1 6 Mae Darling 



estate and would doubtless have aroused their indignation had 

 the majority of them been able to hear what was being said. The 

 guard of the seals then indicated the various matters that should 

 be considered by the states general, mentioning such things as the 

 public credit, education, administration of justice, but not a word 

 in regard to the reformation of the fundamental constitution of 

 France; instead, he called upon the deputies to reject " dangerous 

 innovations " which were being prepared by the " enemies of the 

 nation." He pleaded for concord in the assembly and suggested 

 that if trouble should arise the deputies of the clergy were the 

 ones who would be expected to act as peacemakers. The speaker 

 closed his address by announcing that it was the intention of the 

 king that the deputies assemble the next day for the purpose of 

 verifying their credentials.^^ 



Next came the discourse to which the deputies of the third 

 estate had looked forward with keenest interest, the address of 

 Necker, the man in whom they had the greatest confidence and 

 whom they then believed to be their friend. So far there had 

 been nothing said regarding the constitution, the thing in which 

 the commons were most interested. Surely Necker would have 

 something of interest to say on the subject, some plan to offer 

 for the reorganization of the government. But the commons 

 were to be disappointed. In a speech that lasted about three 

 hours,^" Necker did not mention constitutional reforms. On the 

 contrary, there were passages that were clearly reactionary. 



After reading for about half an hour, Necker turned his manu- 

 script over to a substitute who completed the reading of the dis- 

 course.^' The greater part of the address had to do with the 



^^ Discours de M. le garde des sceaux in Ouvertiire des ctats-gcneraiix, 



7-22. 



°^ Grimm, V, 129; Biauzat, II, 29; Recit des seances des deputes des 

 communes, 5; Duquesnoy, I, 7. 



5'^' Biauzat, II, 30; Journal des etats-generanx, I, 3; Young, 161: "Con- 

 cerning it [his speech] there is an anecdote worth inserting; he knew his 

 voice would not enable him to go through the whole of it, in so large a 

 room, and to so numerous an assembly; and therefore he spoke to Mons. 

 de Broussonnet, of the academy of sciences and secretary to the royal 

 society of agriculture, to be in readiness to read it for him. He had been 



218 



