64 Mae Darling 



It is said by Boulle that this motion was prepared by the depu- 

 ties from Bretagne and that ChapeHer was chosen by them to 

 present it to the assembly. This was probably done in the so- 

 called " Breton club " which was beginning to make its influence 

 felt in the third estate. ^^* 



The third estate now had before it two conflicting motions; 

 one, that they accept the invitation to name commissioners; the 

 other, that they summon the upper orders to unite with them, 

 rejecting all conciliatory proposals. The debates began at once. 

 The third estate took up the discussion in a more orderly manner 

 than in their previous deliberations. Biauzat, writing on May 

 15, says: "The sessions of yesterday and today have been with- 

 out tumult and very agreeable for discussions." Later he writes, 

 " They are beginning to use with perfect exactness the plan suit- 

 able to so large an assembly, that is : to call the first time for 

 each to express his opinion, if he wishes to, reserving the collect- 

 ing of the votes for a second call."^*^ Biauzat mentions only two 

 persons as having spoken on May 14, M. Buzot and M. Prefeln, 

 both of whom expressed themselves as being opposed to hasty 

 action and therefore favoring the delay which would result from 

 the acceptance of Rabaut's motion.^^^ 



Duquesnoy is the only writer besides Biauzat who gives an ac- 

 count of the debate on this first day of the discussion, and he 

 simply mentions some important remarks which he noted, but 

 does not say who made them. He quotes such remarks as these : 

 " The third estate is the nation, the privileged classes are only a 

 fraction of it. My opinion is that we should declare this to them 

 today, or at least tomorrow, and that we should act on that 

 principle ! "^^" " A nation can exist without privileged classes : 



No. 4, 5-7; Biauzat, II, 61-63; Rccit dcs seances des deputes des com- 

 munes, 19. 



^84 Boulle, in Revue de la revolution, Documents incdits, II, 13. For an 

 account of the work of the deputies of Bretagne in the Breton club, see 

 Kuhlmann's Influence of the Breton Deputation and the Breton Club in 

 the Revolution. 



185 Biauzat, II, 67. 



186 Ibid. 



187 Duquesnoy, I, 20. 



266 



