HISTORY OF EUROPE, 
that the canfe he was fupporting was 
not merely that of the church, but 
ofall property whatever. We areto 
obferve that it was the general mede 
adopted in the affembly, for the mem- 
bers to write their {peeches at home, 
and to read them in their places, 
there being as yet very few, not’ 
above three or four in the whole, 
who were capable of delivering theiz 
fentiments in an extempore public 
fpeech. The abbé, who was u'n- 
ally, collected and compefi'd, upon 
this occalion afcended the tribune ia 
great and vifible wrath; but this 
only ferved to increafe the anima- 
tion and vehemence with which he 
urged his areuments. He conclud- 
ed a very forcible fpeech by boldly 
telling the affembly, that « if they 
“ withed to be Sree, they fhould be- 
« gin by being ju.” 
Though the abbé had been no 
{mall favourite with the affembly, and 
his fpeeches upon other occafions 
were particularly well attended to, 
yet his arguments now, inftead of 
producing effect or conviction, were 
heard with the utmoft impatience, 
and with marks of difapprobation 
which amounted even to interruption, 
both by the nobility and commons. 
Whether his reafonings were fo 
ftrongly founded, or not, as to afford 
no room for controverting them, it 
is certain that the conduct on the 
other fide gave no little counte- 
nance to the affirmative opinion, not 
the fmaileft attempt being made to 
refute or to anfwer any one of his 
‘pofitions, The abbé was fo much 
Sheiege and felt himfelf fo deeply 
infulted by what he deemed this 
unworthy treatment, that, if we are 
rightly informed, he never after 
took that eager and active part in 
public affairs which he had previ- 
oully done. 
[a> 
We are to obferve, ‘that through © 
the unaccountable and unexampled 
rapidity with which fach a, vatt 
mafs of bufinefs, had been carried 
through ia the night of the 4th of 
Augut, fixteen refo'utions of the 
greatelt importance being pafied 
in a few hours, moft of which 
fingly would require the cool, 
deliberation of more than one day, 
afifted by much knowledge aad 
judement, for Rs due determina- 
tion, from this circumfiance, as 
well as from the continual difar-. 
rangement of thonght, occafioned by 
.the general clamour and acclama- 
tion, it became extremely dificult for — 
the moft comprehenfive mind te. 
catch the nature or objec& of the 
fubjects which were unexpectedly 
brought on, and hurried through 
with little difcuffion or explanation, 
The clergy are reprefented as hav- 
ing been in this flate of blindnefs or 
ignorance, when the queftion in 
which they were fo much interefted 
relative to tithes was on that night. 
brought forward. They had gene- 
rally conceived, from whatever caufe 
it proceeded, that they were to re- 
ceive a juft, or at leaft a reafonable 
pecuniary compenfation, an idea 
which afforded the higheit gratifica- 
tion to them, as they would thereby. 
be relieved from that cdiocus ne- 
ceffity of taking tithes in kind, 
which above all things they withed 
to be exonerated from, and for that 
purpofe would willingly have fub- 
mitted to no fmall fubftraétion 
from their value on the iuppofition 
of a:;commatation., 
But when they found that they 
were to be ftripped of their only 
means of living, and deftined to 
look for fome undefined compen{a- 
tion, which.was to depend entirely 
upon the future degree of benevo- 
[B 3] lence 
