g. It
was at the solemn reception of the three orders in the great hall of the
neighboring castle of St. Germain-en-Laye,[1056] on the twenty-seventh
of August, that the "tiers etat" expressed with greatest distinctness
its sentiments respecting the present condition of the realm. Jacques
Bretagne, _vierg_[1057] of the city of Autun, a townsman of the clerical
orator of the first of January, whose arrogance had inspired such
universal disgust, was their spokesman. After reflecting with
considerable severity upon the deficiency of the clergy in sound
learning and spirituality--qualities for which they ought to be
pre-eminently distinguished--he took an impressive survey of the
excessive burdens of the people--burdens by which it had been reduced to
such deep poverty as to be altogether unable to do anything to relieve
the crown until it had obtained time to recruit its exhausted
resources.[1058] He declared it to be utterly inconceivable how such
enormous debts had been incurred, while the purses of the "third estate"
had been drained by unheard-of subsidies. As he had before exhibited the
obligations of the clergy by biblical example, so the orator next
proved, by reference to the Holy Scriptures, that it was the duty of
Charles to cause his subjects to be instructed by the preaching of God's
word, as the surest foundation of his regal authority. Then, approaching
the vexed question of toleration, he declared that never had monarch
more reason to study the Word of Life than the youthful King of France
amid the growing divisions and discords of his realm. The different
opinions held by Charles's subjects, he said, arose only from their
great solicitude for the salvation of their souls. Both parties were
sincere in their profession of faith. Let persecution, therefore, cease.
Let a free national council be convened, under the presidency of the
king in person, and let sure access be given to it. In fine, let places
be conceded to the advocates of the new doctrines for the worship of
Almighty God in the open day, and in the presence of royal officers; for
the voluntary service of the heart, which cannot be constrained, is
alone acceptable to heaven. From such toleration, not sedition, but
public tranquillity, must necessarily result. And lest the ordinary
allegation of the necessary truth of the Papal Church, on account of its
antiquity, should be employed to corroborate the existing system of
persecution, the deputy of the