be derived, and which would do great injury to France by acting as a proclamation of its embarrassed state to all the world, at home and abroad.  The King would not listen to his reasonings, but declared himself willing to receive all the plate that was sent to him as a free-will offering.  He announced this; and two means were indicated at the same time, which all good citizens might follow.  One was, to send their plate to the King’s goldsmith; the other, to send it to the Mint.  Those who made an unconditional gift of their plate, sent it to the former, who kept a register of the names and of the number of marks he received.  The King regularly looked over this list; at least at first, and promised in general terms to restore to everybody the weight of metal they gave when his affairs permitted—­a promise nobody believed in or hoped to see executed.  Those who wished to be paid for their plate sent it to the Mint.  It was weighed on arrival; the names were written, the marks and the date; payment was made according as money could be found.  Many people were not sorry thus to sell, their plate without shame.  But the loss and the damage were inestimable in admirable ornaments of all kinds, with which much of the plate of the rich was embellished.  When an account came to be drawn up, it was found that not a hundred people were upon the list of Launay, the goldsmith; and the total product of the gift did not amount to three millions.  I confess that I was very late in sending any plate.  When I found that I was almost the only one of my rank using silver, I sent plate to the value of a thousand pistoles to the Mint, and locked up the rest.  All the great people turned to earthenware, exhausted the shops where it was sold, and set the trade in it on fire, while common folks continued to use their silver.  Even the King thought of using earthenware, having sent his gold vessels to the Mint, but afterwards decided upon plated metal and silver; the Princes and Princesses of the blood used crockery.

Ere three months were over his head the King felt all the shame and the weakness of having consented to this surrendering of plate, and avowed that he repented of it.  The inundations of the Loire, which happened at the same time, and caused the utmost disorder, did not restore the Court or the public to good humour.  The losses they caused, and the damage they did, were very considerable, and ruined many private people, and desolated home trade.

Summer came.  The dearness of all things, and of bread in particular, continued to cause frequent commotions all over the realm.  Although, as I have said, the guards of Paris were much increased, above all in the markets and the suspected places, they were unable to hinder disturbances from breaking out.  In many of these D’Argenson nearly lost his life.

Monseigneur arriving and returning from the Opera, was assailed by the populace and by women in great numbers crying, “Bread!  Bread!” so that he was afraid, even in the midst of his guards, who did not dare to disperse the crowd for fear of worse happening.  He got away by throwing money to the people, and promising wonders; but as the wonders did not follow, he no longer dared to go to Paris.