48 Mae Darling 



that his order would never consent to vote by head, that they 

 would return to their estates first. "Then what will you do?" 

 he asked of the deputy of the commons. " We will declare our- 

 selves the nation," was the reply. The noble tapped his sword, 

 saying, " And we have weapons." " Very well," was the reply, 

 " we will fight." Such a mood as this was not likely to result 

 in any very important concessions unless they were forced upon 

 the nobility. ^^' 



The attitude of the third estate towards the division into 

 orders, is illustrated by the events connected with the funeral of 

 a deputy of the commons. It was announced in the third estate 

 during the session of May 8, that one of their deputies, M. 

 Heliand, had died, and an invitation was extended to the third 

 estate by certain members of the clergy, according to Biauzat, to 

 send a deputation to the funeral.^^^ The announcement was also 

 made that the service for the deceased deputy would be held in 

 the chamber of the clergy. Biauzat says that it was decided by 

 shouts, without taking a vote, that this was no occasion for a 

 deputation ;, that it was fitting for those who could, to go to the 

 funeral, but that it was not necessary to go to the hall " which the 

 clergy calls its chamber."^^^ In Vallet's account of the burial of 

 this deputy, he states that representatives of the three orders 

 carried the pall, indicating that while the third estate did not 

 send a deputation, the distinction between the orders was main- 

 tained.^-" Vallet and the Journal des etats-generaux agree that 

 the deputies marched behind the pall, separated according to their 

 respective orders. ^-^ Later, in the record of the session of May 

 II, while giving an account of the mass held by the clergy for 

 the deceased deputy, Thibault makes the statement that the mass 

 was attended by representatives of all the orders.^-- There is no 



ii'^ Duquesnoy, I, 14. 



"^"^^ Rccit des seances des deputes des communes, g; Biauzat, II, 42, 43; 

 Journal des etats-generaux, I, 15. 

 "9 Biauzat, II, 43. 

 120 Vallet, Recit, I. 



^21 Vallet, Recit, 1 ; Journal des etats-generaux, I, 15. 

 122 Thibault, 184. 



250 



