Page:A Study of the Manuscript Troano.djvu/229

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DAY COLUMNS AND NUMERAL CHARACTERS.
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extends over upon the next page or plate, it is always to be understood that the one which precedes is to have its left margin placed to the right margin of that which follows, and that the day column at the left of a division refers to all that stand to the right of it, when thus placed, until another day column is reached. In order to make this clear, let me illustrate by an example. On the middle division of Plate V we find a day column with two figures to the right of it. Turning to Plate IV, we find other figures of a similar character, but no day column. By placing the latter (Plate IV) so that its left margin joins to the right margin of the former (Plate V), we have a continuous series of figures of a similar character. The day column, therefore, on the latter plate, relates to all on the right until we reach the next day column, which will be found in this case on the left margin of Plate III, as in the annexed diagram.

In this illustration the letters represent the days and the position of the day columns. That this is the proper position of these plates in reference to each other may be seen by referring to Plates XXX and XXXI, where the head of the bird in the third division of Plate XXXI—there are four divisions in this case—is on the right margin and the tail on the left margin of Plate XXX[1]


  1. By binding together the plates, exactly the reverse of Brasseur's paging—as is done in many copies—we will probably have them arranged in the order intended.