CYCLE.
The Romans are said to have had originally a year of 10' months; but in the times of their kings, they adopted a lunar year of 355 days, divided into 12 months, with an occasional intercalary month. Through the ignorance of the priests, who had the charge of this matter, the utmost confusion gradually arose, which Julius Cwsar remedied, 46 B.C. , by the introduction of the JULIAN CALENDAR, according to which the year has ordinarily 365 days, and every fourth year is a leap-year of 366 days—the length of the year being thus assumed as 365+ days, while it is in reality 365 days, 5 hours, 48 min• utes, and 50 seconds; or 11 minutes, 10 seconds less. Cmsar gave to the months the number of days which they still have. ry So comparatively perfect was the Julian style of reckoning time, that it prevailed generally among Christian nations, and remained undisturbed till the renewed accumulation of the remaining error of eleven minutes or so had amounted, in 1582 years after the birth of Christ, to ten complete days; the vernal equinox falling on the 11th instead of the 21st of Mar., as it did at the time of the council of Nice, 325 years after the birth of Christ. This shifting of days had caused great disturbances, by unfixiug the times of the celebration of Easter, and hence of all the other movable feasts. And accordingly, pope Gregory XIII., after deep study and calculation, ordained that ten days should be deducted from the year 1582, by calling what, according to the old calendar, would have been reckoned the 5th of Oct., the 15th of Oct., 1582; and, in order that the displacement might not recur, it was further ordained that every hundredth year (1800, 1900, 2100, etc.) should not be counted 'a leap-year, excepting every fourth hundredth, beginning with 2000. In this way the difference between the civil and natural year will not amount to a day in 5000 years. In Spain, Portugal, and part of Italy, the pope was exactly obeyed. In France, the change took place in the same year, by calling the 10th the 20th of Dec. In the Low Countries, the change was from the 15th Dec. to the 25th; but it was resisted by the Protestant part of the community till the year 1700. The Catholic nations, in general, adopted the style ordained by their sovereign pontiff; but the Protestants were then too much inflamed against Catholicism in all its relations, to receive even a purely scientific improvement from such hands. The Lutherans of Germany, Switzerland, and, as
already mentioned, of the Low Countries, at length gave way in 1700, when it had become necessary to omit eleven instead of ten days. A bill to this effect had been brought before the parliament of England in 1585, but does not appear to have gone beyond a second reading in the house of lords. It was not till 1751, and after great inconvenience had been experienced for nearly two centuries, from the difference of the reckoning, that an act was passed (24 Geo. II., 1751) for equalizing the style in Great Britain and Ireland with that used in other countries of Europe. It was then enacted that eleven days should be omitted after the 2d of Sept., 1752, so that the ensuing day should be the 14th. A similar change was about the same time made in Sweden and Tuscany; and Russia is now the only country which adheres to the old style; an adher ence which renders it necessary, when a letter is thence addressed to a person in another country, that the date should be given thus:—April or for it will be observed, the year 1800, not being considered by us as a leap year, has interjected another or twelfth) day between old and new style.
The C. of the French republic remains to be noticed, which was adopted in conse quence of a decree of the national convention in 1793. The midnight preceding the autumnal equinox of 1792 was fixed upon as the new epoch, from which the years were to be reckoned as the year 1, the year 2, etc. The year was divided into 12 months, each of 30 days, to which new names were given, as Vende miaire (vintage month), Brumaire (foggy month), etc.; and instead of weeks, each month was divided into periods of 10 days, called Primidi, Duodi, Tridi, etc. Five complementary days were added at the end of each year, which were the Fete du Genie, Fete. du Travail, etc. By Napoleon's command, this new system was abolished, and the use of the Gregorian C. resumed on Jan. 1, 1806.