THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE CALENDAR 261 



■plicated as to break down in the working, until we come 

 -to the great clear-headed man Julius Caesar. 



In the very earliest times of the city of Rome the 

 solar year, or complete cycle of the seasons, was divided 

 into ten lunar months covering 304 days, and it is not 

 known how the remaining days necessary to complete the 

 solar revolution were dealt with, or disposed of. The 

 year was considered to commence with March, probably 

 with the intention of getting New Year's Day near to the 

 spring equinox. The Celtic people and the Druids, with 

 their mistletoe rites, kept New Year also at that time. 

 The ten Roman months were named Martins, Aprilus, 

 Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, 

 November, December. In the reign of the King Numa 

 two months were added to the year — namely, Januarius at 

 the beginning and Februarius at the end. In 452 B.C. 

 February was removed from the end and given second 

 place. The Romans thus arranged twelve months into 

 the year, as the ancient Egyptians and the Greeks had 

 long before done. The months were made by law to 

 consist alternately of twenty-nine and of thirty days (thus 

 keeping near to the average length of a true lunar cycle), 

 and an odd day was thrown in for luck, making the year 

 to consist of 355 days. This, of course, differs from the 

 solar year by ten days and a bit. To make the solar year 

 and the civil or calendar year coincide as nearly as might 

 be Numa ordered that a special or " intercalary " month 

 should be inserted every second year between February 23rd 

 and 24th. It was called " Mercedonius," and consisted of 

 twenty-two and of twenty-three days alternately, so that 

 four years contained 1465 days, giving a mean of 366^ 

 days to each year. But this gave nearly a day too much 

 in each year of the calendar (as the legal or civil year 

 is called) as compared with the true solar year, agree- 

 ment with which was the object in view. So another law 



