Now let us take the twenty days, in the order they stand in the calendar, commencing with Kan, writing them in four columns, placing one name in each in succession, thus:

Kan.Chicchan.Cimi.Manik.
Lamat.Muluc.Oc.Chuen.
Eb.Been.Ix.Men.
Cib.Caban.Ezanab.Cauac.
Ahau.Ymix.Ik.Akbal.

If we commence with any other day the groups will contain respectively the same days, as, for example, if we begin with Ymix as here shown ([Table IV]).

As I am inclined to believe the author of the plate adopted this order I shall use and refer to this table in speaking of these groups.

Table IV.

1.2.3.4.
Ymix.Ik.Akbal.Kan.
Chicchan.Cimi.Manik.Lamat.
Muluc.Oc.Chuen.Eb.
Been.Ix.Men.Cib.
Caban.Ezanab.Cauac.Ahau.

Examining the five names in the third column we find they are the same as those in the bottom line of the quadrilateral of the plate, and also in the same order. Those of the second column are the same as those in the left column of the plate, though not precisely in the same order; those in the first column the same as those in the top line of the plate, except that in our column we have Caban in place of Eb; and those in the fourth column the same as those in the right column of the plate, except that in our column we have Eb instead of Caban. I am satisfied, therefore, that the artist who made the plate has transposed the characters Eb and Caban; that in place of Eb, the left-hand character of the upper line, there should be Caban, and in place of Caban, the middle character of the right column, there should be Eb, and have made this change in my scheme ([Fig. 2]) and in [Plate II].

This, I admit, has the appearance of making an arbitrary change to suit a theory; but besides the strong evidence in favor of this change shown by the arrangement of the days in four columns just given, I propose to present other testimony.

That the characters here interpreted Eb and Caban are the same as those given by Landa, and in the Manuscript Troano we have positive evidence in the tortous line in the outer space, of which we have already given an explanation. Hence there is no escape from the difficulty by supposing the artist had reversed the characters in their reference to the names. Either he has reversed them as to place, or we are mistaken in our supposition as to how the four groups were obtained.

If we turn, now, to the Manuscript Troano, and examine the day columns, comparing them with these four groups as I have corrected them by this single transposition, I think we shall find one clue at least to the object of the arrangement we observe on this plate. As but few are likely to have the Manuscript at hand, I will refer to Chapter VII of my work (A Study of the Manuscript Troano), where a large number of these day columns are given. In making the comparison I ask the reader to use my scheme ([Fig. 2]). Commencing with the first column on page 165, we find it to be Manik, Cauac, Chuen, Akbal, Men, precisely the same days as in the bottom line. The next two on the same page are first Akbal, Muluc, Men, Ymix, Manik, and second, Ben, Cauac, Chicchan, Chuen, Caban, taken alternately from the bottom and top lines of the quadrilateral.