COMMON THINGS TIME. 



Egyptian astronomer of that day. He was, according to the laws, 

 authorised to accomplish this, being himself chief pontiff. 



Astronomical science had so far advanced, that the length of the 

 period determined by the succession of the seasons was known 

 to be about 36o| days. But the adoption of a civil year con- 

 forming to this would have involved consequences of a highly 

 impracticable kind. Thus, if we suppose such a year to commence 

 at midnight, between the 31st December and 1st January, the 

 succeeding year would commence at six A.M. on the next 

 1st January; the next at noon, on the following 1st January; 

 the next at six P.M., on the 1st January of the third year; and, 

 in fine, the next at the midnight between the 1st and 2nd January 

 on the fourth year. Thus, in a series of four years, the first day 

 of January would be transferred piecemeal, quarter by quarter, 

 backwards to the preceding year. 



This was evidently an impracticable measure. Julius Cocsar, 

 who in the eminently practical character of his genius closely 

 resembled Napoleon, resolved upon surmounting the difficulty by 

 an expedient as simple in its execution as it was happy in its 

 conception. 



86. It was decided to adhere to years consisting of a whole 

 number of days, and to allow the fractions to accumulate from 

 year to year, until they should make up an entire day, and then 

 to add that as a supplemental day to the year in which the accu- 

 mulation should arrive at its limit. Since therefore the fraction 

 over the round number of 365 days was assumed to be a quarter of 

 a day, it would at every fourth year amount to a day. It was, 

 therefore, decided to accomplish the object by giving one addi- 

 tional day to such fourth year. These four successive years were 

 to be thus composed : 



1 365 



II 365 



III 365 



IV 366 



Mean length . 



The object was, therefore, attained without annexing fractional 

 parts of a day to the year. 



The additional day given to the fourth year was introduced 

 into the month of February, making that month 30 instead of 

 29 davs. 



160 



