Paris. Saturday, 9 May 1789

Three quarters of Paris came out to Versailles to watch this ceremony.¹ The king and queen were superbly decked out, and all their court who followed them were quite as magnificent as they could ever be. The noble deputies were nobly attired, mounted troops lined the route, and the French and Swiss Guards marched ahead of, behind, and in between each of the three Orders of deputies, creating a ravishing spectacle. The cries of ‘Long live the king’, and the applause for him, were unceasing. In contrast, the common people, who were there in numbers, appeared to insult the queen, and it is clear that she felt this acutely.

On Tuesday 5 May their majesties and the whole court made their way at midday to the hall in which the Estates General was to meet, where the deputies as well as a large number of gentlemen and ladies were already seated. The king spoke well for a quarter of an hour, and more gracefully than people had witnessed up until this point. Then Monsieur Barentin the Keeper of the Seals made a half-hour speech, speaking so quietly that almost nobody could hear it. But Monsieur Necker read intelligibly for half an hour himself, and then had a secretary continue to read his speech for another two and a half hours. He was right to proceed in this way so that nothing was lost, because it was his speech that everyone wanted to hear.

The following day I met up with some well-informed people who told me that all three Orders were disgruntled about this speech, and the only effect those three hours have had is to make everyone suspicious of it.

It seems that our Director of Finances has been left in an awkward position by it all. People insist that he had already had the speech printed, but that now he has withdrawn it for corrections. But tell me, Madame, what you would do in his place, since he must know as well as I do that those hack writers who scribble as quickly as everyone else speaks have already been paid to copy his speech as he gave it, that they have it in their possession, and that if Monsieur Necker produces another version they will highlight all the changes from what he originally said. Yes, it is certainly tricky for somebody like him, who has made so many enemies!

Notes

1. The procession to mass on 4 May, the day before the opening ceremony took place. [back]