The Convening of the Etats Généraux on May 4, 1789

The Convening of the Etats Généraux
on May 4, 1789

          …..
……………………………………..Wikipedia

“The torrent formed by ignorance became
A passion violent enough to be
Impossible to stem.  No man could tame
It.”  Bishop Talleryand described the sea
Of blood, of oceanic tidal wave
We call the Revolution from the slant
Of decades’ distance, as, viewed from the nave,
A monstrance filled with gore and hate and cant
Might be perceived.  My lord approached the fray
In robes pontificalls with friend Philippe,
The Duc d’Orleans, in that mild May
Procession with its stately, fatal sweep.
..They each poised an aristocratic snout,
    Conniving for just one thing, really:  clout.