Persians；　Hindus；　Mongols；　and　Chinese；　conducted　by　the　Prussian
  Anacharsis　Clootz；　enter；　under　the　title　of　Ambassadors　of　the
  Human　Race；　to　declaim　against　tyrants；　and　they　are　admitted　to　the
  honors　of　the　sitting。　　　On　this　occasion　the　masquerade　is　a　stroke
  devised　to　hasten　and　extort　the　abolition　of　nobility。＇15＇　At　other
  times；　there　is　little　or　no　object　in　it；　its　ridiculousness　is
  inexpressible；　for　the　farce　is　played　out　as　seriously　and
  earnestly　as　in　a　village　award　of　prizes。　　　For　three　days；　the
  children　who　have　taken　their　first　communion　before　the
  constitutional　bishop　have　been　promenaded　through　the　streets　of
  Paris；　at　the　Jacobin　club　they　recite　the　nonsense　they　have
  committed　to　memory；　and；　on　the　fourth　day；　admitted　to　the　bar　of
  the　Assembly；　their　spokesman；　a　poor　little　thing　of　twelve　years；
  repeats　the　parrot…like　tirade。　　　He　winds　up　with　the　accustomed
  oath；　upon　which　all　the　others　cry　out　in　their　piping；　shrill
  voices；　〃　We　swear　！　〃　As　a　climax；　the　President；　Trejlhard；　a
  sober　lawyer；　replies　to　the　little　gamins　with　perfect　gravity　in　a
  similar　strain；　employing　metaphors；　personifications；　and
  everything　else　belonging　to　the　stock…in…trade　of　a　pedant　on　his
  platform：
  〃You　merit　a　share　in　the　glory　of　the　founders　of　liberty；
  prepared　as　you　are　to　shed　your　blood　in　her　behalf。〃
  Immense　applause　from　the　〃left〃　and　the　galleries；　and　a　decree
  ordering　the　speeches　of　both　president　and　children　to　be　printed。
  The　children；　probably；　would　rather　have　gone　out　to　play；　but；
  willingly　or　unwillingly；　they　receive　or　endure　the　honors　of　the
  sitting。＇16＇
  Such　are　the　tricks　of　the　stage　and　of　the　platform　by　which　the
  managers　here　move　their　political　puppets。　　　Emotional
  susceptibility；　once　recognized　as　a　legitimate　force；　thus　becomes
  an　instrument　of　intrigue　and　constraint。　　　The　Assembly；　having
  accepted　theatrical　exhibitions　when　these　were　sincere　and　earnest；
  is　obliged　to　tolerate　them　when　they　become　mere　sham　and
  buffoonery。　　　At　this　vast　national　banquet；　over　which　it　meant　to
  preside；　and　to　which；　throwing　the　doors　wide　open；　it　invited　all
  France；　its　first　intoxication　was　due　to　wine　of　a　noble　quality；
  but　it　has　touched　glasses　with　the　populace；　and　by　degrees；　under
  the　pressure　of　its　associates；　it　has　descended　to　adulterated　and
  burning　drinks；　to　a　grotesque　unwholesome　inebriety　which　is　all
  the　more　grotesque　and　unwholesome；　because　it　persists　in　believing
  itself　to　be　reason。
  II。
  Inadequacy　of　its　information　…　Its　composition　…　The　social
  standing　and　culture　of　the　larger　number　…　Their　incapacity。
  Their　presumption　…　Fruitless　advice　of　competent　men。…　Deductive
  politics　…　Parties　…　The　minority；　its　faults　…　The　majority；　its
  dogmatism。
  If　reason　could　only　resume　its　empire　during　the　lucid　intervals！
  But　reason　must　exist　before　it　can　govern；　and　in　no　French
  Assembly；　except　the　two　following　this；　have　there　ever　been　fewer
  political　intellects。　　…　　Strictly　speaking；　with　careful　search；
  there　could　undoubtedly　be　found　in　France；　in　1789；　five　or　six
  hundred　experienced　men；　such　as　the　intendants　and　military
  commanders　of　every　province；　next　to　these　the　prelates；
  administrators　of　large　dioceses　the　members　of　the　local
  〃parlements；〃　whose　courts　gave　them　influence；　and　who；　besides
  judicial　functions；　possessed　a　portion　of　administrative　power；　and
  finally；　the　principal　members　of　the　Provincial　Assemblies；　all　of
  them　influential　and　sensible　people　who　had　exercised　control　over
  men　and　affairs；　at　once　humane；　liberal；　moderate；　and　capable　of
  understanding　the　difficulty；　as　well　as　the　necessity；　of　a　great
  reform；　indeed；　their　correspondence；　full　of　facts；　stated　with
  precision　and　judgment；　when　compared　with　the　doctrinaire　rubbish
  of　the　Assembly；　presents　the　strongest　possible　contrast。　　…　　But
  most　of　these　lights　remain　under　a　bushel；　only　a　few　of　them　get
  into　the　Assembly；　these　burn　without　illuminating；　and　are　soon
  extinguished　in　the　tempest。'　I。　The　venerable　Machault　is　not　there；
  nor　Malesherbes；　there　are　none　of　the　old　ministers　or　the　marshals
  of　France。　　　Not　one　of　the　intendants　is　there；　except　Malouet；　and
  by　the　superiority　of　this　man；　the　most　judicious　of　the　Assembly；
  one　can　judge　the　services　which　his　colleagues　would　have　rendered。
  Out　of　two　hundred　and　ninety…one　members　of　the　clergy；＇17＇　there
  are　indeed　forty…eight　bishops　or　archbishops　and　thirty…five　abbots
  or　canons；　but；　being　prelates　and　with　large　endowments；　they
  excite　the　envy　of　their　order；　and　are　generals　without　any
  soldiers。　　　We　have　the　same　spectacle　among　the　nobles。　　　Most　of
  them；　the　gentry　of　the　provinces；　have　been　elected　in　opposition
  to　the　grandees　of　the　Court。　　　Moreover；　neither　the　grandees　of
  the　Court；　devoted　to　worldly　pursuits；　nor　the　gentry　of　the
  provinces；　confined　to　private　life；　are　practically　familiar　with
  public　affairs。　　　A　small　group　among　them；　twenty…eight　magistrates
  and　about　thirty　superior　officials　who　have　held　command　or　have
  been　connected　with　the　administration；　probably　have　some　idea　of
  the　peril　of　society；　but　it　is　precisely　for　this　reason　that　they
  seem　to　be　behind　the　age　and　remain　without　influence。　　…　　In　the
  Third…Estate；　out　of　five　hundred　and　seventy…seven　members；　only
  ten　have　exercised　any　important　functions；　those　of　intendant；
  councillor　of　state；　receiver…general；　lieutenant　of　police；
  director　of　the　mint；　and　others　of　the　same　category。　　　The　great
  majority　is　composed　of　unknown　lawyers　and　people　occupying
  inferior　positions　in　the　profession；　notaries；　royal　attorneys；
  register　commissaries；　judges　and　assessors　of；　the　présidial；
  bailiffs　and　lieutenants　of　the　bailiwick；　simple　practitioners
  confined　from　their　youth　to　the　narrow　circle　of　an　inferior
  jurisdiction　or　to　a　routine　of　scribbling；　with　no　escape　but
  philosophical　excursions　in　imaginary　space　under　the　guidance　of
  Rousseau　and　Raynal。　　　There　are　three　hundred　and　seventy…three　of
  this　class；　to　whom　may　be　added　thirty…eight　farmers　and
  husbandmen；　fifteen　physicians；　and；　among　the　manufacturers；
  merchants；　and　capitalists；　some　fifty　or　sixty　who　are　their　equals
  in　education　and　in　political　capacity。　　　Scarcely　one　hundred　and
  fifty　proprietors　are　here　from　the　middle　class。＇18＇　　To　these　four
  hundred　and　fifty　deputies；　whose　condition；　education；　instruction；
  and　mental　range　qualified　them　for　being　good　clerks；　prominent　men
  in　a　commune；　honorable　fathers　of　a　family；　or；　at　best；
  provincial　academicians；　add　two　hundred　and　eight　curés；　their
  equals；　this　makes　six　hundred　and　fifty　out　of　eleven　hundred　and
  eighteen　deputies；　forming　a　positive　majority；　which；　again；　is
  augmented　by　about　fifty　philosophical　nobles；　leaving　out　the　weak
  who　follow　the　current；　and　the　ambitious　who　range　themselves　on
  the　strong　side。　　…　　We　may　divine　what　a　chamber　thus　made　up　can
  do；　and　those　who　are　familiar　with　such　matters　prophesy　what　it
  will　do。＇19＇
  〃There　are　some　able　men　in　the　National　Assembly；〃　writes　the
  American　minister；　〃yet　the　best　heads　among　them　would　not　be
  injured　by　experience；　and；　unfortunately；　there　are　great　numbers
  who；　with　much　imagination；　have　little　knowledge；　judgment；　or
  reflection。〃
  It　would　be　just　as　sensible　to　select　eleven　hundred　notables　from
  an　inland　province　and　entrust　them　to　the　repair　of　an　old　frigate。
  They　would　conscientiously　break　the　vessel　up；　and　the　frigate　they
  would　construct　in　its　place　would　founder　before　it　left　port。
  If　they　would　only　consult　the　pilots　and　professional　shipbuilders！
  There　are　several　of　such　to　be　found　around　them；　whom　they
  cannot　suspect；　for　most　of　them　are　foreigners；　born　in　free
  countries；　impartial；　sympathetic；　and；　what　is　more；　unanimous。
  The　Minister　of　the　United　States　writes；　two　months　before　the
  convocation　of　the　States…General：＇20＇
  〃I；　a　republican；　and　just；　as　it　were；　emerged　from　that　Assembly
  which　has　formed　one　of　the　most　republican　of　republican
  constitutions；　…　I　preach　incessantly　respect　for　the　prince；
  attention　to　the　rights　of　the　nobility；　and　moderation；　not　only　in
  the　object；　but　also　in　the　pursuit　of　it。〃
  Jefferson；　a　democrat　and　radical；　expresses　himself　no
  differently。　　　At　the　time　of　the　oath　of　the　Tennis　Court；　he
  redoubles　his　efforts　to　induce　Lafayette　and　other　patriots　to　make
  some　arrangement　with　the　King　to　secure　freedom　of　the　press；
  religious；　liberty；　trial　by　jury；　the　habeas　corpus；　and　a　national
  legislature；　…　things　which　he　could　certainly　be　made　to　adopt；　…
  and　then　to　retire　into　private　life；　and　let　these　institutions　act
  upon　the　condition　of　the　people　until　they　had　rendered　it　capable
  of　further　progress；　with　the　assurance　that　there