30 Plae Darling 



the counsellors of the king had tried more than once to betray the 

 people, but that they had not yet succeeded. He prophesied that 

 the brilliant days of national glory would return, and that there 

 would be " abundance and glory at home " and " power and 

 respect abroad." 



The order next chose a secretary. ^^ The Proces-vcrbal of the 

 nobility states that the president appointed a certain deputy to 

 take this place, but the person selected refused on the grounds 

 that the order had no right to choose any officers as long as the 

 deputies of Paris, owing to the delay in their elections, were 

 unable to be present.^'' The assembly, however, decided to choose 

 a secretary.^' The Proces-vcrbal says that the person selected 

 for this position was the oldest one of the men who had already 

 filled similar positions in the assemblies of their bailliages.^^ 



The question of verification of credentials was next taken up, 

 according to the order of events as given in the Proccs-verhal. 

 It was proposed to appoint a committee to verify the credentials, 

 and again the objection was raised'against any action being taken 

 in the necessary absence of the deputies from Paris.^® It was 

 decided, however, to appoint the committee.*" After this com- 

 mittee, which consisted of the twelve oldest men,*^ had been 

 selected, the question arose as to how the credentials should be 

 verified ; should the nobility proceed alone with the verification, 

 regardless of the other two orders, or should the work be done 

 jointly with the other two orders?*- A vigorous debate seems 



2^ Ibid., 3 ; Duquesnoy, I, lo. 



36 Proces-verhal de la noblesse, 3. 



^"^ Proces-verbal de la noblesse, 3; Manuscript copy of the Proccs-verbal 

 de la noblesse, 6 mai. Duquesnoy, I, 10. In the printed Proces-verbal it 

 is stated that this secretary was a temporary officer, while in the manuscript 

 nothing is said of his being chosen temporarily. 



3s Proces-verbal de la noblesse, 3. 



39 Proces-verbal de la noblesse, 3. 



'^'^ Ibid.; Lettrcs dii Cointe de Miraheati, 17; Duquesnoy, I, 10. Only the 

 Proces-verbal mentions the objection concerning the absence of the Paris 

 deputation. 



'^'^ Lettres dii Conite de Mirabean, 17; Proccs-verbal de la noblesse, 4. 



■*- Ibid. The order of events here is doubtful. The account written by 



232, 



