onarch in no way
offended religious susceptibilities. The Romans were acquainted with
monarchies of this type in Syria and in Egypt. Indeed this was the only
type of monarchy familiar to the Romans of the first century B. C., if we
exclude the Parthian and other despotisms, and it was bound to influence
any form of monarchical government set up in Rome. The plebs actually
hailed Caesar as "_rex_," and at the feast of the Lupercalia in February,
44 B. C., Antony publicly offered him a crown. It is possible that he
would have assumed the title if popular opinion had supported this step.
And there may well have been some truth in the rumor that he contemplated
marriage with Cleopatra, who came to Rome in 46 B. C., for a queen would
be a fit mate for a monarch and such a step would have effected the
peaceful incorporation of Egypt into the Roman Empire.

*Caesar's reforms.* Upon returning to Rome after the battle of Thapsus
Caesar began a series of reforms which affected practically every side of
Roman life. One of the most useful was the reform of the Roman calendar.
Hitherto the Romans had employed a lunar year of three hundred and
fifty-five days (the calendar year beginning on March first and the civil
year, since 153 B. C., on January first) which was approximately corrected
to the solar year by the addition of an intercalary month of twenty-two
days in the second, and one of twenty-three days in the fourth year, of
cycles of four years. For personal or political motives the pontiffs had
trifled with the intercalation of these months until in 46 B. C. the Roman
year was completely out of touch with the solar year. With the assistance
of the Greek astronomer Sosigenes, Caesar introduced the Egyptian solar
year of approximately 3651/4 days, in such a way that three years of 365
days were followed by one of 366 days in which an extra day was added to
February after the twenty-fourth of the month. The new Julian calendar
went into effect on 1 January, 45 B. C. Another abuse was partially
rectified by the reduction of the number who were entitled to receive
cheap grain in Rome from about 320,000 to 150,000. The Roman plebeian
colleges and guilds, which had become political clubs and had contributed
to the recent disorders in the city, were dissolved with the exception of
the ancient association of craftsmen. The _tribuni aerarii_ were removed
from the jury courts and the penalties for criminal offences increased.
Plans were