November 2

[On November 2, 1788, I gave William Short news that King George III of England is at death's door with a severe brain illness causing total delirium. In France, the French nobility and clergy are teaming up to block equal voting rights for the commoners (the Third Estate). So the desperate public is throwing its support behind King Louis XVI. I calculated the math of the class struggle, noting that the King and the common people represent 23.5 million citizens, while the elite nobles and priests make up only a half million, meaning the aristocracy represents just 1/48th of the nation, yet they hold all the power.]

The King of England has for some time been at death's door. His disease is dropsical, tending to the head. A perpetual delirium, with rare and doubtful lucid intervals, makes it strongly believed to be a regular hydrocephalus, in which case the skilful pronounce either his death or insanity. The parliament was to meet yesterday on its prorogation, and it was under contemplation that they should establish a regency.

Here, the Notables are in session, but they have deservedly lost their popularity. It is evident that the court wishes to give to the tiers etat a double number of votes. The bureau of Monsieur voted this by a majority of one voice only. The other bureau rejected it almost unanimously. There is a great outcry against this, and the friends of the people and of justice will try the question over again in an assembly of all the bureaux—but there seem no hopes of success. This is the first event which has shown that there will be a combination of the nobles and clergy, and consequently it will throw the people decidedly into the scale of the King. This may end in liberty or despotism, at his will. I think that both he and his ministry are in favor of liberty, and that having twenty-three millions and a half of the people on their side, they will call the other half million to order, and show them that instead of being two thirds of the nation, they are but the forty-eighth.