Mesorat%20hashas for Megillah 1:3

אֵיזוֹ הִיא עִיר גְּדוֹלָה, כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ עֲשָׂרָה בַטְלָנִים. פָּחוֹת מִכָּאן, הֲרֵי זֶה כְפָר. בָּאֵלּוּ אָמְרוּ מַקְדִּימִין וְלֹא מְאַחֲרִין. אֲבָל זְמַן עֲצֵי כֹהֲנִים וְתִשְׁעָה בְאָב, חֲגִיגָה וְהַקְהֵל, מְאַחֲרִין וְלֹא מַקְדִּימִין. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמְרוּ מַקְדִּימִין וְלֹא מְאַחֲרִין, מֻתָּרִין בְּהֶסְפֵּד וּבְתַעֲנִיּוֹת וּמַתָּנוֹת לָאֶבְיוֹנִים. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, אֵימָתַי, מְקוֹם שֶׁנִּכְנָסִין בְּשֵׁנִי וּבַחֲמִישִׁי. אֲבָל מְקוֹם שֶׁאֵין נִכְנָסִין לֹא בְּשֵׁנִי וְלֹא בַחֲמִישִׁי, אֵין קוֹרִין אוֹתָהּ אֶלָּא בִזְמַנָּהּ:

Which is a large city? Wherever there are "ten idlers" [in the house of prayer, who are idle from work, being supported by the congregation in order always to be found there at the time of prayer.] If there are fewer than that, it is a village. With these [i.e., with the time of the Megillah reading], they said that it is to be advanced, but not delayed [if it falls on a Sabbath]; but with the times of the wood (offerings) of the Cohanim and the people, [where certain families bring wood to the Temple for the (altar) wood pile on fixed days, every year (see Ta'anith 4:5), and they sacrifice a "wood-offering," gift burnt-offerings — if it (their appointed day) falls on a Sabbath, it is delayed to Sunday], and the ninth of Av [(the same applies to all fasts which fall on a Sabbath)], and chagigah (the festival offering) [If yom tov falls on a Sabbath, the festival peace-offerings are pushed off to the next day, for they can be made up all seven days], and hakhel [viz. (Deuteronomy 31:12): "Assemble (hakhel) the people, etc.", where the king would read in the book of Deuteronomy, and all the people were obligated to bring their little children, viz. (Ibid.); "the men, the women, and the little children," which is impossible on Shabbath], (if they fall on a Sabbath,) they are delayed but not advanced, [the time of their obligation not yet having arrived. (As to the ninth of Av, "Calamity is not advanced")]. Even though they said (in respect to the time of the Megillah reading): "It is advanced, but not delayed," it is permitted (on a day that it is advanced) to eulogize, and to fast, and to fulfill the (Purim) obligation of matanoth la'evyonim (giving gifts to the poor). R. Yehudah said: When is this so (that the villages may advance the reading to the day of assembly)? Where they assemble (in the large cities) on Mondays and Thursdays. But where they assemble neither on Mondays nor on Thursdays, they may read it only in its time.

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