FRA 
of other officers (hared a fimilar fate ; twenty-one of the 
Girondift party, among whom were Briffot and M. Bailly, 
were maffacred on the 2iff of October ; and the execu¬ 
tions of 1793 clofed with that of the duke of Orleans, who 
was charged, perhaps juffly, with having afpired to the 
fovereignty from the beginning of the revolution. 
From thus purfuing the deftruftion of thofe who were 
termed cowards and enemies to “ the new order of things,” 
the convention turned its authority towards extirpating 
every veftige of religion from the churches and people of 
France. Many (hocking decrees were obtained even 
againft the conforming clergy, and more againft thofe who 
had refilled the marriage of priefts ; yet many of that body 
were fufficiently bafe to (hew a dilhonourable zeal in com¬ 
plying with thefe commands, and even led their wives 
into the hall of the legiflature, to receive fraternal em¬ 
braces. A committee was formed for the purpofe of 
forwarding the fchemes of this atheiftical government, 
by being directed to prepare a new calendar for the French 
republic, in which the divifion of the year into months 
and weeks, as acknowledged by thewhole Chriftian world, 
was abolifiied, in hopes of obliterating every trace of Sun¬ 
days, holidays, feffivals, and fads. The report made from 
the committee of public inftrudtion is generally attributed 
to Fabre d’Eglantine. See Eglantine, vol. vi. p. 286. 
It was adopted by the convention after fome debate, and 
a few alterations. By this new computation of time, the 
year was divided into twelve equal months of thirty days ; 
the names and fubdivifions of which, we have already 
Hated under the article Calendar, vol. iii. p. 615. 
In order more effedtually to fupprefs religion, every 
effort was made to increafe the popular contempt of the 
priefthood. All priefts and nuns who had not taken the 
oaths to the republic, were deprived of certificates of re¬ 
sidence, and declared fufpefted; the fale of images, rings, 
chaplets, and rofaries, was prohibited ; and the popular 
clubs refufed to all priefts certificates of admiffion into 
their halls. Thefe efforts might be confidered as direfted 
againft the Roman-catholic religion in particular, but not 
entirely hoftile to the general principles of the Chriftian 
faith ; a new meafure of the commune, however, render¬ 
ed the object indubitable. Fouche, being on million at 
Nevers, ilfued a decree on the 17th of October, that all 
religious figns of angels, faints, &c. fiiould be annihilated, 
and priefts prohibited, on pain of imprifonment, from ap¬ 
pearing any-where, except in their temples, in the clerical 
garb. Every citizen deceafed, was,within eight-and-forty 
hours after his death, to be interred, without ceremony, 
in a burial-place common to all perfons, planted with 
trees, under the (hade of which was to be an image repre- 
tenungjleep ; and on the door of the inclofure an infcrip- 
tion, Death is an eternal sleep. 
The Jacobin club, having voted an application to the 
convention to make all priefts give up their letters of 
priefthood to be burnt, many anticipated tiie decree by 
a voluntary facrifice. Thefe enemies of religion, who 
were moft aftive in promoting thefe difgraceful fcenes, 
obtained a complete triumph on the 7th of November, 
when the conftituted authorities of Paris, accompanied by 
their bilhop and feveral cure's, attended at the bar. Mo- 
moro, one of the adminiftrators of the commune, intro¬ 
duced the members of the clerical body, declaring their 
intention to divert: themfelves of the charadrter with which 
fuperrtition had clothed them ; the great example would 
be followed by their colleagues, and no other worftiip 
acknowledged but liberty, equality, and eternal truth. 
Gobet, biOiop of Paris, on this day completed his deteft- 
able apoftacy, by renouncing his function, throwing off 
his clerical veftments, and, together with his vicars, de- 
pofiting on the de(k their letters of priefthood. They 
were invited to the honours of the fitting, and received 
the fraternal embrace; and moft of the clergy in the con¬ 
vention, as Lindet, Coupe, Villiers, Julien, Chabot, Gre- 
goire, and the celebrated Syeyes, followed the example 
sf Gobet. Letters were daily received from the depart- 
N C E. 70S 
ments, announcing the apoftacy of priefts ; and frequent 
deputations attended at the bar with the remaining fpoils 
of churches and (brines. 
Thefe exhibitions were only preparatory to the con- 
fummation of national idolatry in a grand f£te, where 
Reason was perfonified and worfhipped as a deity, and 
reprefented as actually prefent, by dreffing up the wife 
of Momoro. She was carried by four men in an arm- 
Ghair, to receive the embraces of her worfhippers in the 
convention, who all attended in the cathedral of Paris, 
to celebrate this anti-religious feftival. The caufe of 
atheifm was not however afterwards fo popular as thofe 
who had projected this farce had fondly hoped ; the 
plunder of the churches, after all the plate and coftly 
images of gold and filver had been feized, made no longer 
any compenfation for the number of falaries devoted to 
men who had renounced their benefices; and the conven¬ 
tion at length, on the motion of Danton, decreed that no 
more anti-religious mafquerades (hould be tolerated in 
their hall ; and another law ordered that no particular 
fe< 5 t fiiould predominate, or be perfecuted. 
In all thefe tranfattions, the agency of the club of the 
Cordeliers, fo called from their meetings being held in an 
ancient convent once belonging to that order of religious, 
was fingularly confpicuous ; they had filled with their 
members many offices in the department of Paris and 
national guard, and their examples were profufely adopt¬ 
ed. They exercifed a tyranny over the whole city by re¬ 
quiring a uniformity of habiliment, and ftigmatifing as 
traitors all who paid attention to external decorum; and 
their adherents claimed peculiar honours, by changing 
their names for thofe of fabled heroes and regicides. 
Notwithftanding the cruelties and diabolical requifi- 
tions thus exercifed by the new order of government, the 
preffure of fcarcity had been feverely felt both in the 
capital and departments, almoft during the whole year 
1793 ; and heart-piercing complaints were daily prefented 
from the poor, who familhed for want of bread ; and from 
proprietors of grain, fugar, foap, and other neceflaries, 
who were plundered by the mob. The meafure moft po¬ 
pular, and lefs calculated to remove thefe complaints, 
was that of eftablilhing a maximum, or fixed price, at 
which every farmer and proprietor (hould be obliged to 
fell certain eatables, and other articles of confumption, 
which were denominated “ of the JirJl nece/fity .” Thefe 
laws, however, which were very numerous and fevere, 
proved only the means of dift'ufing terror, and facilitating 
murder and robbery under colour of law. One fort of 
bread alone was ordered to be baked in Paris, called pain 
de I’egalite': for a fcanty fupply of this the poor befieged 
the doors of the bakers for feveral hours in a morning, 
and were often plundered of it when obtained; and the 
convention, unable to fatiate their hunger or appeafe their 
clamours, reforted to doubtful and diftanf expedients, fuch 
as the draining of fifli-ponds to plant grain and nutritious 
vegetables, and the converfion of paffure and pleafure 
ground into arable. 
One great caufe of diftrefs was the want of cafti, and 
the depreciation of afiignats, which were iffued with fuch 
profufion, and fo often counterfeited, that people were 
averfe to felling their property for paper of fuch uncer¬ 
tain value. To enforce the receipt of this medium on 
equal terms was the objedt of many fevere but impradti- 
cable decrees; jobbing was forbidden under penalty of 
banifhment, and refufals to receive afiignats in payment 
were made puniftiable by fine and imprifonment. Yet the 
fpirit of fpeculation could not be fuppreffed, nor the con¬ 
fidence of the people conciliated. Afiignats were fold at 
reduced prices, and every new emiftion rendered the re¬ 
ceipt of them additionally difficult,—See the article As¬ 
signat, vol. ii. p. 284. 
In obtaining fupplies government was more fuccefsful, 
as the means employed w r ere more cogent. After many 
other expedients had been difeuffed, a forced loan of a 
thoufand millions of livres (43,750,000!.) was decreed to 
