COMMON THINGS TIME. 



IT will bo remembered that tlie Eomans counted the days of 

 the month backwards, and that those of the latter part were 

 reckoned from the calends or first day of the next month. Now 

 it happened that the sixth day of February, counting backwards 

 from 1st March, called the sexto-calendas was consecrated to a 

 festival celebrating the expulsion of the Tarquins. It was 

 resolved to place the supplementary day of the fourth year imme- 

 diately before this sexto-calendas, and to avoid changing the 

 denomination of the other days it was decided to call it a second 

 sexto-calendas. It was therefore denominated BISSEXTO-CA- 

 LENDAS, and the year in which this additional day was intercalated 

 was and still is called A BISSEXTILE YEAH. 



The commencement of the year was ordered to take place on 

 the day of the new moon, which occurred next after the winter 

 solstice of the preceding year. This day was accordingly called 

 the 1st January, 709, from the foundation of Eome, and as t'ie 

 commencement of our era was the year 754 from the foundation 

 of Eome, it follows that the date of the Julian reform was 45 B.C. 

 and consequently the year preceding the murder of Csesar. 



87. This admirable arrangement provided for the future, but it 

 did not repair the consequence of the past abuse and disorder. 

 The complementary month called Mercedonius had been the sub- 

 ject of constant maltreatment by the pontiffs, having been 

 abridged and extended in the most capricious and arbitrary 

 manner, so as completely to derange the position of the seasons, 

 relatively to the commencement and the close of the year. To 

 rectify this some bold and exceptional temporary measures were 

 indispensable. Ca3sar being chief pontiff exercised the power 

 which his predecessors in that office had so grossly abused to 

 rectify these disorders, and restored by a violent and exceptional 

 measure the day of the spring equinox to the 25th March, the 

 date which it held in the time of Numa, To accomplish this, he 

 decreed that the year 708 from the founding of Eome should 

 consist exceptionally of 445 days. These 445 days were com- 

 posed in the following manner : - 



Days. 

 The common year . . . . .. . .355 



Month Mercedonius . . . . . 23 



Two extraordinary months between November and 



December : * First .... 33 



Second . . . . 34 



445 



The year in which these changes were introduced came to be 

 called the " YEAH OF CONFUSION." This year was 46 B.C. 



88. Besides thus re-adjusting the place of the equinoxes, the 

 1G2 



