THE NUMBER SEVEN
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—With regard to the sacredness of the number 7. there can be no doubt that the idea goes back to the Babylonians, the precursors of the Israelites, who knew no more astronomy than the existence of five planets, which together with the sun and moon made seven heavenly bodies which were thought to have an influence on the affairs of mankind. The Babylonian account of the creation enumerates seven gods, who, in the beginning, existed alone. The account of the creation follows as seven days or periods. Thus we obtained seven days in a week. The number was considered divine, and it was thought gave the idea of completeness and unity. Isidore (570-638) says seven is the image of God —of the numbers up to ten, 7 alone neither produces nor is produced, not being formed from any other by multiplication. Once established on this pinnacle, attempts were made to show that the number 7 governed everything divine. Isidore (Liber Numeroruna) says again that three out of the seven indicate the three persons of the Trinity, and the remaining four the cardinal virtues. But this treatise, like others of its kind in the Middle Ages, is chiefly a nientoria technica. Nevertheless it was in this way the pre-eminence of this number was promoted in the Middle Ages. The pupil was told that there were seven days of creation, seven virtues, seven capital vices, seven defects from original sin, &c., &c., &c., and when the number seven would not suffice, two or three groups were put together to make it up. But this dominance of the number in divine matters was taken up by Peter Lombard (/tornit 1159) in his Sentences, the great compendium of Theology ; and at the council of Trent it was urged by the Dominicans, that as so many divine dealings were grouped to sevens, the number of sacraments should be made seven (Paul Sarpi " Hist. of the Council of Trent"). Those who accept the decisions of this council are thus committed to grouping together a series of seven ordinances to which no single definition will apply. It is a warning not to attribute 'special sanctity or eminence to any number. It can never be done without frequently adding or subtracting to make the facts fit.—I am, Sir, &e.,
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