Gregory should not have
acknowledged any mistake at all. The Pope, however, had much less
difficulty in carrying out his reform than I should have with my
subjects, who are too fond of their ancient usages and customs."

"Nevertheless, I am sure your majesty would meet with obedience."

"No doubt, but imagine the grief of my clergy in not being able to
celebrate the numerous saints' days, which would fall on the eleven days
to be suppressed. You have only one saint for each day, but we have a
dozen at least. I may remark also that all ancient states and kingdoms
are attached to their ancient laws. I have heard that your Republic of
Venice begins the year in March, and that seems to me, as it were, a
monument and memorial of its antiquity--and indeed the year begins more
naturally in March than in January--but does not this usage cause some
confusion?"

"None at all, your majesty. The letters M V, which we adjoin to all dates
in January and February, render all mistakes impossible."

"Venice is also noteworthy for its peculiar system of heraldry, by the
amusing form under which it portrays its patron saint, and by the five
Latin words with which the Evangelist is invoked, in which, as I am told,
there is a grammatical blunder which has become respectable by its long
standing. But is it true that you do not distinguish between the day and
night hours?"

"It is, your majesty, and what is more we reckon the day from the
beginning of the night."

"Such is the force of custom, which makes us admire what other nations
think ridiculous. You see no inconvenience in your division of the day,
which strikes me as most inconvenient."

"You would only have to look at your watch, and you would not need to
listen for the cannon shot which announces the close of day."

"Yes, but for this one advantage you have over us, we have two over you.
We know that at twelve o'clock it is either mid-day or midnight."

The czarina spoke to me about the fondness of the Venetians for games of
chance, and asked if the Genoa Lottery had been established there. "I
have been asked," she added, "to allow the lottery to be established in
my own dominions; but I should never permit it except on the condition
that no stake should be below a rouble, and then the poor people would
not be able to risk their money in it."

I replied to this discreet observation with a profound inclination of the
head, and thus ended my last interview with the famous e