FRANCE. 
7 GO 
cated by his .minifter, had a momentary effeft on the 
ftates-general. Scarcely had the monarch left the hall, 
before the clergy and the nobility retired to their differ¬ 
ent chambers to verify their powers. The third eftate 
regarded this reparation with evident jealoufy ; they con- 
fidered it as an open attempt in the other two eftates to 
eftablifh the fyftem which had been alluded to by the 
minifter of the finances. Compofing in number one half 
of that afTembly, the commons were determined never to 
fubmit to the claims of the nobility and clergy to vote 
by orders, and tints to reduce themfelves to a third part 
ot the affembly ; a concefiion which they alferted would 
have rendered illufory the rights which had been ac¬ 
knowledged in the third eftate : And why, added they, 
have we been granted a moiety of voices, if ihofe voices 
are to be confidered as only compofing a third ? 
The third eftate, which had remained in the hall ap¬ 
pointed for their deliberations, prefl’ed the other two or¬ 
ders to continue with them, and to verify their powers in 
unifon. They urged, that at prefent the important quef- 
tion was by no means concerned whether they fhould de¬ 
liberate by orders, or by numbers ; and that the foie mat¬ 
ter in difpute was a fintple verification of powers. Se¬ 
veral days parted in fruitlefs invitations and negociations ; 
the patience of the third eftate was at length exhaufted ; 
they determined to proceed to bufinefs, and they affumed 
the title of Commons. On the nth of May, the nobi¬ 
lity alfo, after having verified their powers, declared 
themfelves a legal afTembly; but the clergy were directed 
by more cautious fteps. They deferred the verification 
of their powers; and, regarding themfelves as yet com¬ 
pofing no conftitutional body, offered their mediation be¬ 
tween the other two. But the minds of each party grew 
daily more hoftile ; the fchifm became wider; and at 
length the royal interpofition was deemed neceffary to 
compofe thofe differences which blafted the happy fruits 
that had been expefted from the meeting of the ftates- 
general. But in vain did Louis recommend, in the moft 
perfuafive terms, that unanimity which alone could give 
weight to the proceedings of the affembly ; his plan of 
conciliation produced only debates, aflemblies of com- 
miffaries, addreffes, and deputations, eloquent but inde- 
cifive. Several weeks were confumed in ineffectual mo¬ 
tions on the fcarcity of corn, the diftrefs of the people, 
the regulation of the police, and the legality of elections. 
At length the bold notions of liberty that were daily 
advanced by the leaders of the tiers etat, were echoed 
with acclamation by their hearers. The capital became 
interefted in the ilfue of every debate; and the political 
fervour was eagerly imbibed by the nation with that vi¬ 
vacity which is fo peculiar to the French people. The 
commons accufed the nobles of obftinately impeding the 
bufinefs of the ftate, by refufing to verify their powers in 
one common affembly. The accufation was (wallowed 
by the multitude, who faw not, or were unwilling to fee, 
that the attack was made by their own favourite order. 
In the mean time the nobles became rapidly more and 
more unpopular. Their perfons were infulted; new 
publications daily reviled their whole order, and repre- 
fented them as an ufelef’s or pernicious body of men, 
whofe exiftence ought not to be tolerated in a free ftate. 
The clergy, from the influence of the parifh cure's or 
parfons, feerned ready to def'ert their caufe. Still, how¬ 
ever, the majority of the nobles remained firm ; well 
aware, that if they once confented to fit in the fame af¬ 
fembly, and to vote promifcuoufly with the more nume¬ 
rous body of the commons, their whole order, and ail its 
fplendid privileges, mud fpeedily be overthrown. 
The leaders of the commons faw the change that was 
taking place in the minds of men ; and they at length 
regarded the period as arrived when they ought to emerge 
from their inactivity, and execute the daring projeCt of 
ieizing the legiflative authority by force. They de¬ 
clared that the reprefentatives of the nobles and the 
clergy were only the deputies of particular incorpora¬ 
tions, whom they would allow to fit and vote along with 
themfelves, but who had no title in a collective capacity 
to aCt as diftinCt legiflators of France. For conducting 
bufinefs with more facility, they appointed twenty com¬ 
mittees. In confequence of a propofal by the abbe 
Sieyes, a final meffage was fent to the privileged orders 
requiring their attendance as individuals, and intimating 
that the commons, as the deputies of ninety-fix out of 
every hundred of their countrymen, were about to affume 
the exclufive power of leyiflatioD. None of the nobles 
obeyed this fummons ; but three cures, Meffrs. Cefve, 
Ballard, and Jalot, prefented their commiffions, and were 
received with loud acclamations. They were next day 
followed by five more, among whom were Meffrs. Gre- 
goire, Dillon, and Bodineau. After fiotne debate con¬ 
cerning the appellation which they ought to affume as 
the reprefentatives of the body of the people, the com¬ 
mons, with fuch of the clergy as had joined them, on 
the loth ot June, 1789 , Jolemnly voted themfelves thefove- 
reign legiflators of their country, under the ancient name of the 
National Assembly. The refult of the vote was 
no fooner declared, than the hall refounded with reite-. 
rated fhouts from the immenfe concourfe of fpeCtators, of 
Vive le roi et vive I'ajfemblee Rationale-, “Long live the 
king and the national affembly.” M. Bailly was chofen 
prefident for four days only, Meffrs. Camus and Pifonde 
Galand, the fecretaries. 
The new affembly immediately took the neceffary oaths, 
and, as the firft aft of authority, they declared that the 
different taxes collefted throughout the kingdom, as ne¬ 
ver having received the content of the nation, were ille¬ 
gal and null ; but at the fame time that the prefervation 
and fafety of the ftate demanded the continuation of 
them; and they therefore decreed, that they fhould be 
levied, in the ufual way, until the time that the national 
affembly fhould be prorogued ; but from the moment 
that event fhould take place, then all imports and con¬ 
tributions which had not been formally' and freely granted 
by the affembly, fhould entirely ceafe in every province 
of the kingdom. At the fame the afTembly declared, 
that, as foon as they had afcertained the principles of the 
conftitution, they would ferioufly direft their attention to 
the national debt ; placing from this moment the credi¬ 
tors of the ftate under the fafeguard of the honour and 
faith of the French nation. And, to alleviate the fears 
of the people, a committee of fubfiftence was immediately 
eftablifhed, to enquire into the caufes of the melancholy 
dearth which at that moment afflifted the kingdom. 
It is hardly poflible to defcribe the different fenfations 
which this memorable day produced. The people, in 
the moment of triumph, abandoned themfelves to all the 
intoxication of joy: “One hour (faid they) has de- 
ftroyed the prejudices and flavery of eight centuries; 
the nation has once more returned its rights, and reafon 
has again afferted her fway. The clergy and the nobles, 
beneath whofe ufurpations we have f'o long groaned, have 
vanifhed from our fight; the charm is broken ; the voice 
of the reprefentatives of the people is become the voice 
of the nation, and the vital organ of the ftate.” 
The REVOLUTION. 
Before we enter upon the fanguinary annals of this 
eventful period, it may be proper to take a retrofpeftive 
view of the early jurifprudence of France, the druggies 
of its parliaments, the abjeft condition of its people, and 
the bold exertions of individuals to reftore the latent 
fpark of liberty which firft animated the courageous 
Franks to plant their empire in the bofom of the fined 
climate on earth, and in the (acred lap of freedom. 
The power of the early monarchs of France had been 
ufually reftrained by national aflemblies of the people, 
which afterwards received the name of Parliaments. 
But when the feeble fucceffors of Charlemagne differed 
the reins to drop from their hands, the barons affumed 
many privileges which had been formerly annexed to the 
crown, 
