40 Charles Kuhlmann 



to express an opinion regarding the attitude of the gov- 

 crunient in the opening session.' Le IJoulx is the only one 

 who gives evidence of gTeat dissatisfaction at Necker's 

 statement that there might be occasions in whicli. the 

 States General sliould deliberate by order. "I shall not 

 retire to-night/' he writes, "until I have caused my views 

 to penetrate to the ministry."^ It does not seem that 

 they really wished to submit the question of the manner 

 of voting and of verifying credentials to a discussion be- 

 t^^-een the orders. There is, on the other hand, a tacit as- 

 sumption that the vote by head and the verification in 

 common is the only manner permissible, imposed by an 

 imperative mandate which the Third Estate could not 

 disregard even if a contrary comuuind should come from 

 the Idng himself. - 



For a week after the opening, they hesitated to formu- 

 late their action, following a course of inertia. Naturally 

 they opposed any attempt of the Third Estate to act as 

 an order, for this would conflict fundamentally with their 

 position, which recpiired action as the representatives of 

 the nation or not at all. Accordingly, we find Le Roulx 

 vigorously opposing the motion of IMalouet on May 6, ask- 

 ing for a formal deputation, inviting the privileged orders 

 to join the Third Estate.^ He was greatly incensed at 

 Malouet and condemned with him even Mounier to Avhom 

 such deference had been shown at the Breton Club on 



' Letter of May 5. Also extracted by Kerviler, RecJierches et notices, 

 art. Le Roulx. 



-See p. 48 below. That they actually regarded the vote by head 

 as Imperative, we must conclude from their action in July relative 

 to the motion of Tallyrand concerning this kind of instructions. In 

 regard to this motion, Le Roulx wrote on July 15: "Nous avons 

 crains qu'il n'interdit que le vote par tete etait imperatif. C'6tait 

 I'ob.iet de notre amendement." The cahiers of Saint-Brieuc, Brest, 

 Rennes, Vannes, Plcermel, Quimperle, and possibly others either ex- 

 pressly demanded or implied that the vote should be by head. 



^Letter of Le Roulx, May 8. 



246 



