82 Mae Darling 



by insisting on the union of the orders and the vote by head, and 

 as prehminary and essential to this, the verification of credentials 

 in common, had foimd that the nobles, at least, were prepared to 

 resist with all their strength these demands which, if granted, 

 meant the subordination of the privileged classes to the power of 

 the despised third estate. The commons, forced to meet as a 

 separate body because of the absence of their colleagues of the 

 upper orders from the hall destined, as the third estate claimed, 

 for the use of the three orders united, had adopted a policy of 

 absolute inactivity, refusing to organize or consider themselves 

 capable of organizing, attempting thus to convince the upper 

 orders that the demands of the people of France must be heeded 

 before the work of the states general could proceed. 



The nobles, on the other hand, had verified their credentials, 

 declared themselves legally constituted, and organized into a 

 separate chamber, absolutely ignoring the demands of the third 

 estate. The clergy, however, had adopted the role of mediator 

 between the hostile forces, and had proposed the conciliatory con- 

 ferences. But while this order was playing the part of peace- 

 maker, there was a division in its own ranks between the higher 

 and the lower clergy, that might bode ill for the unity of the 

 order, if no agreement should be reached between the nobles and 

 the third estate. The nobles had accepted the plan for the con- 

 ferences, indicating at the same time by persisting in their decrees, 

 that they had no intenton of renouncing their demand for separate 

 chambers. The third estate had also accepted the proposition of 

 the clergy, but had likewise indicated that they had no intention 

 of giving up the principles for which they had been contending. 

 Representatives of these opposing forces were now to come 

 together in an attempt to find a peaceful settlement of the diffi- 

 culties and thus avoid oi)en warfare. Was this possible in the 

 present temper of the nobles and the third estate? The con- 

 ferences would answer the question. 



284 



