by the mouth ôf the archbifliop of Rheiors, Hké nobles by the duke of. Athens, and the citizens by Stephen Marcel, proVoft; of merchants in the .good town of Paris, that they were willing to live or 4m for him, and offered him the difpofal of their liyes and fortunes, requiring only a little time to tlelihe-rate together. This requeft was willingly complied with. The king of France gave this year, on the vigil pf the feaft of the conception of the Virgin Mary# the duchy of Normandy to his eldeft fon the dau-phin of Vienne, earl of Pditiers ; and, on jthe mof* row, he did homage for it. After the three eftates had deliberated, they re-plied to the king of France, in the chamber of par-liament, by the aforementioned perfons, that they would grant him an army of thirty thoufan4 mea, to be maintained by them for one year; and m order to have the fund for paying this, which was eftimated at fifty thoufand livres parifis*, the thrm -eftates ordered that there Ihould be levied upon alt perfons, whatever their ftate may be, churchmen, nobles or others, a tax of eight deniers parilît per pound, on all forts of provisions ; and that the tax upon fait Ihould be eftabliihed throughout France. JBut, as it was not known if this taxj and the exten-sion of the gabelle would be fufficient, it was ordereA that the three eftates fliould remain in Paris, to fee and examine the refait of this tax, and that on ihe * My two MSS. fay'cinquante cent mille livres/ whichajppeam mou probable from thefcverity of the tax* 385