In his brief and vivid account of
these people he tells us that they used the Greek alphabet;
and as he also says they were very proficient in astronomy,
it seems clear that they had their astronomy from the same
source as their literature. Their astronomy involved of necessity
their notation of time. And the Greeks, in turn, owed their
astronomy to the Egyptians, with whom the year was reckoned
as of three hundred and sixty days; and this three hundred
and sixty-day year gives us the clue to the forty-day period
for holding the Forest Courts in Ancient Britain.
We cannot fail to be struck, as we examine the old Forest
customs, with the constant use of the _number three,_ as a
sacred or "lucky" number, on every possible occasion. We
have just seen the role it plays in the Mine Court, with its
_three_ presiding officials, its jury of multiples of _three_
(twelve, twenty-four, forty-eight); its holly stick oath sworn
by _three_ witnesses. We have notice the Swainmote Court,
also requiring _three_ witnesses, held _three_ times a year, and
subordinate to the Court of Eyre held once in _three_ years;
to which should be added the perambulation of the Forest
bounds at the same triennial visit in Eyre, when the king's
officers were accompanied by nine foresters in fee (_three
threes_) and twenty-four jurors (_eight threes_).
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