It has probably often been remarked as somewhat curious, that Chaucer, in
describing the arrival of Palamon and Arcite at Athens, mentions the day of
the week on which it takes place:
"And in this wise, these lordes all and some,
Ben on the Sonday to the citee come," &c.
Nothing seems to depend on their coming on one day of the week rather than
on another. In reality, however, this apparently insignificant circumstance
is astrologically connected with the issue of the contest. Palamon, who on
the morning of the following day makes his prayer to Venus, succeeds at
last in winning Emelie, though Arcite, who commends himself to Mars,
conquers him in the tournament. The prayers of both are granted, because
both address themselves to their tutelary deities at hours over which these
deities respectively preside. In order to understand this, we must call to
mind the astrological explanation {132} of the names of the days of the
week. According to Dio Cassius, the Egyptians divided the day into
twenty-four hours, and supposed each of them to be in an especial manner
influenced by some one of the planets. The first hour of the day had the
prerogative of giving its name, or rather that of the planet to which it
was subject, to the whole day. Thus, for instance, Saturn presides over the
first hour of the day, which is called by his name; Jupiter over the
second, and so on; the Moon, as the lowest of the planets, presiding over
the seventh. Again, the eighth is subject to Saturn, and the same cycle
recommences at the fifteenth and at the twenty-second hours. The
twenty-third hour is therefore subject to Jupiter, and the twenty-fourth to
Mars. Consequently, the first hour of the following day is subject to the
sun, and the day itself is accordingly dies Solis, or Sunday. Precisely in
the same way it follows that the next day will be dies Lunae; and so on
throughout the week. To this explanation it has been objected that the
names of the days are more ancient than the division of the day into
twenty-four parts; and Joseph Scaliger has attempted to derive the names of
the days from those of the planets, without reference to this method of
division. His explanation, however, which is altogether geometrical,
inasmuch as it depends on the properties of the heptagon, seems quite
unsatisfactory, though Selden appears to have been inclined to adopt it. At
any rate, the account of the matter given by Dio Cassius has generally been
accepted.
To return to Chaucer: Theseus, as we know, had erected in the place where
the tournament was to be held three oratories, dedicated to Mars, to Venus,
and to Diana. On the day after their arrival, namely, on Monday, Palamon
and Arcite offered their prayers to Venus and Mars respectively, and
Emelie, in like manner, to Diana. Of Palamon we are told that--
"He rose, to wenden on his pilgrimage
Unto the blisful Citherea benigne"
two hours before it was day, and that he repaired to her temple "in hire
hour."
In the third hour afterwards,
"Up rose the sonne, and up rose Emelie
And to the temple of Diane gan hie."
Her prayer also was favourably heard by the deity to whom it was addressed;
the first hour of Monday (the natural day beginning at sunrise) being
subject to Luna or Diana. The orisons of Palamon were offered two hours
earlier, namely, in the twenty-third hour of Sunday, which is similarly
subject to Venus, the twenty-fourth or last hour belonging to Mercury, the
planet intermediate between Venus and the Moon. It is on this account that
Palamon is said to have prayed to Venus in her hour.
Arcite's vows were made later in the day than those of Palamon and Emelie.
We are told that
"The nexte hour of Mars following this,"
(namely after Emelie's return from the temple of Diana)
"Arcite unto the temple walked is
Of fierce Mars."
The first hour of Mars is on Monday, the fourth hour of the day; so that as
the tournament took place in April or May, Arcite went to the temple of
Mars about eight or nine o'clock.