“But what says Paris?”—“She is deaf and dumb.”
“Dares she not speak?”—“Nor she, nor parliament.”
“The clergy?”—“O! the clergy are kept mum.”
“Upon your oath?”—“Yes, on the sacrament.”
“The nobles, then?”—“The nobles are still worse.”
“And justice?”—“Hath nor balances nor weights.”
“Who, then, may hope to mitigate this curse?”
“Who? prithee, who?”—“Why, France’s three estates.”
“Be pleased, O prince, to grant alleviation . . .”
“To whom?”—“To the good citizen who waits . . .”