52 Jeanette Needham. 
and prevent divisions and would unite the three orders in the 
same opinion, forming the national assembly. Otherwise, he 
would feel himself morally responsible for the baneful disorders 
to which the state and the church would be a prey, if these 
difficulties were not anticipated by prudent deliberation of the 
estates. On the other hand, although he felt the moral necessity 
of uniting the two orders, he did not agree that verification in 
common was the only means to that end. Personally, he had 
deemed the plan proposed in the king’s name sufficient for that 
end, but he expressed his willingness to yield to the majority 
of his order which he no longer doubted was within the assembly 
for the purpose of common verification.2 Very clearly this man 
had not embraced the broader policy of the national assembly, 
but his general attitude was such that we cannot doubt that 
he would follow when occasion demanded. 
M. Gueidan, deputy of the bailliage of St. Trivier, presented 
the declaration of his colleague, M. Bottex, curé of Neuville- 
sur-Ains, deputy of the bailliage of Bresse. Bottex stated that 
he was too ill to appear in person, but that he wished his cre- 
dentials submitted and he promised to abide by any action the 
assembly might take in regard to them.’ 
Another of this party, M. Vallet, curé of Gien aaa deputy 
from that bailliage, explained his absence as the consequence of 
the circumstances of his election and of the redaction of his 
cahier. He said that, when it came to this latter task, he asked _ 
the clergy if they did not wish to unite with the nobles and 
third estate of Gien to complete this work together. But the 
clergy refused and proceeded alone. As a result, he had felt 
that he was fulfilling his constituents’ will in remaining in the 
hall of the clergy and asking separate verification for the cre- 
dentials which had not been framed in common. Despite the 
circumstances of redaction, however, his instructions were for 
common deliberation and vote by head. Then he went on to 
explain that he had come to the assembly at the earliest oppor- 
tunity, for on June 19, when the clergy voted to join the third 
2 Procés-verbal, No. 7, 1-3. 
3 Ibid., No. 7, 3-4. 
166 
