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tion muft caufe a general alarm. We have often feen taxes, limited till fuch a time, prolonged even after the intention of the supply had been amply fulfilleds but we did not expect to fee one that is to laft perpetually, at the very time when a certain period was mentioned for diminishing the national debt. Lewis XIV established the polltax in 1695, and the tenth in 1710. The misfortunes and heavy loffes fuftained towards the latter end of his reign, and the invafion of the kingdom, made him attempt a ftep, the fuccefs of which he very much doubted in his own mind. That great monarch, finding himself obliged to lay fuch a duty, feemed to have been doubtful whether he had a right to lay it; and if parliament then thought it their duty to have it registered, it was becaufe the contribution was to laft but a fhort time; it was chiefly because the exigencies of the ftate feemed to require a fpeedy redrefs; had it not been for thefe fubftantial reafons, Sire, Lewis XIV. would have owned, "that it was the nation alone, re-united in the three general ftates, that can give the neceffary confent for eftablishing a perpetual tax-that parliament were never invefted with fuch a power, and that, charged by the fovereign to announce his will to the people, they had never been charged by the people to reprefent them fo implicitly."

This is what your refpectful parliament takes now the liberty of mentioning to your majesty; and, penetrated with this truth, alarmed at the enormous deficiency, and ftruck with the deplorable diforders that have produced it, and might render it perpetual, they with very VOL. XXIX.

much to fee the whole nation af fembled, before they register any new impoft. The nation alone thus affembled, and inftructed in the true ftate of the finances, may extirpate the great abuses that are exifting at prefent, and offer great refources to obviate them in future.

'Tis for you, Sire, that the honour was referved of renewing thofe national affemblies which render the reign of Charlemagne fo great and illuftrious; affemblies that repaired all king John's difaftrous calamities, and concurred with parliament to re-eftablith Charles VII. on the throne. All the world is convinced now of the truth of this maximthat mystery generally accompanies miftrust and weakness-that the greater authority is, the more confidence and candour it should infpire-and that entrusting the provincial affemblies with part of the adminiftration, inftead of weakening it, would enlighten and render it more active. Your notables, Sire, fo wifely felected by your majefty,have affifted the throne with their counfels, and unveiled the long-hidden countenance of truth, which you were determined to fee. How happy are now the members of this aflembly in prefenting you, Sire, with the effufions of that truth they fo ftrongly feel in their hearts! The monarch of France. can never be fo great as when furrounded by his happy fubjects: he has nothing to fear but the excess of their attachment: he has no other precau tion to take but to be upon his guard against iffuing orders that may be beyond their power to accomplis. By a perfect union between the fove reign and the people, each party will be the gainer; and a monarch can never err in following the fteps of the hero of the fecond race, who [U]

forced

forced from the unanimous lips of admiring Europe the name of Great, which he certainly deserved, by protecting juftice and his people with the fame arm that ftruck terror to his enemies; nor those of a Charles V. whom pofterity, the impartial judge of kings, has dignified with the title of Wife; nor thofe of Lewis XII. who in one of those affemblies had the sweet fatisfaction of hearing himself proclaimed the Father of his People; nor those in short of Henry IV. whofe name, ftill fo cherished by the French, is an honour to humanity, and daily receives from our grateful hearts a copious tribute of tears.

Your parliament, Sire, waiting with impatience for the happy and wifhed-for moment, when a juft monarch will deign to spread his benign influence over a faithful nation, and grant their requests, most respectfully intreat your majefty to recall and annull the declaration of the ftamp-duty, as altogether in compatible with the prefent fituation of affairs; a duty that, were it to be enforced, would caufe univerfal difcontent and forrow to all the nation, and the name only of which has already spread a general alarm through the kingdom.

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AM come to this affembly to re

I call to my parliament thole prin

ciples from which it ought never to deviate; to hear what you have to fay upon two great acts of adminiftration and legiflation, which to me have appeared neceffary; finally, to

reply to you upon the reprefenta tions made to me by the chamber of vacations, in favour of my parliament of Bourdeaux. The principles which mean to recall to your recollection, are a part of the effence of the monarchy, and I will not fuffer them to be unknown or changed. I had no need of folicitations to affemble the notables of my kingdom. I fhall never be afraid of being among my fubjects. A king of France is never more happy than when he enjoys their love and fidelity; but it is I only who am to judge of the ufe and neceffity of thofe affemblies, and I will not fuffer myfelf to be indifcreetly importuned for that which ought to be expected from my wifdom, and the love I have for my people, whofe interests are infeparable from my own. The act of administration which I propose to myself is an edict, containing a creation of fucceffive loans for five years. I wished to have no farther recourfe to the resource of loans; but order and œconomy muft have time to make them effectual. Limited and well calculated loans will retard the operations of the former, but they will not prevent them. No new impofts will be established, and my engagements will be fulfilled. I will ever maintain, by the moft conftant and undivided protec tion, the holy religion in which I have the happiness to be born, and I will not permit it to fuffer the leaft diminution in my kingdom. But I am of opinion that this fame religion commands me not to leave a part of my fubjects deprived of their natural rights, and what the ftate of society promises them. You will fee in my anfwer upon the fubject of the parliament of Bour

deaux, to what a degree its conduct is reprehenfible. My parliament ought to reckon upon my confidence and affection; but they ought to merit them in confining themselves within the functions confided to their execution by the kings my predeceffors; being careful not to depart from, nor refuse them, and more particularly never to fail in giving to my fubjects an example of fidelity and fubmiffion. My keeper of the feals will more fully communieate to you my intentions.

The Addrefs of the first Prefident of the Parliament of Paris to his Moft Chriftian Majefty at Verfailles, on the Exile of the Duke of Orleans and two Counsellors of the Parlia

ment.

Sire,

YOUR

UR parliament is come, in obedience to your orders. It has this morning been informed, at the opening of the fitting, that a prince of your auguft blood has incurred your difpleasure, and that two counfellors of your court are deprived of their liberty. Your parliament, in confternation, humbly fupplicates your majefty, to restore to the prince of your blood, and to the two magiftrates, the liberty which they have loft, having, in your prefence, freely declared what their duty and confciences dictated, in a fitting wherein your majefty had announced that you came to take the fenfe of the affembly by a plurality of fuffrages.

His Most Christian Majesty's

Answer.

When I put away from my perfon a prince of my blood, my par

liament ought to believe, that I have very ftrong reafons for fo doing. I have punished two magiftrates, with whom I ought to be diffatisfied.

The Second Address of the Parliament of Paris to his Moft Chriftian Majefty on the fame fubject, Nov. 23, 1787.

Sire,

THE public affection has pre

:

ceded your parliament at the foot of the throne. The first prince of your blood is exiled; two magiftrates of your parliament are imprifoned by your orders: the error of this auguft prince, the crime of these two magistrates, are unknown to us. It cannot have been a crime to speak the truth in the presence of your majefly. Your majefty came among us to demand our free suffrages to give them on every occafion is the right and duty of your parliament, and the interest of your majefty to hear thein. It is true, the keeper of the feals expreffed the fentiments of your majefty; but our counsel to you would no longer come from the fanctuary of truth, if restrained by the terror of offending. If the duke of Orleans is guilty, we are alfo. It was worthy the first prince of your blood to represent to your majesty, that you were transforming a meeting of the parliament into a bed of juftice. His declaration has but announced our fentiments; his feelings have judged of ours; and if by the effect of that concord, which nothing can destroy, between the wishes and the duty of your par liament, the duke of Orleans has fhewn a courage worthy his birth

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and

and rank, he has no lefs manifefted a heart zealous for your glory. In fact, Sire, foreigners cannot conceive, pofterity will not believe, that we could be expofed to any danger in telling your majefty that truth, which you have demanded in perfon. Your presence has ever been accompanied with favour; muft it henceforth produce fear and affliction? A bed of juftice would be lefs terrible than a fitting of parliament; and our loyalty to your majefty would fupprefs our voices,were our confidence, encouraged by yourfelf, no other than the fignal of our exile or imprisonment. And what imprifonment, Sir? Honour and humanity, as well as juftice, tremble at it; the baseft men have laid hands on the perfon of one of your magiftrates; his houfe has been befieged; inftruments of the police have driven away his family. It was by prayers and entreaties to those ungracious men, that he was permitted to fee his wife, his children, and his fifters, on his departure. They have forced him away without a fervant; and that magiftrate, who, on Monday, thought himfelf under the perfonal protection of your majesty, is gone to a diftant prifon, unattended but by three men,the devotees of arbitrary power. The fecond of thefe magiftrates feized by your orders, though treated in his own houfe lefs cruelly than the other, has nevertheless been conftrained to depart with a fever, and threatened with an inflammatory diforder, to a place where life is a continual punishment. His dwelling is a rock; his prifon beat by the waves of the fea; the air he breathesunwholesome; all affistance is remote, and your majefty, without withing it, without knowing it,

in figning the order of imprisonment, has perhaps figned that of his death. If exile is the recompence of the fidelity of the princes of your blood; if outrages and captivity threaten the uprightness of the firft magiftrates of the kingdom; we may ask ourselves with terror and grief, what will become of the laws, the public liberty, the national honour, and the manners of your majesty's subjects; thofe manners fo mild, fo neceffary to be preserved for the common intereft of the throne, and of the people. Such defigns, Sire, are not in your heart; fuch examples are not the principles of your majelty. They arife from another fource. Your parliament, Sire, moft humbly be feeches your majesty, as you value your glory, your high renown, to remove thofe afflicting counfels, to confult and liften only to your own heart; and then, juftice with humanity, encouraged by the return of the first prince of your blood, and by the releafe of your two magiftrates, will begin to efface an example, which would end by the deftruction of the laws, the degradation of the magiftracy, univerfal discouragement, and the triumph of the enemies to the honour of the French.

His Moft Chriftian Majefty's Answer 10 the foregoing Addrefs, Nov. 26, 1787.

THEN I held a fitting among

W you, gentlemen, the keeper

of the feals told you, by my order, that the more kindnets I fhewed when I followed the inclinations of my heart, the more firmnets I difcovered when I thought I perceived any attempts to abufe that kindness.

This might be a fufficient answer to your fecond petition; but I will condefcend to add, that if I do not blame the intereft you exprefs for the detention of your two magiftrates, I difapprove, however, your exaggerating the circumftances and confequences of it. You feem to attribute the whole of this tranfaction to motives, which the free liberty I permitted you to exprefs your opinions does not warrant.

I am accountable to no perfon for the motives of my resolutions.

It is time you should separate the particular cafe of those I have punished from the intereft of my other fubjects, and that of the laws.

All my subjects are fenfible that the goodness of my heart is ever watchful for their happiness, and muft acknowledge the effects of it, even in my acts of justice.

Every individual is interested in the prefervation of public order, and that order effentially depends on the fupport of my authority.

If thofe I have charged to execute my orders have behaved in a manner contrary to my intention, I will punish them; and if the place of confinement can any ways be detrimental to the health of the two magiftrates, I will order them to be removed to more falutary spots; for the feelings of humanity are infeparable from my heart, even in the execution of my juftice.

In regard to the duke of Orleans' abfence from the capital, and from my court, I have nothing to add to what I have already faid to my parliament.

The Third Remonftrance of the Parlia-
ment of Paris to his Meft Chriftian
Majefty, on the fame Subject, pre-
Jented Dec. 10, 1787.

Sire,

You

YOUR parliament, the princes and peers of your realms, being feated, have charged us with the commiffion of laying at the foot of your throne their most respectful reprefentations on your majesty's anfwer to their fupplication.

The magiftracy of your kingdom, as well as every true citizen, are equally aftonished at the reproaches it contains, and the principles which are manifested in it.

We are, however, far from attri buting these reproaches to the perfonal fentiments which inspire your majefty.

Public decency received a fevere wound in the choice of the executors of your orders. If their crime was not carried to the perfonal arreft of one of your magiftrates, the expofition of other facts, far from being exaggerated, is yet incom plete; and your parliament may add, that this magiftrate, whofe houfe was invested by armed men, himfelf delivered up to the agents of the police, like a malefactor, faw himfelf reduced to the humiliation of being liable to the fummons of an officer, from a submission to your majefty's order.

May we be allowed, Sire, to reprefent to you, that, in devoting purfelves to the public fervice, in promifing to release your majesty of the first duty you owe your nation, namely, that of juftice; in bringing up our children to be fubject to the fame facrifices, we never could have fuppofed we were deftining ourselves and our children to the misfortunes, ftill lefs to outrages of fo heinous a nature.

But we do not come fo much to claim your benignity, as the protection of the laws. It is not to. your humanity alone that we ad[U] 3

drefs

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