we shall now, in a Note, present to the reader.  For the Romme Calendar, in so many Newspapers, Memoirs, Public Acts, has stamped itself deep into that section of Time:  a New Era that lasts some Twelve years and odd is not to be despised.  Let the reader, therefore, with such ground-scheme, help himself, where needful, out of New-style into Old-style, called also ’slave-style, stile-esclave;’—­whereof we, in these pages, shall as much as possible use the latter only.

September 22nd of 1792 is Vendemiaire 1st of Year One, and the new months are all of 30 days each; therefore: 

To the number of the          We have the number of the
day in                 Add    day in                  Days

Vendemiaire         21        September                30
Brumaire            21        October                  31
Frimaire            20        November                 30

Nivose              20        December                 31
Pluviose            19        January                  31
Ventose             18        February                 28

Germinal            20        March                    31
Floreal             19        April                    30
Prairial            19        May                      31

Messidor            18        June                     30
Thermidor           18        July                     31
Fructidor           17        August                   31

There are 5 Sansculottides, and in leap-year a sixth, to be added at the end of Fructidor.

The New Calendar ceased on the 1st of January 1806. (See Choix des Rapports, xiii. 83-99; xix. 199.)

Thus with new Feast of Pikes, and New Era or New Calendar, did France accept her New Constitution:  the most Democratic Constitution ever committed to paper.  How it will work in practice?  Patriot Deputations from time to time solicit fruition of it; that it be set a-going.  Always, however, this seems questionable; for the moment, unsuitable.  Till, in some weeks, Salut Public, through the organ of Saint-Just, makes report, that, in the present alarming circumstances, the state of France is Revolutionary; that her ’Government must be Revolutionary till the Peace!’ Solely as Paper, then, and as a Hope, must this poor New Constitution exist;—­in which shape we may conceive it lying; even now, with an infinity of other things, in that Limbo near the Moon.  Further than paper it never got, nor ever will get.

Chapter 3.4.V.

Sword of Sharpness.

In fact it is something quite other than paper theorems, it is iron and audacity that France now needs.