Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/575

The French Revolution 433 transformed the old feudal Estates, voting by orders, into the first modern national representative assembly on the continent of Europe. 752. The "Tennis-Court" Oath. Under the influence of his courtiers the king tried to restore the old system by arranging a "royal" session of the three orders, at which he presided in person. He presented a long program of reforms, and then bade the Estates sit apart, according to the old custom. But it was like bidding water to run uphill. Three days before, when the members of the Third Estate had found themselves excluded from their regular place of meeting on account of the preparations for the royal session, they had betaken themselves to a neighboring building called the "Tennis Court." Here, on June 20, they took the famous "Tennis-Court" oath, "to come together wherever circumstances may dictate, until the constitution of the kingdom shall be established." Consequently, when the king finished his address and com- manded the three orders to resume their separate sessions, most of the bishops, some of the parish priests, and a great part of the nobility obeyed ; the rest sat still, uncertain what they should do. When the master of ceremonies ordered them to comply with the king's commands, Mirabeau, the most distinguished statesman among the deputies, told him bluntly that they would not leave their places except at the point of the bayonet. The weak king almost immediately gave in and a few days later ordered all the deputies of the privileged orders who had not already done so to join the commons. 753. The Fall of the Bastille, July 14, 1789. The National Assembly now began in earnest the great task of preparing a con- stitution and regenerating France. It was soon interrupted, how- ever, by events at Paris. The king had been advised by those about him to gather together the Swiss and German troops who formed the royal guard, so that if he decided to send the insolent deputies home he would be able to put down any disorder which might result. On July 14 crowds of people assembled, determined to procure arms to protect themselves and mayhap to perform some daring