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

| 3X0 LIFE OF NAPOLtEON BONAPARTE.X
than the sky cleared, and the wind dropt, retaining vember, he met Bonaparte at Fontainebleau; and
just breath sufficient gently to wave the banners. the conduct of the Emperor Napoleon was as stuEven the elements seemed to acknowledge the im- diously respectful towards him, as that of Charlelperial dignity, all save the sea, which rolled as magne, whom he was pleased to call his predecessor,
carelessly to the feet of Napoleon as it had formerly could have been towards Leo.
done towards those of Canute the Dane. On the 2d December, the coronation took place in
The emperor, accompanied with his empress, thle ancient cathedral of Notre Dame, with the addiwho bore her honours both gracefully and meekly, tion of every ceremony which could be devised to add
visited Aix-la-Chapelle, and the frontiers of Ger- to its solemnity. Yet we have been told that the multimany. They received the congratulations of all the tude did not participate in the ceremonial with that
powers of Europe, excepting England, Russia, and eagerness which characterises the inhabitants of all
Sweden, upon their new exaltation; and the Ger- capitals, but especially those of Patis, upon similar
man princes, who had everything to hope and fear occasions. They had, within a very few years, seen
fron so powerful a neighbour, hastened to pay their so many exhibitions, processions, and festivals, escompliments to Napoleon in person, which more tablished on the most discordant principles, which,
distant sovereigns offered by their ambassadors. though announced as permanent and unchangeable,
But the most splendid and public recognition of had successively given way to newer doctrines, that
his new rank was yet to be made, by the formal act they considered the splendid representation before
of' coronation, which, therefore, Napoleon deter- them as an unsubstantial pageant, which would fade
mined should take place with circumstances of so- away in its turn. Bonaparte himself seemed absent
lemnity, which had been beyond the reach of any and gloomy, till recalled to a sense of his grandeur
temporal prince, however powerful, for many ages. by the voice of the numerous deputies and functionHis policy was often marked by a wish to revive, aries sent up from all the several departments of
imitate, and connect his own titles and interest France, to witness the coronation. These functionwith some ancient observance of former days; as aries had been selected with due attention to their
if the novelty of his claims could have been ren- political opinions; and many of them holding offices
dered more venerable by investing them with anti- under the government, or expecting benefits from, quated forms, or as men of low birth, when raised the emperor, made up, by the zealous vivacity of
to wealth and rank, are sometimes desirous to con- their acclamations, for the coldness of the good citiceal the obscurity of their origin under the blaze of zens of Paris.
heraldic honours. Pope Leo, he remembered, had The emperor took his coronation oath, as usual
placed a golden crown on the head of Charle- on such occasions, with his hands upon the Scripmagne, and plroclaimed him Emperor of the Romans. ture, and in the folrm in which it was repeated to
Piuts VII., he determined, should do the same for a him by the pope. But in the act of coronation
successor to much more than the actual power of itself, there was a marked deviation from the uniCharlemagne; but though Charlemagne had repaired versal custom, characteristic of the man, the age,
-to Rome to receive inauguration from the hands of and the conjuncture. In all other similar solemnithe pontiff of that day, Napoleon resolved that he who ties, the crown had been placed on the sovereign's
now owned the proud, and in protestant eyes profane, head by the presiding spiritual person, as representtitle of Vicar of Christ should travel to France to per- ing the Deity, by whorn princes rule. But not even
form the coronation of the successful chief; by whom front the head of the catholic church would Bonathe See of Rome had been more than once humbled, parte consent to receive as a boon the golden sympillaged, and impoverished, but by whom also her bol of sovereignty, which he was sensible he owed
power had been re-erected and restored, not only in solely to his own unparalleled train of military and
Italy, but in France itself. civil successes. The crown having been blessed by
Humiliating as the compliance with Bonaparte's the pope, Napoleon took it from the altar with his
request must have seemed to the more devoted ca- own hao1qs, and placed it on his brows. He then
tholics, Pins VII. had already sacrificed to obtain put the diadem on the head of his empress, as if
the Concordat, so much of the power and privileges determined to show that his authority was the child
of the Roman See, that he could hardly have been of his own actions. Te Dezem was sung; the
justified if he had run the risk of losing the advan- heralds (for they also had again come into fashion)
tages of a treaty so dearly pur'chased, by declining proclaimed, " that the thrice glorious and thrice
to incur some personal trouble, or, it might be august Napoleon, Emperor ojf the French, was
termned, some direct self-abasement. The pope, crowned and installed." Thus concluded this reand the cardinals whom he consulted, implored the markable ceremony. Those who remember having
illumination of Heaven upon their cotncils; but it beheld it, must now doubt whether they were
was the stern voice of necessity which assured waking, or whether fancy had framed a vision so
thel, tlhat, except at the risk of dividing the church dazzling in its appearance, so e xtraordinary in its oria schism, they could not refuse to comply with gin and progress, and so ephemleral in its endturace.
Bonaparte's requisition. The pope left Rome on The very day before the ceremony of coronation
thie 5fh November. He was everywhere received (that is, on the 1st of December), the Senate had
on the road with the highest respect, and most pro- waited upon the emperor with the result of the
Iobnd veneration; the Alpine precipices themselves votes collected in the departments, which, till that
had been secured by parapets wherever they could time, had been taken for granted. Upwards of
txp)Ose tie holy Father of the Catholic Church to three millions five hundred thousand citizens had
allnger,,r even apprehension. Upon the 25th No- given their votes on this occasion; of whom only