the origins of contemporary france-5-第13节

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expeditions　to　Walcheren；

the　letters　to　chief…judge　Régnier　and　to　the　arch…chancellor

Cambacérès　on　expropriations　for　public　benefit　（Aug。　　21；　Sept。　　7

and　29）；

the　letters　and　orders　to　M。　de　Champagny　to　treat　with　Austria　（Aug。

19；　and　Sept。　　10；　15；　18；　22；　and　23）；

the　letters　to　Admirable　Decrès；　to　despatch　naval　expeditions　to　the

colonies　（Aug。17　and　Sept。　　26）；

the　letter　to　Mollien　on　the　budget　of　expenditure　（Aug。　　8）；

the　letter　to　Clarke　on　the　statement　of　guns　in　store　throughout　the

empire　（Sept。　　14）。

Other　letters；　ordering　the　preparation　of　two　treatises　on　military

art　（Oct。　　1）；　two　works　on　the　history　and　encroachments　of　the　Holy

See　（Oct。　　3）；　prohibiting　conferences　at　Saint…Sulpice　（Sept。　　15）；

and　forbidding　priests　to　preach　outside　the　churches　（Sept。　　24）。…

From　Schoenbrunn；　he　watches　the　details　of　public　works　in　France　and

Italy；　for　instance；　the　letters　to　M。　le　Montalivet　（Sept。30）；　to

send　an　auditor　post　to　Parma；　to　have　a　dyke　repaired　at　once；　and

（Oct。　　8）　to　hasten　the　building　of　several　bridges　and　quays　at

Lyons。



＇70＇　He　says　himself；　〃I　always　transpose　my　theme　in　many　ways。〃



＇71＇　Madame　de　Rémusat；　I。；　117；　120。　　〃1　heard　M。　de　Talleyrand

exclaim　one　day；　some　what　out　of　humor；　'This　devil　of　a　man　misleads

you　in　all　directions。　　Even　his　passions　escape　you；　for　he　finds

some　way　to　counterfeit　them；　although　they　really　exist。'〃　…　For

example；　immediately　prior　to　the　violent　confrontation　with　Lord

Whitworth；　which　was　to　put　an　end　to　the　treaty　of　Amiens；　he　was

chatting　and　amusing　himself　with　the　women　and　the　infant　Napoleon；

his　nephew；　in　the　gayest　and　most　unconcerned　manner：　〃He　is　suddenly

told　that　the　company　had　assembled。　　His　countenance　changes　like

that　of　an　actor　when　the　scene　shifts。　　He　seems　to　turn　pale　at　will

and　his　features　contract〃；　he　rises；　steps　up　precipitately　to　the

English　ambassador；　and　fulminates　for　two　hours　before　two　hundred

persons。　　（Hansard's　Parliamentary　History；　vol。　　XXVI；　dispatches　of

Lord　Whitworth；　pp。　　1798；　1302；　1310。）　…　〃He　often　observes　that　the

politician　should　calculate　every　advantage　that　could　be　gained　by

his　defects。〃　One　day；　after　an　explosion　he　says　to　Abbé　de　Pradt：

〃You　thought　me　angry！　you　are　mistaken。　　　Anger　with　me　never　mounts

higher　than　here　（pointing　to　his　neck）。〃



＇72＇　Roederer；　III。　　（The　first　days　of　Brumaire；　year　VIII。）



＇73＇　Bourrienne；　III。；　114。



＇74＇　Bourrienne；　II。；　228。　　（Conversation　with　Bourrienne　in　the　park

at　Passeriano。）



＇75＇　Ibid。；　II。；　331。　　（Written　down　by　Bourrienne　the　same　evening。）



＇76＇　Madame　de　Rémusat；　I。；　274。　　…　　De　Ségur；　II。；　459。　　（Napoleon's

own　words　on　the　eve　of　the　battle　of　Austerlitz）：　〃Yes；　if　I　had

taken　Acre；　I　would　have　assumed　the　turban；　I　would　have　put　the　army

in　loose　breeches；　I　would　no　longer　have　exposed　it；　except　at　the

last　extremity；　I　would　have　made　it　my　sacred　battalion；　my

immortals。　　It　is　with　Arabs；　Greeks；　and　Armenians　that　I　would　have

ended　the　war　against　the　Turks。　　Instead　of　one　battle　in　Moravia　I

would　have　gained　a　battle　of　Issus；　I　would　have　made　myself　emperor

of　the　East；　and　returned　to　Paris　by　the　way　of　Constantinople。〃　…　De

Pradt；　p。19　（Napoleon's　own　words　at　Mayence；　September；　1804）：　〃Since

two　hundred　years　there　is　nothing　more　to　do　in　Europe；　it　is　only　in

the　East　that　things　can　be　carried　out　on　a　grand　scale。〃



＇77＇　Madame　de　Rémusat；　I。；　407。　　…　Miot　de　Melito；　II。；　214　（a　few

weeks　after　his　coronation）：　〃There　will　be　no　repose　in　Europe　until

it　is　under　one　head；　under　an　Emperor；　whose　officers　would　be　kings；

who　would　distribute　kingdoms　to　his　lieutenants；　who　would　make　one

of　them　King　of　Italy；　another　King　of　Bavaria；　here　a　landmann　of

Switzerland；　and　here　a　stadtholder　of　Holland；　etc。〃



＇78＇　〃Correspondance　de　Napoleon　I。；〃　vol。　　XXX。；　550；　558。　　　（Memoirs

dictated　by　Napoleon　at　Saint　Hélène。）　…　Miot　de　Melito；　II。；　290。　　…

D'Hausonvillc；　〃l'église　Romaine　et　le　Premier　Empire；〃　passiM。　…〃

Mémorial。〃　〃Paris　would　become　the　capital　of　the　Christian　world；　and

I　would　have　governed　the　religious　world　as　well　as　the　political

world。〃



＇79＇　De　Pradt；　23。



＇80＇　〃Mémoires　et　Mémorial。〃　〃It　was　essential　that　Paris　should

become　the　unique　capital；　not　to　be　compared　with　other　capitals。

The　masterpieces　of　science　and　of　art；　the　museums；　all　that　had

illustrated　past　centuries；　were　to　be　collected　there。　　Napoleon

regretted　that　he　could　not　transport　St。　　Peter's　to　Paris；　the

meanness　of　Notre　Dame　dissatisfied　him。〃



＇81＇　Villemain；　〃Souvenir　contemporaines；〃　I。；　175。　　　Napoleon's

statement　to　M。　de　Narbonne　early　in　March；　1812；　and　repeated　by　him

to　Villemain　an　hour　afterwards。　　　The　wording　is　at　second　hand　and

merely　a　very　good　imitation；　while　the　ideas　are　substantially

Napoleon's。　　Cf。　　his　fantasies　about　Italy　and　the　Mediterranean；

equally　exaggerated　（〃Correspondence；〃　XXX。；　548）；　and　an　admirable

improvisation　on　Spain　and　the　colonies　at　Bayonne。　　…　De　Pradt。

〃Mémoires　sur　les　revolutions　d'Espagne；〃　p。130：　〃Therefore　Napoleon

talked；　or　rather　poetised；　he　Ossianized　for　a　long　time　。　　。　　。

like　a　man　full　of　a　sentiment　which　oppressed　him；　in　an　animated；

picturesque　style；　and　with　the　impetuosity；　imagery；　and　originality

which　were　familiar　to　him；　。　　。　　。　　on　the　vast　throne　of　Mexico　and

Peru；　on　the　greatness　of　the　sovereigns　who　should　possess　them　。　　。

。　　。　　and　on　the　results　which　these　great　foundations　would　have　on

the　universe。　　I　had　often　heard　him；　but　under　no　circumstances　had　I

ever　heard　him　develop　such　a　wealth　and　compass　of　imagination。

Whether　it　was　the　richness　of　his　subject；　or　whether　his　faculties

had　become　excited　by　the　scene　he　conjured　up；　and　all　the　chords　of

the　instrument　vibrated　at　once；　he　was　sublime。〃



＇82＇　Roederer；　III。；　541　（February　2；　1809）：　〃I　love　power。　　But　I

love　it　as　an　artist。　　。　　。　　。　　　I　love　it　as　a　musician　loves　his

violin；　for　the　tones；　chords；　and　harmonies　he　can　get　out　of　it。〃









CHAPTER　II。　His　Ideas；　Passions　and　Intelligence。



I。　Intense　Passions。



Personality　and　character　during　the　Italian　Renaissance　and　during

the　present　time。　…　Intensity　of　the　passions　in　Bonaparte。　…　His

excessive　touchiness。　…　His　immediate　violence。　…　His　impatience；

rapidity；　and　need　of　talking。　…　His　temperament；　tension；　and　faults。



On　taking　a　near　view　of　the　contemporaries　of　Dante　and　Michael

Angelo；　we　find　that　they　differ　from　us　more　in　character　than　in

intellect。＇1＇　With　us；　three　hundred　years　of　police　and　of　courts　of

justice；　of　social　discipline　and　peaceful　habits；　of　hereditary

civilization；　have　diminished　the　force　and　violence　of　the　passions

natural　to　Man。　　In　Italy；　in　the　Renaissance　epoch；　they　were　still

intact；　human　emotions　at　that　time　were　keener　and　more　profound　than

at　the　present　day；　the　appetites　were　ardent　and　more　unbridled；

man's　will　was　more　impetuous　and　more　tenacious；　whatever　motive

inspired；　whether　pride；　ambition；　jealousy；　hatred；　love；　envy；　or

sensuality；　the　inward　spring　strained　with　an　energy　and　relaxed　with

a　violence　that　has　now　disappeared。　　All　these　energies　reappear　in

this　great　survivor　of　the　fifteenth　century；　in　him　the　play　of　the

nervous　machine　is　the　same　as　with　his　Italian　ancestors；　never　was

there；　even　with　the　Malatestas　and　the　Borgias；　a　more　sensitive　and

more　impulsive　intellect；　one　capable　of　such　electric　shocks　and

explosions；　in　which　the　roar　and　flashes　of　tempest　lasted　longer　and

of　which　the　effects　were　more　irresistible。　　In　his　mind　no　idea

remains　speculative　and　pure；　none　is　a　simple　transcript　of　the　real；

or　a　simple　picture　of　the　possible；　each　is　an　internal　eruption；

which　suddenly　and　spontaneously　spends　itself　in　action；　each　darts

forth　to　its　goal　and　would　reach　it　without　stopping　were　it　not　kept

back　and　restrained　by　force＇2＇　Sometimes；　the　eruption　is　so　sudden；

that　the　restraint　does　not　come　soon　enough。　　One　day；　in　Egypt；＇3＇

on　entertaining　a　number　of　French　ladies　at　dinner；　he　has　one　of

them；　who　was　very　pretty　and　whose　husband　he　had　just　sent　off　to

France；　placed　alongside　of　him；　suddenly；　as　if　accidentally；　he

overturns　a　pitcher　of　water　on　her；　and；　under　the　pretence　of

enabling　her　to　rearrange　her　wet　dress；　he　leads　her　into　another

room　where　he　remains　with　her　a　long　time；　too　long；　while　the　other

guests　seated　at　the　table　wait　quietly　and　exchange　glances。　　Another

day；　at　Paris；　toward　the　epoch　of　the　Concordat；＇4＇　he　says　to

Senator　Volney：　〃France　wants　a　religion。〃　Volney　replies　in　a　frank；

sententious　way；　〃France　wants　the　Bourbons。〃　Whereupon　he　gives

Volney　a　kick　in　the　stomach　and　he　falls　unconscious；　on　being　moved

to　a　friend's　house；　he　remains　there　i