Though this opinion has a great deal of antiquity on its side; Aulus Gellius says--it was borrowed from the Chaldeans, who possibly might receive it from Pythagoras, whose philosophy teemed much in numbers, and who imagined a very extraordinary virtue in the number 7. The principal authors on climacterics are--Plato, Cicero, Macrobius, Aulus Gellius. Among the ancients--Argal, Magirus, and Solmatheus. Among the moderns--St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, Beda and Boethius, all countenance the opinion. There is a work extant, though rather scarce, by Hevelius, under the title of _Annus Climactericus_, wherein he describes the loss he sustained by his observatory, &c. being burnt; which it would appear happened in his grand climacteric, of which he was extremely apprehensive. Astrologers have also brought under their inspection and controul the days of the year, which they have presumed to divide into _lucky_ and _unlucky_ days; calling even the sacred scriptures, and the common belief of christians, in former ages, to their assistance for this purpose. They pretend that the fourteenth day of the first month was a blessed day among the Israelites, authorised, as they pretend, by the several passages out of Exodus, v. 18:-- "In the first _month_, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day at even," v. 40. Now, the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 41. "And it came to pass, at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the self same day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt." 42. "It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt; that is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel, in their generations." 51. "And it came to pass, the self same day, that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies." Also _Leviticus, chap. 23, v. 5._ "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even, is the Lord's passover." _Numbers, chap. 28, v. 10._ "Four hundred and thirty years being expired of their dwelling in Egypt, even in the self same day they departed thence."