The First Revolutionary Step 25 



On the evening of this day, the committees met and considered 

 the question of constituting the assembly, and five-sixths of them 

 agreed that the proper time for action had come. 1 



After the bureaux had adjourned, many of the deputies and 

 deputations met in order to still further discuss the all-important 

 subject. The Breton meeting especially was largely attended. 

 Boulle writes on June 10 that at nine o'clock the evening before, 

 after he left his bureau, he "went to the hall of the Breton depu- 

 ties ; it was truly the temple of patriotism this evening ; all the 

 good citizens of all the provinces were assembled there. The 

 means of constituting ourselves as an active assembly were ex- 

 amined and discussed, and it appears that the plan of M. l'abbe 

 Sieves is almost generally approved." 2 Sieyes' plan had been 

 considered in the hall of the Breton deputies, which had become 

 the rallying place for a large number of deputies of other prov- 

 inces as well, on the evening of June 8. During the following 

 day and evening most of the deputies of the tiers-etat were in- 

 formed of it. 3 Those who up to this time had remained unde- 

 cided were now convinced that organization was necessary and 

 that further delay was dangerous, for it was widely believed that 

 a roval session was to be held in the near future. The commons 



^iauzat, II, 102: "On a indique un local pour la tenue de chacun de 

 ces bureaux. Les deputes se sont rendus chacun en son bureau, sur les 5 

 a 6 heures du soir, pour y conferer sur le projet de reglement dresse par 

 les commissaires. . . II a ete question, dans plusieurs bureaux et dans 

 presque tous, de la necessite de nous constituer. Les cinq-sixiemes au 

 moins pensent que le moment est venu de faire cette demarche." La revo- 

 lution frangaise, XXIII, 528. The bureaus were to meet on the evening of 

 June 8: "L'assemblee s'est separee et les bureaux se sont ajournes pour 

 ce soir. Plusieurs etaient indiques dans l'hotel du grande-maitre. Quel- 

 ques deputes s'y sont presentes : ils ont ete econduits par les Suisses, qui 

 les ont assures n'avoir aucun ordre pour les recevoir. Trois bureaux seule- 

 ment se sont reunis dans l'enceinte de la salle generate. On y a parte de 

 constitution et nous avons appris de bonne part que le resultat des con- 

 ferences sur cette matiere n'etait pas de se constituer en chambre nationale, 

 mais simplement en chambre des communes faisant les fonctions des etats- 

 generaux, jusqu'a la reunion des deux premiers ordres ; c'est la modifica- 

 tion qu'on se propose de presenter a l'assemblee ; c'est deja quelque chose, 

 le temps achevera le reste." La revolution frangaise, XXIII, 525. 



-Revue de la revolution, XII, Documents inedits, 49. 



3 Ibid, 40. 



2K 



