to admire them, they were under a Necessity of acquainting him with the just Alarms of all the Orders of the Kingdom, upon account of an Edict for a general Recoinage of the Species, which impoverish'd those that had any Fortunes left in France, without being any Relief to the numerous Poor. This Speech was divided into two Parts. The first related to the manner in which the said Edict had been publish'd. The second enter'd into the particular Inconveniencies with which the various Clauses of the Edict would be attended, if his Majesty was not so far mov'd by those Reasons, as to order its Repeal. M. de Mesmes supported those two Articles by a Speech as nervous as it was eloquent; and at the Close he said, that in the Arrêts which had been pass'd by his Company, they had only followed the Precedents that had been found in the Registers.
The First President left his Speech in Writing, that the King might be able to answer it; and it was not long before the said Answer was return'd. The Deputies of the Parliament being sent for to the Tuilleries, on the 2d of July 1718, the Keeper of the Seals said to them in his Majesty's Presence, The King has caus'd the Remonstrances of his Parliament to be examin'd in Council, and his Majesty will always be dispos'd to give them a favorable Hearing, when they have not a Tendency to the splitting or the cramping of his Authority. He added, That the Edict in question had been maturely examin'd; and that 'twas the best Remedy for paying off the Debts of the State; that the said Edict was not such a Burden upon the Public; and that it was only so to those who should make advantageous Contracts by obligatory Deeds. He concluded with saying, That
the King prohibited every Assembly tending to the neglect of Submission; and that he had given Orders for registring the Letters Patent in pursuance of the Arrêt of Council whereby his Majesty claims the Cognizance of the Disputes already risen or that may arise relating to the Edict. This Answer being reported to the Parliament, Commissioners were appointed to examine it; and at the same time to search the Registers if there was any Precedent for Letters Patent of that sort, in order to conform to it. The Commissioners having made their Report, the Company came to a Resolution to represent to the Duke Regent, That nothing had been determin'd on that Subject, because the Company desired that they might first of all make new Remonstrances to the King; and that they intreated his Royal Highness to procure them an Audience. The Regent was nettled at the Parliament's Importunity, and he made answer to the King's Council, who were sent to him with the Message, That he should have thought that the Parliament would have rested satisfy'd with the Answer which the King had before given; but that since he saw they were not, he would venture, notwithstanding the Dislike that his Majesty expressed to Remonstrances, to give them the Liberty of presenting them, but no otherwise than in Writing.
The Parliament was not discouraged, but still continu'd to demand an Audience, which was at length granted for the 26th of July; when all the People of Distinction in Paris flock'd to Court to hear the Remonstrances. The first President spoke for nearly three quarters of an Hour, tho' his Discourse was nothing more than a Recapitulation of what he had said before. His Majesty made answer, My Keeper of the Seals will explain
my Intentions to you. But the Keeper of the Seals said no more than this, The King has already explained his Intentions to you, and he will explain them to you farther hereafter.
The Parliament dissatisfy'd with this Answer, which they thought too Laconic, as Affairs then stood, fell in a Rage with the Man whom they had good reason to look upon as the Primum Mobile of the Confusion of Affairs; I mean John Law, whose rapid Fortune furnish'd a large Field of Discourse. They were very sensible that a Director of the Bank could not easily acquire so much Wealth, but a great many People must be considerable Losers. The Parliament therefore cited this Financier to appear before them in Person, but he never went near them; and when, in a few days after, they chang'd the Summons to a Warrant for arresting him, the Duke Regent protected him by an Arrêt of Council. This Prince wisely judging of what Importance it was to him to make the Parliament easy, and to secure Respect to the Regal Authority of which he was the Depositary, appointed a Bed of Justice to be held at the Palace of the Thuilleries for the 26th of August. He order'd the King's Houshold Troops to keep to their Arms, and to be every Man at his Post. The same day he sent circular Letters of Invitation to all the Dukes and Peers, to the Marshals of France, to the Knights of the Orders, to the Governors and Lieutenant-Generals of the Provinces, to the Secretaries, and to some of the Counsellors of State who were nominated by the Keeper of the Seals. The Princes were also invited to this Tribunal. The Parliament walk'd thither on foot, about 11 o'clock in their red Robes. The President de Novion was at the Head of their
Body, because the first President was at that time very much afflicted with the Gout; however, he went to the Thuilleries in a Coach.
After the Council of the Regency broke up, the King went from his little Apartment upon the Terrass to his Gallery, to which he was accompanied by the Duke Regent and the Princes of the Blood. Four Presidents au Mortier and six Counsellors came thither to receive him, and conducted him to his Bed of Justice. The King being seated on his Throne, and all the Company having taken their Places, they began with reading the Letters Patent establishing M. d'Argenson Keeper of the Seals, which were order'd to be register'd. After this an Arrêt of Council was read, forbidding the Parliament to take Cognizance of the Affairs of State. Upon the reading of this Arrêt, the first President broke Silence and said, The Subject seem'd to him of so great Importance, that with the due Respect and Submission which the Company had for his Majesty's Orders, he desired his Majesty's Permission to withdraw, to take it into Consideration. As little Attention was paid to this Remonstrance, as to the preceding ones. The Regent drew near to the King and whisper'd him; and the Keeper of the Seals, after approaching his Majesty for a Minute, made answer to the Company, The King will be obey'd, and obey'd too upon the Spot.
Then a Declaration was read, importing, that the Dukes and Peers should have Seats in Parliament immediately after the Princes of the Blood. A second, which derogated from the Declaration of the King, dated the 5th of May 1694, and restrain'd the Legitimated Princes to the meer Honors and Prerogatives of their Peerages: And a third, which re-established the Count
de Tholouse in all his Rights, Ranks and Prerogatives for his own Person only.