked of the Indian Bakhshis how they prolonged their lives to such an extent.  They assured him that a mixture of sulphur and mercury was the Elixir of Longevity.  Arghun accordingly took this precious