opening of States General of lySp 7 1 



without doubt the assembly upon whose decision the entire world 

 now has its eyes, ought to rid itself forever of the slightest re- 

 proach of frivolity."-^* The speaker, while denouncing hasty 

 action, saw what the future might have in store. He said : 

 " Without doubt that day will come, soon perhaps, when, far 

 from limiting yourselves to the action now proposed, you will 

 constitute yourselves, not a separate order, not the chamber of 

 the third estate, but the national assembly." At the close, the 

 speaker expressed the hope that a conciliatory attitude on the 

 part of the commons might lead the nobles to join them in the hall 

 of the states general. -^^ 



It is evident from the above quotations that those who favored 

 the appointment of the commission had little hope of the success 

 of the undertaking. They felt that there was little to be ex- 

 pected from the nobles, and of course the third estate had no 

 intention of giving up its demands. But these supporters of the 

 plan for the conferences did hope to win public opinion and to 

 remove the slightest danger of being accused of hasty action. 

 They were seeking to prove to France that before taking matters 

 into their own hands, the commons had exhausted every means 

 of peaceful settlement, which were consistent with the instruc- 

 tions given them by their constituents. There were others, 

 according to Boulle, who hoped by this means to win the clergy, 

 and there were even those, he says, who expressed a hope that 

 the nobles might be won.-^*' It would seem that these latter were 

 not very numerous, judging from the speeches which have just 

 been referred to. 



Those who opposed the plan for the conferences did so, accord- 

 ing to Boulle, on the ground that the conferences would be use- 



214 Moniteur, I, 23. " Les resolutions precipites ne doivent point con- 

 venir aux representants de vingt-cinq millions d'hommes, forts de I'equite 

 de leur pretentions plus encore que le leur nombre; et sans doute cette 

 assemblee sur les decisions de laquelle le monde entier a maintenant les 

 yeux, doit s'affranchir a jamais du moindre reproche de legerete." This 

 speech was evidently taken from some source to which I did not have 

 access. 



215 Ibid., 33- 



216 Boulle, in Revue de la revolution, XI, Documents iiicdits, 13. 



273 



