The life of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French. By Sir Walter Scott.

LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 277
request only added to the tumult. At this moment Bonaparte affirms, that one of the general offia small body of grenadiers, sent by Napoleon to his cers in his suite offered to take the command of
brother's assistance, marched into the hall. fifty men, and place them in ambush to fire on the
They were at first received with applause; for deputies in their flight, which he wisely declined as
the council, accustomed to see the triumph of de- a useless and gratuitous cruelty.
mocratical opinions among the military, did not The result of these violent and extraordinary
doubt that they were deserting their general to range measures was intimated to the Council of Ancients;
themselves on the side of the deputies. Their ap- the immediate cause of the expulsion of the Five
pearance was but momentary-they instantly left Hundred being referred to the alleged violence on
the hall, carrying Lucien in the centre of the detach- the person of Bonaparte, which was said by one
ment. member to have been committed by Arena, while.
Matters were now come to extremity on either another exaggerated the charge, by asserting that it
side. The council, thrown into the greatest dis- was offered in consequence of Bonaparte's having
order by these repeated military incursions, remained made disclosure of some mal-practices of the Corsiin violent agitation, furious against Bonaparte, but can deputy while in Italy. The IMooniteur soon after
without the calmness necessary to adopt decisive improved this story of Ar6na and his single poniard,
measures. into a party consisting of Arena, Marquezzi, and
Meantime the sight of Napoleon, almost breath- other deputies, armed with pistols and daggers.
less, and bearing marks of' personal violence. ex- At other times, Bonaparte was said to have been
cited to the highest the indignation of the military. wounded, which certainly was not the case. The
In broken words he told them, that when he wished effect of the example of Brutus upon a republican,
to show them the road to lead the country to victory and an Italian to boot, might render the conduct
and ftrele, " they had answered him with daggers." ascribed to Ar6na credible enough; but the existCries of resentment arose from the soldiery, ence of a party armed with pocket-pistols and dagaugmented when the party sent to extricate the pre- gers, for the purpose of opposing regular troops, is
sident brought hini to tile ranks as to a sanctuary. too ridiculous to be believed. Ar6na published a
Luicien, who seconded his brother admirably, or denial of the attempt; and among the numbers who
iather who led the way in this perilous adventure, witnessed the scene no proof was ever appealed
mounted on horseback instantly, and called out, in a to, save the real evidence of a dagger found on the
voice naturally deep and sonorous, " General, and floor, and the torn sleeve of a grenadier's coat, ciryou, soldiers! The President of the Council of Five curmstances which might be accounted for many
Hundred proclaims to you, that factious men, with ways. But having served at the time as a popular
drawn daggers, have interrupted the deliberations apology for the strong measures which had been
of the assembly —le authorizes you to employ force adopted, the rumour was not allowed to fall asleep.
agarinst these disturbers-The Assembly of Five Thom6, the grenadier, was declared to have merited
Hundred is dissolved!" well of his country by the legislative body, entexMulat, deputed by Bonaparte to execute the tained at dinner by the general, and rewarded with
commands of' Lucien, entered the Orangerie with a salute and a valuable jewel by Josephine. Other
drums beating, at the head of a detachment with reports were put in circulation concerning the violent
fixed bayonets. He summoned the deputies to dis- purposes of the jacobins. It was said the ancient
perse on their peril, while an officer of the constitu- revolutionist, Santerre, was setting a popular movetional guard called out, he could be no longer an- ment on foot in the Faubourg St-Antoine, and that
swerablefor theirsafety. Criesoffearbecamenow Bonaparte, through the Ex-Director Moulins, had
mingled with vociferations of rage, execrations of cautioned him against proceeding in his purpose,
abhorrence, and shouts of Vive la Republique! An declaring, that if he did, he would have him shot by
officer then mounted the president's seat, and sum- martial law.
moned the representatives to retire. "The general," But the truth is, that although there can be no
said lie, " has given orders." doubt that the popular party entertained a full purSome of the deputies and spectators began now pose of revolutionizing the government anew, and
to leave the hall; the greater part continued firm, restoring its republican character, yet they were
and sustained the shouts by which they reprobated anticipated and surprised by the movement of the
this military intrusion. The druns at length struck 18th and 19th Brumaire, which could not, therefore,
up, and drowned fulrther remonstrance. in strict language, be justified as a defensive mea" Forward, grenadiers," said the officer who com- sure. Its excuse must rest on the proposition which
nianded the party. They leveled their muskets, seems undoubted, that affairs were come to such
and advanced as if to the charge. The deputies extremity that a contest was unavoidable, and that
seem hitherto to have retained a lingering hope that therefore it was necessary for the moderate party to
their persons would be regarded as inviolable. They take the advantage of the first blow, though they
now fled on all sides, most of them jumping from exposed themselves in doing so to the reproach of
the windows of the Orangerie, and leaving behind being called the aggressors.
them their official caps, scarfs, and gowrns. In a The Council of Ancients had expressed some
very few minutes the apartments were entirely clear; alarm and anxiety about the employment of military
and thus, furnishing, at its conclusion, a striking force against the other branch of the constitutional
parallel to the scene which ended the Long Parlia- representation. But Luicien Bonaparte, having suement of Charles the First's time, terminated the last ceeded in rallying around him about a hundred of
democratical assembly of Fran-,e. the Council of the Juniors, assumed the character