Royal Society. ^ij 
cerns the ecclefiaftical, not the civil year, may eafily be rec- 
tified, if need be, without affefling the civil year at all • or 
if not re£tified, the celebration of Eafter a week, or a month 
fooner or later, doth not influence at all our folemn commemo- 
ration of Chrift^s refurre^tion : And it is agreed by moil, if 
not all chronologers, that as to the year of our Lord, the vul- 
gar year is not the true year, tho' it be not agreed how much 
it differs therefrom ; but it would caufe a great confufion in 
hiftory, if we fhould now go about to alter the vulgar account: 
All the pretence, made for altering our Hile, is only that in fo 
doing we ihould agree with fome of our neighbours with whom 
we now differ; but it would then be as true, that we fhould 
differ from others, with whom we now agree ; but if it be 
faid, that they in time, might come to imitate our example - 
this would be only making the confufion ftill the greater- for 
then we mull be obliged, not only to know what countries ufe 
the new ftile, but from what period they began fo to do, if we 
would underiland their dates: And if we ihould by a new 
law alter the ilile in England^ this would not comprife Scot- 
land, which according to the conilitution of that church is not 
pliable enough to comply with the modes o^ Rome, as fome in 
England are ; and the bufincfs o{ Eafter would lignify nothing 
to them, who obferve no Eafter at all, but rather declare 
againft it ^ befides, this alteration cannot be made without alter- 
ing the common prayer-book, for at leail all the calendar mufl 
be new framed : And when all is done, there will ilill be a 
neceility of keeping up the diftindlion of old and new ilile, 
which 'Pope Gregory's pretended corre6lion hath made necef- 
fary 5 and with that diilin6lion, things may be now as well ad- 
juited, as if we ihould change our Hile : How much better a 
conilitution the J'tdian year is, and more advifeuble than the 
new Gregorian, is a thing fo notorious, that no ailronomer, who 
underfcands the methods of aitronomical calculations, tho* a 
'JPapifty can be ignorant of, however they may pleale to dif- 
femble it; infomuch that, in their ailronomical calculations 
they are fain; firil to adjuil them to the jfulian year, and 
thence transfer them to their new Gregorian ; and confe* 
quently how unreafonable is it for us to exchange our better 
jfulian year, for one that is fo much worfe ; It would be much 
more reafonable that the ^Papifts ihould quit their new Gre- 
gorian, and return to their ov.-n jfulian year, which they might 
be induced to d.o by a bull from the pope. As to what 
Mr. Lock advifes, viz, that for 1 1 leap-years, we fliould omit 
the 
