This means the whole of the sixth hour (as we should say, from 11 to 12 o’clock): the beginning of the seventh hour is the exact moment of noon, after which the day begins to decline. It was for this reason, Dante believes, that Christ chose to die during the sixth hour,[439] and during his 34th year, for then the day and his human life were both at their culmination, and had not begun to decline. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [439] _Luke_ xxiii. 44-46. Dante understands this to mean that death took place at about the sixth hour, not the ninth. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There was some difference in the methods of reckoning the hours for Church offices, but Dante tells in this same passage which of them he considered right, and he follows it consistently in his works. The Church day was divided into four parts, viz.:— At the equinox= Tierce, Sunrise to the end of the third hour 6 to 9 a.m. Sext, Fourth to end of sixth hour 9 a.m. to 12 noon Nones, Seventh to end of ninth 12 noon to 3 p.m. Vespers, Tenth hour to sunset 3 to 6 p.m. Two of the Church offices were to be said at the beginning, and one at the end, of these periods, as follows:— Tierce, at the end _i.e._ 9 a.m. at the equinox. Nones, at the beginning _i.e._ 12 noon. Vespers, ” ” _i.e._ 3 p.m. at the equinox. Thus sext is omitted altogether, and Dante says that the reason for the arrangement is to approximate in every case to that hour which is the noblest of the whole day, the sixth. Mid-tierce was halfway through the period from sunrise to the end of the third hour, that is, 7.30 a.m. at the time of the equinox; and mid-nones and mid-vespers were counted in the same way. As an instance of reckoning hours by the sun, we may quote the reply of Adam when Dante desired to know how long time he had spent in Eden: “Dalla prim’ ora a quella che seconda, Come il sol muta quadra, l’ora sesta.”[440] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [440] “From the first hour to that which cometh next (As the sun changes quarter) to the sixth.” _Par._ xxvi. 141-142. (_Carey_). ------------------------------------------------------------------------