. A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools. cier) sim-ply wished the deputies to consider various fiscal expedients,no doubt excellent, but not remedies for the grievous woes ofFrance. Besides, in the opening ceremonies, the Third Estatemembers were exasperated by being treated as the socialinferiors of the clergy and nobility. The king presently re-quired the deputies to organize. The nobles and a majorityof the clergy did so, as two separate bodies, — apart from The latter refused at first to organize, on the 1 Many of the clergy were delegates elected by
. A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools. cier) sim-ply wished the deputies to consider various fiscal expedients,no doubt excellent, but not remedies for the grievous woes ofFrance. Besides, in the opening ceremonies, the Third Estatemembers were exasperated by being treated as the socialinferiors of the clergy and nobility. The king presently re-quired the deputies to organize. The nobles and a majorityof the clergy did so, as two separate bodies, — apart from The latter refused at first to organize, on the 1 Many of the clergy were delegates elected by the country cures, who hadlittle fellowship with the lordly prince-bishops. From the first this strongminority among the clergy was ready to act with the commons. Also a fewnobles (, Lafayette, the friend of Washington) wished to join with the ThirdEstate. 394 HISTORY OF EUROPE ground that they were only part of a single grand assembly,and that a large number of fellow members were absent. Butpresently the Third Estate cut the knot by declaring itself as. THE STATES GENERAL IN SESSION AT VERSAILLES (After a contemporary drawing by Monnet) being the representatives of ninety-six per cent of the Frenchnation, and therefore the National Assembly, and per-fected its organization as if it were the sole body, the othersmere groups of negligible absentees. This speedily provokeda crisis. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 395 The king was full of good intentions, but he was not anxiousto have the privileged classes swamped in a gathering wherethey were sure to be outvoted. Under the pretext that its hallwould need to be arranged for a special royal sitting, theAssembly was excluded from June 17 to June 23. Then it wasexpected by the angry court party that the upstart countrylawyers would be taught their proper place and functions. 228. The tennis-court oath {June 20, 1789). But the com-mons, timid at first and placed amid strange surroundings,were finding courage with organization. Leaders
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