Influence of the Breton Deputation 55 



for the parliament of Paris, and the parliaments of th(? 

 provinces of which they expected soon to receive the con- 

 sent, had been written to. These reports, which by their 

 consistency and by the manner in which they were made 

 did not lack the appearance of truth, caused everyone to 

 understand that there w^as not a moment to be lost, and 

 it was resolved to hasten with all possible efforts the de- 

 liberation which, in giving us an existence, would put us 

 at the same time in condition to defend it. It was with 

 these dispositions, that we presented ourselves at the ses- 

 sion of the next day."^ 



Thus, for the third time, the formal motion to consti 

 tute came from the Breton deputies or their club, for the 

 motion of Sieyes on June 10 w^as the same, in its essential 

 points, as that of Le Chapelier on May 14, renewed, in 

 effect, on the 28tli. Circumstances, necessity, had now 

 driven the Third Estate to the point where the deputies 

 of Bretagne had really arrived before leaving their jDrov- 

 ince. Tlieir previous attitude was now vindicated, their 

 predictions had come true, for the Third Estate now felt 

 itself surrounded by difficulties and dangers which many 

 thought Avould have been avoided had the present step 

 been taken earlier.^ 



To prevent further temporizing, to confront the privi- 

 leged orders bluntly with the issue and force them to as- 

 sume a definite attitude, the Breton Club intended to force 

 its motion through the assembly with the least possible 

 dekiy and to begin the call of the Bailliages and Sene- 



^Revue de la Revolution, vol. XII, pp. 49-50. 



"Boulle, June 3, wrote: "Au reste on a eu occasion d'observer dana 

 la discussion combien les conferences qu'on avait eu la faiblesse d'ac- 

 cepter etaient dangereuses, la lettre du roi qui y avait donne lieu 

 ayant 6te evidement surprise a sa religion." Ibid., p. 8. See also 

 note 1, p. 53, above. 



261 



