Royal Society. '415 
A Report of the Confultation upon Mr. Dee*s ^ropofal for 
reforming the Calender A. D. 1582, /^y r/i?^ Lord Treafurer 
Burleigh, iiHth Reflexions ; by Mr. John Greaves. Phil. 
Trani: N°. 257. p. 355. 
IT was agreed on by Mr. 'Digges, Mr. Savile and Mr. 
Chambers^ who feverally perufed the book written by 
Mr. 'Dee ^ viz. A 2)ifcotnfe upon the Reformation of the 
vulgar Calendar for the Civil Tear^ to allow of his opi- 
nion 5 viz. That whereas in the Roman calendar reformed, 
there are 10 days cut off, to reduce the civil year to the 
ftate it was in at the council of Nice^ it had been better to 
have cut off 1 1 days, and to have reduced the civil year to 
the ftate it had been in at the birth of Chrift^ and therefore the 
better to agree with all the neighbouring countries, that have 
received the reformation of fubftrading 10 days only, they 
think it may be allowed of without any manifeft error 5 at the 
fame rime remembring to obferve certain rules for the future 
for omitting fome leap-years in fome hundred years : And for 
the fubftrafting of 10 days, Mr. ^ee had compiled a form of a 
calendar beginning with May^ and ending with Augufi wherein 
every one of thefe four months, May, June^ J^^h'-^ Augufty 
fhall have fome days dedu6led, without changing of any feafl 
or holy-day, moveable or fixed j or without altering thecour- 
fes of Trinity-term-^ that is to lay. May to confift of 28 days, 
taking three days from it 5 June to have 29 days, taking from 
it but one day , July toconfilt of 28 days, deducting three days 
therefrom, and Auguft to confift of 28 days, taking likewife 
three days from it 5 all which together make 10 days: And 
becaufe the Roman calendar has a great many rules added 
to it, which ikiUful computifts or aftronomers alone are capa- 
ble of underftanding 5 it is thought proper to make a ihort 
table like an Ephemerides^ to continue the certainty of all the 
moveable feafts, depending only upon Eafler, and agreeing 
with the Roman calender, which may ferve for one or two hun- 
dred years, and fo be eafily renewed when there ihall be occa- 
fion for it. 
As Mr. Greaves c2r\Y\ot wholly approve of the reformation of 
the Roman calendar propofed by IVlr. 2)^f, fo he cannot alto- 
gether difapprove of it^ for he likes the fubftraflion of 10 days, 
as the church of Rome has done, beginning the computation 
from the council of iV/Vf 5 tho' it cannot be denied, but that 
the 
