But,  however  early  the  extension  of  the  Lenten  fast  to  forty
days  may  have  been,  it  is  certain  that  they  were  reckoned  in
several  different  ways,  though  always  immediately  preceduig
Easter.  By  various  Churches  the  forty  days  were  distributed
over  periods  of  nine,  eight,  and  seven  weeks  (that  is,  from
Septuagesima,  Scxagesima,  or  Quiuquagesima  to  Easter),  by  the
omission  of  Sundays,  Thursdays,  .nnd  Saturdays,  of  Sundays  and
Saturdays,  or  of  Sundays  alone,  from  the  number  of  fasting-
days  [see  Notes  on  Septuagesima];   and   it  would  appear  that


lA-nt  was  sometimes  called  by  the  three  names  now  confined  to
the  three  Sundays  preceding  it  as  well  as  by  the  name  of  Qua-
tlragesima,  or  TeiraapaKocT-li.  St.  Gregory  the  Great  introduced
our  present  mode  of  observance,  or  sanctioned  it  with  his
authority,  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  century;  excluding  Sundays
from  the  number  of  fasting-days,  and  making  the  thirty -six  days
thus  left  of  the  forty-two  immediately  preceding  Easter  into  an
exact  forty  by  beginning  the  Fast  on  the  Wednesday  before
Quadragesima  Sunday  instead  of  on  the  Monday  following  it.
This  ride  seems  to  have  been  very  readily  accepted  in  the  Western
Church  ;  but  the  Eastern  Lent  [McyaKv  Nijcrrtio]  begins  on  the
Monday  after  the  day  which  we  call  Quinquagcsima ;  and  the
rule  of  fasting  is  so  strict,  that  although  some  slight  relaxation  of
its  rigour  is  allowed  on  Sundays  and  Saturdays,  not  even  the
former  are  wholly  excluded  from  the  number  of  fasting-days.
