Three drafts of 'Considerations about rectifying the Iulian Kalendar' and an unrelated alchemical recipe Isaac Newton c. 5,878 words The Newton Project Falmer 2009 Newton Project, University of Sussex

This text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

 1699 and later, c. 5,911 words. 'The use of the Kalendar for finding the Lords day & the Moveable Feasts' [Yahuda Ms. 24b]Yahuda Ms. 24 Yahuda Ms. 24a, National Library of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel IsraelJerusalemNational Library of Israel Yahuda Mss Yahuda Ms. 24a SL222

40

 1699 and later England English Latin Holograph ReligionChronology Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Tagged transcription begun by John Young Transcription completed by John Young Proofed by Robert Iliffe Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
Ms. 24A1r Considerations about rectifying the Iulian CKalendar

Times & seasons, according to as we learn byMoses intimates, were at first distinguistdistinguisht by yethe Sun & Moon, a return of yethe Moon being taken for a month & a return of summer & winter for a year recconed by returns of night & day new & full moons winter & summer. Whence the oldest years consisted of Lunar months, & where 12 months were manifestly too short, a thirteenth was added to make up the year. These months began not at yethe conjunction of yethe Luminaries but at yethe first appearance of yethe new moon wchwhich used to be between 18 & 42 hours after if yethe sky was clear. And because the new moon appeared in theat sunset evening the days of yethe Lunar months began in the evening

The just length of a summer & winter is the return of yethe Sun to yethe same Equinox, that is 365 days & six hours, wanting about 1114 minutes. And there being something more then 12 Moons in a summer & winter, & something more then 2912 days in a Moon; the first ages took yethe next round numbers of 12 months to a year & 30 days to a lunar month & so made the civil year to consist of 360 days: & this was yethe roundest way of recconing & gave occasion to whence came yethe division of a circle into 360 degrees.

But this year being too short by five days & almost six hours, the Egyptians added 5 days to yethe end of it, & so made yethe year to consist of 12 full lunar months & 5 days or 365 days. And this year was in use in Egypt at least from yethe days of Amenophes or Memnon yethe grandson of Sesak Sesostris, & was seems to have binbeen received in the Assyrian & Persian Monarchies. At length Iulius Cæsar in lieu of the six hours added a day once in four years to yethe year of 365 days & by adapting this measure to the Roman year made this Roman a new year to consisting of 12 months of various lengths without any good order or uniformity or agreemtagreement & wthwithout adjusting of the months wthwith yethe stay of yethe sun in the 12 signs; & the Senate in honour of Augustus took a day from February & added it Augustto August: & so Cæsar & yethe Senate together left us a year more deformed irregular and intricate then any either of the former the Egyptian, but better on this account that the same months keep better to yethe same seasons of the year. And because this year is too long by about 1114 minutes, that is, by a day in 166 128 years, Pope Greg. XIII about 118 years ago ordeined that three days be taken from it in 400 years by omitting the 29th of February in the end of every hundred years excepting every fourth. at yethe end of every four hundred. years And to bring the Equinox to the same 21th of March on wchwhich it fell in the time of yethe Council of Nice he took 10 days from this year whence arose the difference of 10 days between yethe old & new stiles in yethe Century wchwhich is now expiring. Had he taken away 4 days in every 500 years & reduced the Equinox either to the 23 or 24th of March on wchwhich it fell in yethe age of Christ he would have made a better reformation. And had Iulius Cæsar either added a day to yethe Egyptian yeare once in 4 years or divided the year into four equal quarters according to yethe four cardinal periods of the solstices & mean equinoxes & then divided every quarter into 3three months as nearly equal as he could make them, wchwhich he might have done by making the months of 30 & 31 days alternately & the last month of 31 days in leap years & 30 days in ordinary years, so that in the Leap year all yethe odd months should have 30 days & all the eaven 31, he would have made the Roman year of a regular & convenient form & well adapted to yethe motion of the sun & seasons of the year periods of summer & winter. And had he ordeined that at yethe end of every 100 years the last day of yethe leap year should be omitted excepting at yethe end of every 500 years this Iulian year might have been lasting as well as regular & just. 1v But such a year is not to be set on foot unless in an universal Monarchy. The question is now whether yethe old stile should be retained in conformity with antiquity or the new received in conformity with the nations abroad. Which ought to be done I undertake not to determin but if yethe new stile be resolved upon I beleive it will be best to receive it without the Gregorian Kalendar by an Act of Parliamtment to this purpose 1 That For avoyding the difference of recconing by yethe new & old stile wchwhich is troublesome in commerce between this & other nations, [The month of May – wchwhich shall be in the year of orour Lord 1700 shall have but 20 days & yethe month of Iune shall begin upon yethe day next after yethe 20th day of May] wthwithout any alteration in]it may be enacted that in the yeare of orour LdLord the month of 11 days of the Month of wchwhich follow next after the day of shall immediately succeed the day of without any alteration in the days of the week or in the form of the Iulian Kalendar [or days of yethe week [or Golden number]excepting that the numbers for determining the new & full moons may be omitted. And this Accompt or Stile to be thence forward received used & understood in all his MajtsMajestys Dominions in all Dates & recconings of times for keeping of set Festivals, Fairs, Birthdays & all other anniversary days & for performance of all covenants duties & services & payment of all interest rents salaries pensions wages Legacies & all other debts & dues whatsoever, with an abatement of interest rent salary pension or wages for & proportional to unto elevenallowance of 11 days in the first payment of any interest rent salary pension or wages wchwhich shall by vertue of any covenant grant act or deed had made or done before the said 20th day of May, become due on or after the first day of Iune above mentioned, that is to say with an abatemtment of the hundredth part of three years interest rent salary pension or wages. 2. Provided nevertheless that all debts wchwhich ought to be paid & all things wchwhich ought to be done on any of the eleven days of May wchwhich were to succeed the said 20th day & are hereby abolished shall be paid & done on the same day or days wthwithin yethe compass of the said eleven days wchwhich next succeed the said day of as if this Act had never been made. 3. For avoyding the double recconing by yethe civil & ecclesiastical years between the last day of Ianuary December & yethe 25th day of March, the Ecclesiastical year shall in all his MajtsMajestys Dominions, from & after the end of December wchwhich shall be in yethe year 1700 of orour Lord 1700 said 20th day of May begin on yethe the first day of Ianuary for ever & be no longer dated from the 25th day of March 4 And that yethe beginning of the year may not recede from but rather approach nearer to the winter solstice & the solstices, equinoxes & set Festivals approach nearer to the days of yethe year on wchwhich they fell in yethe age of the Apostles, it may be further enacted that yethe 29th of February be omitted in yethe end of every century of years, that is, in the years of orour Lord 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100 & so on perpetually for yethe space of 2000 years next ensuing untill the year of orour Lord 3000. 5 And because the Festival of Easter is appointed to be kept on yethe sunday next after the full Moon wchwhich falls upon or next after the day of the Vernal Equinox, let the one & twentithtwentieth day of March in computing the time of Easter be taken for yethe day of the Vernal Equinox untill the year of orour Lord 2000, & thenceforward let the 22th day of March in the same computation2rtation of Easter be thenceforward reputed & taken for yethe Vernal Equinox untill the year of orour Lord 2500, & thenceforward yethe 23th untill yethe year 3000 6 And whereas the Festival of Easter ought to fall on the Lords day next after the 14th day of the first Iudaic month & yethe Months of the Iudaic year are Lunar: for computing the time of Easter & the other moveable festivals it may be further enacted that the Lunar months used in that computation shall consist of 30 & 29 days alternately in three periods or cycles of Months perpetually to succeed one another, each of wchwhich periods shall consist of an odd number of months, the two first of 17 & the third of 15 & the first & last month of each period shall contein 30 days, so that all three periods summed up together shall make a larger period of 49 lunar months conteining 1447 days that isor four solar years wanting a fortnight. And the period of 15 months once in every 1000 years that is to say next ensuing the years of orour Lord 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 &c shall have eight months deducted from it, & shall consist of the seven remaining months & no more: And the first day of the first lagelarge period Ianuary wchwhich shall be in yethe year of orour Lord 1701 shall be the day of the month of the great cycle of 49 months: and the Festival of Easter shall be kept on yethe Lords day next after the 14th day of that Lunar month whose 14th day falls upon or next after the day of the Vernal equinox according to the meaning of this Act.
2v Apart from the page number, all the text on this page is upside down; it continues, still upside down, on f. 2r where it becomes interlineated with the foregoing. Illam Nigrido enim humiditatem arguit et Nam terra non prius humiditate omni privatur quam albecitalbescit et in pulverem convertitur. Si terram – id semper separandum est. Lullius in destillationibus – ad extractionem animarum utitur digestionibus quandoqꝫque horarum 24 quandoqꝫque dierum duorum vel trium et in destillationibus subsequentibus quibus anima extrahitur et corpus calcinatur utitur tribus – inceratione medicinæ servatur. Præstat vero Oleum incerativum in idem Recipiens – triviale videatur Præcedentia omnia fieri debent cum igne valde lento – commodo privantur. In calcinatione materiæ nostræ porositas ejus conservari debet – per calcinationem [non vulgarem] sed nostram – mansura est. Caveas igitur (ut supra dictum est) ne materia vitrescat neve anima ascendat sine spiritu, aut spiritus igne nimio destilletur. Terra et aqua per putrefactionem purificantur modo terra multoties calcinetur dum est separata ab humido & humidum suum multoties destilletur et sublimetur a terra sua. Sic ambo purificantur: tamdiu enim urgendi sunt et fatigandi calcinationibus destillationibus et putrefactionibus donec tandem ad supremam puritatem et substantiæ nitorem deveniant. Faber Panchym. p l 4. c. 14. Ignis in principio destillationis debet esse lenis in medio temperatus in fine vero fortissimus ut igneæ illæ et aereæ exhalationes quæ in visceribus terræ nostræ continentur penitus exhauriantur et foras exeant a corpore suo & transeant in spatium amplum recipientis ibiqꝫque cum reliqua aqua jam transacta fiant aqua. – Tum ex Spiritu et anima sic abstractis remanet corpus durum et forte et valde siccum in fundo vasis destillatorij: quod quidem accipiendum est et terendum ut in pulverem tenuem reducatur et [ novo vasi vitreo destillatorio includendum et iterum fortissima destillatione urgendum et exagitandum est ut ultimos exhalet spiritus et per viginti quatuor horas urgendum est continuo et fortissimo igne quo poteris. lavendum tamen ne materia adeo fortissimo agitetur et urgeatur igne ut vitrescat: periret enim et destrueretur hæc materia nec amplius suos spiritus et animas exhalatas ebibere posset: quod tamen est conservandum in hac materia scilicet desiderium et fames ebibendi et comedendi suos spiritus et animas fugaces: quod fit modo ne materia vitrescat. Calcinanda solum est et valde desiccanda ut spiritus intimi qui intime adhærent corpori suo forti illa calcinatione exhalent et in vas recipiens transeatnt. – Hanc corporis nostri calcinationem et desiccationem multoties esse repetendam censent omnes Philosophi per hæc verba multis in locis repetita Tere, tere, tere &c. – Calcinatio autem nostra non fit solo igne ut calcinatio vulgaris sed etiam cum aqua nostra quæ ignis dicitur. Cum eo potissimum igne calcinatur corpus nostrum et in pulverem albissimum redigitur, quod tunc temporis censetur calcinatum et non antea. – Nam calcinatio nostra est non tantum est desiccatio fortis et arida sed est spirituosæ et volatilis substantiæ corporis nostri exhalatio et fixæ ejusdem substantiæ corporis nostri desiccatio cum conservatione humiditatis radicalis fixæ et permanentis quæ exhalari non debet sed permanere et stare in rigore et vigore ipsius ignis. Et hanc corporis nostri siccitatem igneam calcinatione nostra quærimus et efflagitamus puram et nitidam quia hæc sola tingit et maturat et perficit. Ad hanc sicitatem puram puram et nitidam pervenimus nostra sola calcinatione et solutione. Non una tantum operatione sed ambabus simul quia non possumus calcinare nisi solvamus neqꝫque nec solvere nisi calcinamus – Corpus autem nostrum in aqua sua lignatum et fusum perquam optimè conjungi cum aqua sua non potest ut perfectissimè attenuentur et aqua fiat nisi inhumatione et putrefacti Chymica [seu leni digestione] id fiat. Hanc autem operationem excogitarunt Chymici Philosophi ut vapores et exhalationes et fumi ignei et aerei qui in destillatione terræ nostræ ex terra nostra exierunt & foras perruperunt quiqꝫque meatibus et poris aquæ nostræ adhuc vigiles sunt et nondum aqua facti, levi ista digestione conclusa fiant tandem aqua et penetrent una cum aqua poros omnes terræ nostræ, et sic pedetentim fiat solutio nostra Chymica quæ sine putrefactione et inhumatione Chymica commode fieri non potest – Hæc enim inhumatio cum corporis nostri corruptione et alteratione non subitò fit, non unica corporis nostri solutione in aqua peragitur sed multis multoties repetitis tum inhumationibus tum solutionibus et simul desiccationibus et calcinationibus multoties repetitis peragitur absolvitur ita ut pedetentim insensibili quadam via corpus nostrum vere inhumetur solvatur calcinetur et putrefiat atqꝫque corrumpatur donec ultimò moriatur et ultimos efflet spiritus, quod, dum corpus nigerrimum ex ignis violentia egreditur, testatum est et significatur. – Hinc dicitur hæc operatio etiam Ablutio quasi esset opus illud mulierum. Nam quemadmodum mulieres lavant et abstergunt maculas a pannis sic nos materiam abluimus a maculis suis igne et aqua. Aqua tamen nostra non est vulgaris sed ignea, ex visceribus ipsius materiæ ortum et scaturiginem habens. Hac aqua utimur ad ablutionem nostram faciendam et dum inhumamus et putrefacimus etiam abluimus, quia dum materiam nostram post calcinationem suam & fortem destillationem aqua nostra dissolvimus, excrementa quæ non sapiunt essentiam et naturam materiæ nostræ non solvuntur sed fundum vasis petunt & hypostasi facta glomerantur in unum quod facili via per inclinationem aut filtrum separari potest et sic materia nostra abluitur igne et aqua Abstergit siquidem et mundificat aqua nostra imo et calcinat et urit magis quam ignis At aqua ipsa qua utimur ad ablutionem nostram peragendam mundissima esse debet et septies aut pluries destillata ut a nigredine sua privetur. et sic candida et albissima fiat. Cum mundis enim mundamur et cum fœtidis et excrementosis deturpamur. Et nisi recte et perquam optime abluas, nihil in Chemia utile habebis. Faber Panchym. l. 4. c 47, 48, 49, 50. 3r Considerations about rectifying the Iulian Kalendar Times were at first recconed by returns of day & night, new & full moon, summer & winter. Whence the oldest years consisted of Lunar months, & where 12 months were found too short a thirteenth was added to make up the year. These months began not at the conjunction of the Luminaries but at yethe first appearance of the new moon wchwhich used to be between 18 & 42 hours after the conjunction if yethe sky were clear. And because the new moon appeard at sun-set the days of the lunar months began in yethe evening. The just length of a summer & winter is the return of yethe sun to the same equinox, that is 365 days & six hours wanting about 1115 minutes. And there being something more then 12 Moons in a summer & winter & something more then 29 days & half in a Moon, the first ages took the next round numbers of 30 days to a month & 12 months to a year & so made yethe civil year to consist of 360 days: whence came the division of a circle into 360 degrees. But this year being too short by five days & almost six hours the Egyptians added five days to the end of it & so made the year to consist of 12 Lunar months & five days. And this year was in use in Egypt at least from yethe days of Amenophes the grandson of Sesosktris, & seems to have been used in received in the Assyrian & Persian Monarchies. At length Iulius Cæsar The Greeks used lunar months first of 30 days & then of 29 & 30 alternately, they & contrived several ways to adapt those months to yethe year, the principal of wchwhich was, in every 19 years to intercale 7 months, whence came the golden number. At length Iulius Cæsar in lieu of the six hours added a day once in four years to yethe year of 365 days & by adapting this measure to yethe old Roman year made a new year to consist of 12 months of various lengths without any good order or uniformity or agreemtment of yethe months with yethe stay of yethe Sun in the twelve signes. And the Senate in honour of Augustus took a day from February & added it to August. And so Cæsar & yethe Senate together left us a year more irregular and intricate then the Egyptian but better on this account that the same months keep better to yethe same seasons of the year. In the Calendar of this year they supp the Lunar years were supplied by setting the golden number to yethe days of the new Moons for 19 years together. And because the Iulian solar year proved too long by about 1114 minutes that is by a day in 128 or 129 years, Pope Gregory XIII about 1183v 118 years ago ordeined that three days be taken from it in 400 years by omitting yethe 29th of February in the end of every hundred years excepting at the end of every 400. And to bring the vernal Equinox to the 21th of March on wchwhich it fell in yethe time of the Council of Nice he took 10 days from this year whence arose the difference of 10 days between the old & new stiles in the century wchwhich is now expiring. And because the rule for finding the new moons by the Golden number erred about an hour & an half in 19 years & a day in 312 years he corrected that rule every 300 years or thereabouts by the alteration of a day. Had Iulius Cæsar divided the year into four equal quarters according to the four cardinal periods of the solicessolstices & mean equinoxes & then divided every quarter into three months as nearly equal as he could make them, wchwhich he might have done by making the months of 30 & 31 days alternately & the last month of 31 days in leap years & 30 days in ordinary years so that in the Leap year all the odd months should have 30 days & all the eaven 31, he would have made the Roman year of a regular & convenient form & well adapted to the motion of the Sun & periods of summer & winter. And yethe Popes correction ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ And had Pope Gregory taken away four days in every 500 years & added a day in every 5000 he & Cæsar together would have made this year as well just & lasting as regular & convenient. To alter the number of days in the months I do not think advisable without yethe consent of a good part of Europe. The question is now whether the old stile should be reteined in conformity with antiquity or the new received in conformity with the nations abroad. I press neither opinion but whenever the latter shall be resolved on I beleive the best way may be to receive the new stile wthwithout the Gregorian Calendar by an Act of Parliament to some such purpose as that wchwhich follows. For avoyding the difference of recconing by the old & new stiles which is troublesome in commerce between this & other nations it may be enacted that in the year of orour Lord 1700 the first eleven days of the month of DecemberIuly which follow next after the day of the same month of shall be rejected omitted & abolished out of that year & the day of twelft day of the sadsaid month shall immediately succeed the said month day of NovemberIune without any alteration in yethe days of the week or in the form of the Iulian Calendar, excepting that the golden number & epact may be omitted. And this accompt or stile shall be thenceforward received used or understood in all his MajtsMajestys Dominions in all Dates & recconings of time for keeping of set Festivals, Fairs Birthdays & all other anniversary days & for performance of all covenants duties & services & payment of interest, rents, salaries, pensions, wages, legacies & all other debts & dues whatsoever with an abatement of so much interest rent salary pension or wages for & proportionablle unto eleven days in the first payment of any interest rent salary pension or wages which shall by virtue of any covenant grant act or deed had made or done before the said day of become due on or after the 12t first day of Iune DecemberIuly – above mentioned, that is to say with an abatement of the hundredth part of three years interest rent salary pension or wages. 4r Provided nevertheless that all debts wchwhich ought to be paid & all things wchwhich ought to be done on any of the said eleven days of May DecemberIuly – wchwhich were to succeed the said day of and are hereby abolished shall be paid & done on the same day or days wthwithin the said eleven days as on wchwhich they should have been done if this Act had never been made. And for avoyding the double recconing by yethe civil & ecclesiastical years between the last day of December & the 25t day of March the ecclesiastical year shall in all his MajtsMajestys Dominions from & after the said year of dorouray Lord 1700 begin on yethe first day of Ianuary for ever & be no longer dated from yethe 25th day of March And that yethe year may be of a just length & the months remain constant to yethe seasons of summer & winter, it may be further enacted that the 29th day of February shall be omitted in ythe last year of every Century excepting the last year of every fift Century & that in yethe last year of every fiftithfiftieth century a day shall be added to yethe end of February, that is to say the month of February in yethe years 1800, 1900, 2100 &c shall have 28 days, & in the years 2000, 2500, 3000 &c they it shall have 29 days & in yethe years 5000 10000, 15000 &c it shall have 30 days. And because the moveable festivalls & lawdays depend upon the course of yethe Moon & the rule for determining that course is grown faulty & needs frequent correction, it may be further enacted that yethe Lunar months shall be recconed to consist of 30 & 29 days alternately in three periods or cycles of months perpetually to succeed one another, each of wchwhich periods shall consist of an odd number of days months, the two first of 17 & yethe third of 15, & the first & last month of each period shall contein 30 days, so that all three periods summed up together shall make a larger period of 49 lunar months conteining 1447 days or four solar years wanting a fortnight. And the first day of Ianuary wchwhich shall be in the year of orour Lord 1701 shall be the day of the month of yethe larger period of 49 months. And from thence forward the festival of Easter shall be kept on yethe Lords day next after the 14th day of that Lunar month wchwhich shall begin next after the seventh day of March. This rule for determining yethe course of the moon is much more simple & exact then that of yethe Golden number used by Pope Gregory. For that rule errs an hour & an half in 1912 years & a day in 312 years & so needs frequent correction, this errs only a day in 4000 years. And if in yethe end of every 250 years the cicle of 15 months have two months of 29 & 30 days added to it so that all the mo three cylescycles do then once consist of 17 months the rule will be much exacter. 5r Considerations about rectifying the Iulian Kalendar Times were at first recconed by returns of day & night, new & full moon summer & winter. Whence the oldest years consisted of Lunar months & where twelve months were found too short a thirteenth was added to make up the year. These months began not at yethe conjunction of yethe Luminaries but at yethe first appearance of the new moon, wchwhich used to be between 18 & 42 hours after the conjunction if yethe sky was clear. And because the new moon appeared at sun-set the days of the Lunar months began in the evening. The just length of a summer & winter is the return of yethe Sun to the same equinox, that is 365 days & six hours wanting about 11 minutes & 12 3 or 4 seconds. And there being something more then 12 moons in a summer & winter & something more then 29 days & an half in a Moon, the first ages took yethe next round numbers of 30 days to a Month & 12 months to a year & so made the civil year to consist of 360 days, whence came the division of a circle into 360 degrees. But this year being too short by five days & almost six hours the Egyptians added five days to yethe end of it & so made the year to consist of 12 lunar months & five days. And this year was in use in Egypt at least from yethe days of Amenophes the grandson of Sesostris & seems to have been received in the Assyrian & Persian Monarchies The Greeks used lunar months first of 30 days & then of 29 & 30 together alternately, & contrived several ways to adapt those months to the year, the principal of wchwhich was in every 19 years to intercale 7 months, whence came the golden number. At length Iulius Cæsar in lieu of yethe six hours added a day once in four years to yethe year of 365 days & by adapting this measure to yethe old Roman year made a new year to consist of 12 months of various lengths without any good order or uniformity or agreemtment of the months with the stay of the sun in the twelve signes. And the Senate in honour of Augustus took a day from February & added it to August. And so Cæsar & the Senate together left us a year more irregular and intricate then yethe former Egyptian, but better on this account that the same months keep better to yethe same seasons of the year. In the Kalendar of this year the Lunar years were supplied by setting the golden number to yethe days of the new Moons for 19 years together. And because the Iulian solar year proved too long by about 11′115, that is by a day in 12830 or 129 years, Pope Gregory XIII about 118 years ago ordeined that three days be taken from it in four hundred years by omitting yethe 29th day of February in the end of every 100 years excepting at the end of every 400. And to bring the vernal equinox5v equinox to the 21th of March on wchwhich it fell in yethe time of yethe Council of Nice he took 10 days from this year: whence arose the difference of 10 days between the old & new stiles in the century which is now expiring. And because the rule for finding the new moons by the Golden number erred about an hour & an half in 19 years & a day in 312 years he corrected that rule every 300 years or thereabouts by the alteration of a day. Had Iulius Cæsar divided the year into four equal quarters according to yethe four cardinal periods of the solstices & mean equinoxes and then divided every quarter into three months as nearly equal as he could make them wchwhich he might have done by making the months of 30 & 31 days alternately & the last month of 31 days in leap years & 30 days in ordinary years so that in the leap year all the odd months should have 30 days & all the eaven 31, he would have made the Roman year of a regular & convenient form & well adapted to the motion of the sun & periods of summer & winter. And the Popes correction would have made it lasting. But wthwithout yethe consent of a good part of Europe I do not think it advisable to alter the number of the days in yethe months. The question is now whether the old stile should be reteined in conformity with antiquity or the new received in conformity with the nations abroad. I press neither opinion but whenever the latter shall be resolved on I beleive the best way may be to receive the new stile without the Gregorian Kalendar by an Act of Parliament to some such purpose as that wchwhich follows. For avoyding the difference of recconing by the old & new Stiles wchwhich is troublesome in commerce between this & other nations, it may be enacted that in the year of orour Lord 1700 the first eleven days of December shall be omitted rejected & abolished out of that year & the twelft day of that month shall immediately succeed the month of November without any alteration in the days of the week or in the form of the Iulian Kalendar, excepting that yethe Golden number & epact may be omitted. And this accompt or stile shall thenceforward in all his MajtsMajestys Dominions be received used & understood in all Dates & recconings of time for keeping of set Festivals Fairs Birthdays & all other anniversary days & for performance of all covenants duties & services & payment of debts interest, rents, salaries, pensions, wages & all other debts & dues whatsoever wthwith an abatement of interest rent salary pension or wages for & proportional unto eleven days in the first payment of any interest rent salary pension or wages wchwhich shall by vertue of any covenant grant act or deed had made or done before the day of become due on or after the twelft day of December above mentioned, that is to say with an abatement of the hundredth part of three years interest rent salary pension or wages Provided nevertheless that all debts wchwhich ought to be paid & all things wchwhich ought to be done on any of the said eleven days of December wchwhich are hereby abolished, shall be paid & done on the same day6r day or days on wchwhich they should have been paid or done if this Act had never been made. And for avoyding the double recconing by the civil & ecclesiastical years between the last day of December & yethe 25th day of March the ecclesiastical year shall in all his MajtsMajestys Dominions from & after the month of December end of yethe wchwhich shall be in the year of orour Lord 1700 begin on the first day of Ianuary for ever & be no longer dated from the 25th day of March. And that the year may be of a just length & the months remain constant to yethe seasons of the year summer & winter, it may be further enacted that yethe 29th day of February shall be omitted in the last year of every Century excepting the last day year of every fift century & that in yethe last year of every fiftithfiftieth century a day shall be added to yethe end of February, that is to say yethe month of February in the years 1800, 1900, 2100 &c shall have 28 days & in yethe years 2000, 2500, 3000 &c it shall have 29 days & in the years 5000 10000 &c (if the Kalendar should (extend so far) it shall have 30 days. And because the moveable festivals & law-days depend upon the course of yethe Moon & yethe vulgar rule for determining that course needs frequent correction & is now grown very faulty, it may be further enacted that yethe lunar months shall be recconed to consist of 30 & 29 days alternately in three periods or cycles of months perpetually to succeed one another, each of which periods shall consist of an odd number of months, the two first of 17 & the third of 15 & the first & last month of each period shall contein 30 days so that all three periods summed up together shall make a larger period of 49 lunar months conteining 1447 days or four solar years wanting a fortnight. And the first day of Ianuary wchwhich shall be in yethe year of orour Lord 1701 shall be the day of the month of the larger period of 49 months. And from thence forward the festival of Easter shall be kept on yethe Lords day next after the 14th day of that Lunar month wchwhich shall begin next after the seventh day of March. And at yethe end of every four thousand years a day shall be added to the last lunar month of thirty nine & twenty days.