opening of States Genera! of i/^8p 6i 



settle this matter.^'* The subject was evidently given no further 

 consideration/^^ 



Jallet tells of a work written by the Bishop of Langres, which 

 was distributed among the clergy, in w^iich the writer advocated 

 the formation of a single chamber composed of the clergy and the 

 nobility/'^'' Jallet remarked that it was evident that the real 

 oibject of this plan was to lessen the power of the lower clergy, 

 who, in such a chamber, would be entirely outnumbered by the 

 nobles and the higher clergy, these two last classes being natural 

 allies. 



On May 12, some members of the third estate came to the 

 clergy to thank them for their presence at the burial of M. 

 Heliand.^^'^ Thibault reports the speech in detail, telling how the 

 speaker eulogized the deceased deputy, and expressed the thanks 

 of the third estate for the presence of the clergy at the burial, 

 saying that if anything could reconcile the commons to their loss, 

 it would be the evidence of the good will of the clergy as shown 

 in the manner in which they honored the deceased member of 

 the third estate. 



On May 13, a matter of considerable importance was brought 

 up by the Archbishop of Bordeaux. He proposed that the clergy 

 should vote to abandon their pecuniary privileges.^'^ Jallet 

 states that the motion was so strongly opposed that it was dropped 

 without even coming to a vote. He mentions the fact that the 

 Archbishop of Vienna supported the proposition, and Coster 

 speaks of the support given by the bishops and the Archbishop 

 of Aries. It is probable that the idea of those supporting this 

 measure, was that such a conciliation might hasten the action of 

 the nobility and of the third estate. ^''^ 



174 Thibault, 186; Coster, 11 mai ; Jallet, 54. 



175 Thibault (186) drops the subject here. Coster mentions it as com- 

 ing up again that same day, and states that the assembly supported the 

 opinion of the Archbishop of Vienne. 



176 Jallet, 54, 55- 



177 Jallet, 54, 55 ; Thibault, 187 ; Coster, 12 mai ; Proccs-verbal his- 

 torique, 53. 



178 Vallet, Recit, 25; Jallet, 56; Coster, 13 mai. 



179 Vallet, Recit, 25. Vallet, in discussing this proposition, mentions that 



263 



