opening of States General of i/8g 41 



it was proposed that the clergy should reply to the third estate 

 by requesting that commissioners be appointed by the three orders 

 to consider the best means of verifying the credentials, the 

 proposition was supported, Jallet tells us, by the archbishops of 

 Vienne and of Bordeaux and by the bishop of Langres.^^ The 

 plan was finally adopted, as we have already seen. The Proces- 

 verhal historique states that this proposition was accepted in order 

 to postpone definite action in the assembly of the clergy in regard 

 to the question of uniting with the third estate.^^ The clergy had 

 not reached the point where it was ready to fight the question out 

 in its own order and doubtless hoped by means of the conciliatory 

 commission to find a solution for the difficulty which would 

 prevent serious trouble in its ranks. 



After this decision had been reached, the clergy drew up a 

 formal response to the third estate. If we may believe Jallet's 

 statement, the utmost care was taken in framing this reply. He 

 says that it took almost two hours to prepare three lines and that 

 nicety was carried to the point of not using the expression " order 

 of the clergy," but substituting instead, " members of the 

 clergy."^* 



The six deputies who had been appointed to carry this response 

 to the third estate, then visited that order, as has been previously 

 mentioned, and upon their return to the clergy made a report of 

 their visit. In this report the statement was made that the third 

 estate was " favorably disposed " towards the proposition made 

 by the clergy.®^ Just what grounds the deputation had for think- 

 ing that the commons were favorably disposed towards this plan 

 is not quite clear. The Recit states very plainly that the remarks 

 made in the third estate were in opposition to the scheme,^^ while 

 Biauzat says that during the time the deputies from the clergy 

 were in the hall of the commons, they were surrounded by a 

 number of deputies of the third estate who evidently discussed 



82 Jallet, 52. 



S3 Proccs-vcrhal historique, 43. 



84 Jallet, 52. 



ssThibault, 182; Vallet, Recit, 8. 



^^ Recit des seances des deputes des co>iiinuiies, 9. 



243 



