72 Mae Darling 



less, inasmuch as the nobles had already taken a stand directly 

 opposed to the demands of the commons and there was no thought 

 of the third estate abandoning its established principles. No 

 conciliation, it was said, could be expected in such a situation. 

 It was also argued that an agreement to try the conferences 

 would arouse the ill will of the public, who would fear that such 

 an action meant the giving up of their rights. There were those, 

 too, who thought that during the time spent on the conferences 

 every means would be used to win the cures to the side of the 

 upper clergy and thus the conference would really be an injury 

 to the cause of the third estate.-^' Duquesnoy quotes a deputy 

 from Anjou as saying that "this assembly is the terror of the 

 feudal nobles ; they have done everything to prevent it ; they are 

 doing everything to dissolve it ; they wish to gain time. Time 

 may bring some changes, some change of ministry, and they are 

 working for that."-^^ 



On Alay i6, when the discussion was renewed, Rabaut de 

 Saint-Etienne introduced an amendment to his motion, to the 

 effect, that the matter to be discussed in the conferences should be 

 limited to the question of the verification of credentials, and that 

 the commissioners should render an account in writing of what 

 took place in the conferences.-^" During the discussion, various 

 other suggestions were heard. For example, it was proposed 

 that there should be a deputation substituted for the conferences, 

 a deputation which, according to the statement made by Du- 

 quesnoy, should summon the two privileged orders to come to 

 the hall of the estate. This was virtually a return to Chapelier's 

 motion, although put in a milder form.--" It was also suggested 

 that Rabaut and Chapelier try to bring their motions together in 

 some sort of a compromise.--^ This apparently met with httle or 

 no support. 



21- Ibid., 14. 



21s Duquesnoy, I, 24. 



-'^^ Ibid.; Recit dcs seances dcs deputes dcs coiiiiiiiines, 23; Biauzat, II, 6. 



^^^ Recit des seances des deputes des communes, 24; Duquesnoy, I, 23; 

 Boulle, in Revue de la revolution, XI, Documents inedits, 16. 



^-'^ Recit des seances des deputes des communes, 23; Journal des etats- 

 generaux, I, 46. 



274 



