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OF THE REFORMATION

The necessity of some alteration, was, how-ever, still insisted upon: and about a hundredyears afterwards, Pope Gregory XIII. had thehonour of accomplishing what several precedingpontiffs and councils had attempted in vain.A plan, which was presented to him by AloisiusLuilius, a Veronese physician and astronomer,after being examined by the most able mathe-maticians of that time, was sent to all theprinces in Christendom, for their advice andassistance: and as the execution of it appearedto be attended with little difficulty, it met withgeneral approbation. A council, therefore, ofthe most learned prelates, was convened by thepope, and the subject being finally settled, abrief was publislied in the month of March,1582, by which the use of the ancient calendarwas entirely abrogated, and the new one substi-tuted in its stead.

This was called the Gregorian account, orNew-Style; and as it is that which is at presentin use throughout the greatest part of Europe,I shall endeavour to give you as familiar an ac-count of it as possible. The first object of thereformers, was to correct the errors of the for-mer method of reckoning, and to make thelength of the year agree more exactly with thecourse of the fun. For this purpose it wasagreed, that the ten days, which had beengained by the old account, should be taken

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