50 Mae Darling 



Soon after the committee on verification had made its report, 

 the deputation from the clergy came to inform the nobles of 

 their plan to have commissioners appointed by the three orders 

 to consider means of verifying credentials.^-' Eight of the nobles 

 had been sent by the president to receive this deputation, accord- 

 ing to the Proces-verhal of the nobility. ^-^ This same account 

 states that after the deputies from the clergy had been seated at 

 the right of the president, the Bishop of Saintes informed the 

 nobility of the decision the clergy had made to appoint concilia- 

 tory commissioners. The president of the nobility asked for a 

 copy of the decree which the clergy had passed. The bishop 

 replied that the clergy was not organized, that it had neither a 

 president nor a secretary, and that it was keeping no record of its 

 proceedings. He promised, however, to make known the request 

 to his order. ^-^ The deputation then withdrew, being conducted 

 out of the hall, evidently, with the same ceremony that had been 

 shown when it entered. ^^*' 



The Proces-verhal of the nobility says that during the interval 

 between the time the deputation of the clergy left the hall, and 

 the time when it returned with an answer to the request for a 

 copy of the decree of May 7, the nobles were discussing whether 

 they should proceed with the verifica'tion of credentials or take up 

 the request of the clergy to name conciliatory commissioners. ^^^ 

 The discussion was interrupted by the return of the deputation 

 from the clergy, bringing a copy of the decree passed on May 7. 

 This decree, however, was merely a statement of the action of 

 the clergy, and was unsigned, consistent with the attitude of 

 the clergy in considering its organization not of a permanent 

 nature. ^^- The decree is given thus in the Proces-verhal of the 

 nobility : " On the proposition which was made by the third 



'^-'^Proces-verhal de la noblesse, 28; Vallet, Souvenirs, 235; Jallet, 54; 

 Thibault, 185. 



^-'^ Proccs-verbal de la noblesse, 28, 29. 

 '^-^ Ibid., 29. 



130 ihid. 



131 Proccs-verbal de la noblesse, 29. 



^^^Ibid.; Thibault, 185; Coster, 11 mai ; Vallet, Rccit, 15; Jallet, 54. 



252 



