—— 
to wear a formidable aspect, 
a few days after the 
FRANCE! 
nished as. a traitor to his country. At this crisis, the 
eer nearby Be ve As soon 
as the discontents and opposition e Notables 
, large bodies of me bad 
been these, 
Jiament ‘had entered their pro- 
brought into Paris; and some 
signified to each individual member the King’s 
test, . 
The Parlia- pleasure, that he should immediately leave Paris, and 
ment ba- 
nished ; 
vw 
proceed to Troyes. The Parliament, probably fore- 
warned or ive of this measure, had previous- 
ly regi their opinion, that no permanent tax could 
legally be imposed, except by the authority of the three 
estates of the ki ; and’ had, at the same time, 
the necessity of calling them together. : 
or a short period, Louis endeavoured to p 
without the Parliament, but he found it impossible. He 
was and economical in his habits and expendi- 
tare ; but the savings thus effected went but.a little 
way towards the removal of financial difficulties, while 
they failed in.gaining him the confidence or approba- 
tion of his subjects. He himself, indeed, was not very 
; but the other branches of the royal family, 
particularly the Queen, and the Count D’Artois, were 
the objects of the Lets mere of the- Parisians. They 
could not be but sensible of the danger in which they, 
as well as the King, were 3 yet they acted in such 
a manner, as to increase that danger. The time for 
ty manners, and ical conduct, was e 
bye; yet the Count D’Artois did not accommodate hi 
self to the change of circumstances, but spoke and act- 
ed as if the sentiments and feelings of the people, and 
the influence and authority of the crown, remained ex- 
actly the same as og hag: been when Louis XVI. as- 
cended the throne. King at last yielded, and re- 
called the Parliament ; a kind of com ise took 
lace between them; Louis gave territorial 
duty, and the Parliament sanc- 
i of Toulouse 
of state. ese conces- 
of Louis, however, failed in concilia- 
i either as the effects of 
unjust just claims, ‘The King also soon found, 
ee eakr poses Hi 4 
that. the Parliament itself regard pels thelesizacst as a 
triumph, and that they returned still less di to 
submission and obedience; for, about the middle of 
November, after he had laid before them two edicts, 
one for a new loan of nearly 19 millions sterling, and 
Seceraieietgias, tskssdaciag thecs odie Ly -opeech, 
ir civil rights, introducing these edicts by a 5 
in which he intimated his e sented tones 
from the Parliament, a bold and animated debate took 
place, which was so offensive to the King, that he sud- 
denly arose, and commanded the edict to be instantly 
registered. - Scarcely had Louis sat down again, when 
te pers ing and consistant conduct; nor does he 
sauitahays boon fully aware of the bad consequences 
which would result from the display and exercise of a 
VOL, IX, PART 11. 
625 
stretch of authority, which interest or prudence might 
induce him soon to relax. His first action, after leaving 
the Assembly, was one of vigour and boldness. The 
Duke of Orleans was banished to one of his seats; and 
lettres de cachet were issued against two of the members 
of the parliament, who had been most violent in the 
— To hap ance robe aoe ian om against 
ose proceedings, Louis at first replied in aut! oritative 
: but about the beginning of 1788, he yielded, 
and the Duke of Orleans was recalled, and the two 
members liberated. 
. Hitherto the parliament of Paris had confined its ef- 
forts to opposing the measures of the King; or, when 
they did advert to the establishment of civil and politi- 
cal liberty in France, it was only in general terms; but 
they now directed their invectives against lettres de 
cachet, which had, the previous year, been remonstrated 
inst by the parliament of Grenoble. “These invec- 
tives again excited the severity of Louis; the parlia- 
ment was surrounded by troops, and the obnoxious 
members seized. . Their language on:this occasion was 
even more bold than it had ever been before; as they did 
not hesitate to tell the King, that his authority could only 
be esteemed and supported so long as it was founded 
er o-g Compared with this opposition to the royal 
ill, the measures of the Notables had been mild and 
respectful ; and Louis therefore resolved to’ assemble 
them again. As soon as they met, the keeper of the 
seals explained his Majesty’s pleasure, that a cour plenicre 
should be established ; this proposition was favourabl 
received by the Notables, but the parliament of Paris 
protested against it. This opposition, in connection 
with some serious disturbances that took place in the 
capital, at length induced Louis to recal Neckar to the 
inistration. 
This minister soon perceived that the royal authori- 
ty was very considerably weakened since he was in 
power before, and that he had only the choice of diffi- 
cult, and even hazardous, expedients. But decision 
was absolutely necessary ; and as it was of the utmost 
importance for the King to in the confidence and 
loyalty of his subjects, the minister strongly recom- 
mended that the States-General should be assembled. 
From the opposition which the parliament of Paris made 
to this measure, he augured that it would at least serve 
to pcr om influence. 
e principal difficulty respecting the States-Gene-~ 
ral, arose from the opposition of the nobility and ¢ 
to the representatives of the Commons being equal in 
number to the other two orders united. The Count 
D’Artois headed the party which contended that the 
representatives of the Commons ought to be confined 
to a third in number of the States-General. The opi-« 
nion of the Duke of Orleans was supported by Neckar, 
and sanctioned by the King. The number of deputies 
was fixed at upwards of 1000, and the representatives 
of the Commons were to be returned according to the 
population of the different districts of the ki 
- On the 5th of May 1789, the assembly of the States- 
General was opened by the King at Versailles, His Ma- 
jesty’s speech was conciliating and prudent ; he did not 
affect to conceal the discontents of the people, while he 
his firm conviction, that the causes of these 
_ discontents, so far as they were real and just, would be 
removed by the wisdom and patriotism 
the Assembly. 
He no longer used the lan 
ar 2 e of a sovereign, who ex- 
licit obedience: to his will ; on the contrary, 
d im 
e expressly peaeetenee Sane ae that of a just king 
; kK 
History. 
The Nota- 
bles again 
assembled, 
A. D. 1788. 
Neckar re- 
called. 
~ 
The States- 
General. 
Their first 
meeting, 
5th May, 
A. D. 1789. 
