»74 HISTORY OF FRANCE. [chap. And, chief of all the victims at Paris, died .(May li, 1794) the saintly Elisabeth of France, the king's sister, whose blood was claimed by the Committee of Public Safety. "The more the social body throws off, the healthier it is," was their plea. 14. Worship o f Reasonj^793. — Meanwhile there was an endeavour to reconstruct. ~K new cera was invented. Years were henceforth to be counted from the 22nd of September, 1792, the beginning of the republic, and were freshly divided into months of thirty days each, called by new names taken from their weather, while the five odd days were called sans ailottides, after the nick- name of the poorest of the republicans. Weeks were done away with, and a day of rest was appointed every tenth instead of every seventh day. The Archbishop of Paris, Hnbe l. renounced the Christian religion in the Convention, along with many other priests ; and the City of Paris celebrated the " Festival of Reason," enthroning a loose woman above the altar of Notre Dame as the goddess of Reason. In many parts of France the Com- missioners of the Convention put a stop to services in the churches, and imprisoned the priests. The gold and silver vessels were seized for the good of the State, and the bells, it was reckoned, would furnish 15,000 cannon. Indeed one hundred cannon were cast every month at Paris, and iioo muskets were daily finished. Roads and canals were also begun, and those scientific arrangements planned which have since based the French measures of weight, length, and capacity on the proportions of the earth. Danton and his friends thought the resting-place had been arrived at. They had made bloodshed their weapon, and had gained what they wished, and they would have put an end to the proscription and released the pri- soners, but Robespierre and the Jacobins would not listen. " We must not confound the innocent with the guilty," said Danton, somewhat late in the day. " Who says that one innocent has suffered ? " returned Robespierre. " Do you hear.-"' said Danton, ironically; "not one innocent has suffered." From that time his doom was sealed, but he refused to secure himself by flight, and when warned, said, like Guise, " They dare not." He thought with his mighty voice to overawe the Convention, and ruin Robes- pierre instead of himself; but he was arrested on the ever- ready charge of conspiring against the nation. Robespierre prevented his defence from being heard, and he was sent
