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

LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONA.PARTE,.
tested against the hazardous means which he used lha'e me stoop, and that, too, when I commlanul so
to ascertain it. This pertinacity did not arise solely many stirong places on the Elbe and Oder. 1)reaen
out of the natural confidence in his own superiority, is the point un which I will manteuvre to receive alt
which always attends minds so powerful and so de- attacks, while rmy enemies develope themselves like
telrined; it was fostered by the whole course of his a line of circu;iference round a centre. Do you
life. suppose it possihle for troops of various nations,
"At the age of thirty," he said of himself, "I had and variously coamisanuded, to act with regularity
gained victories-I had influenced the world-I had upon such an extensive line of operations? The
appeased a national tempest-had melted parties enemy cannot force me back on the Rhline, till they
into one —had rallied a nation. I have, it must be have gained ten battles; but allow me ollly one
allowed, been spoiled by success-I have always victory, and I will nmarch on their capitals of Berlin
been in supreme command. From my first entrance and Breslau, relieve my garrisons on tile Vistula and
into life I have enjoyed high power, -and circum- Oder, and force tile allies to such a peace as shall
stances and my own force of character have been leave my glory untarnished. Your def'ensive retreat
suach, that from the instant I gained a superiority, I does not suit me; besides, I do not ask you for plains,
lmave recognized neither masters nor laws."+ but for assistance to carry into execution lly own
To a confession so ingenuous, the historian can projects."
add nothing. It is no wonder, that one to whom Thus Napoleon silenced his military, as wvell as
luck had been uniformly favourable, should love the his civil counsellors. But there was one ad.iser
excitation of the play, and, making cast after cast in whose mouth he had stopt, whose advice, if' it coild(
confidence of his own fortune, press the winning have reached him, would probably have altered Iris
game until it became a losing one, instead of with- fatal resolution. One of Bonaparte's most impolitic
drawing fiom the table as prudence would have dic- as well as ujnjustifiable measures lhad been, his total
tated, when the stakes deepened, and the luck began destruction of every mode by whllich. the pulblic opito change. Napoleon had established in his own nion of the people of France could be ilanifested.
mind, as well as that of others, an opinion, that he, His system of despotism, which had left no manner
in Iris proper person, enjoyed an amnesty from the of expression whatever, either by public meetings,
ordinary chances of fortune.t This was a belief by means of the press, or through the representati ve
nrlst usefrl to him as it was received by others, but bodies, by which the national sentiments on public
dangerous in Ihis own adoption of it; since it hinder- affairs could be made known, became now a serious
ed hine froim listening in his own case to calculations, evil. The manifestation of public opinion was nsiwhich in that of others he would have allowed to be serably supplied by the voices of hired functionaries,
well founded. who, like artificial fountains, merely returned back
Bothl Talleyrand and Fouch6 gave their mlaster with various flourishes the sentiments with which
tlhe adlvantage oi their experience on this occasion, they had been supplied from the common reservoir
and totuched with less or more reserve upon the at Paris. Had fiee agents of any kind been permitted
terror which his ambition had spread, and the toreport upon the state of the public mind, Napoleon
determination of the allies, as well as Austria, not would have had before him a picture wvhlich would
to make peace without such a guarantee as should have qurickly summoned shin back to France. He
protect them against fitlure encroachments. Napo- would have heard that the nation, blind to tihe evils
leon rejected their opinion and advice with disdain, of war while dazzled %sith victorry and military glory,
imputing it to their doubts in the persevering exer- had becomne acutely sensible of themic so soon as
tions of his genius, or to an anxiety for their own these evils became associated with defeats, and the
private frirtunes, which induced them to desire at all occasion of new draugllts on the pollcliation of
risks the end of the war. France. He vwoutd haive learned tlhat the fttal
I-is military counsellors endeavoured to enforce retreat of Moscow, aind tlls precarilous caaign pic rrf
similar advice, with the same want of success. Saxony, had awakened parties anid interests which
Berthier, with tile assistance of the celebrated had lorg been dormant-that the lna-rite of tile BouLtrlenginleer, Rogniat, had dirawn tip a plan for removing bons swas again mlentioned in the west-tllat 5.0.000
tlhe French. army, reinforced with a'l thle garrisons recrisant conscripts wvere wiandering tilrrtlglr Franlce,
which they had in Germany, from the line of the formling themselves into bands,. and realdy to join
Elbe to that of the ~Rhine. anv standard which vwas raised Rgainls tile llmperial
" Good God! " exclaimed Bonaparte, as hie aauthority; and thrat in tlhe Legislaltive lBMy, as w veill
glaniced at the labours of his adjutant-genceral, " ten as the Sernrite, there was already orga;lnized tiacit
lost battles could not brinig me so lowv as you wsoull oppositio, i tiso his governmenli t, t;iat wanted buit a
irormient of Neakness to shlow itself.
f Mn~vmcreialdce Ste-Alrsne, vol. VII, P. 137. All tis, ari ic ore, Ice world have learted; and
t The following is a ludicrous instance. \When tle explo- must hiave been taught the necessity ofconcentratirg
sion of the infernal machine took place, a bystander rushed is forces, returning to the lYotiers of France, reinto a company, and exclaimned, "The first cosntl is blown te roties of Fance, rep. A ustrian veteran clhancitlg to be of the plarty, covering the allegiance of those who hesitated, by
who kad -witnessed Napoleon's wonderful escapes during accepting the best terms of peace which lhe coultI
the Italian campaigns, exclaimed, in ridicule of the facile extort from the allies, and assumring on tile Rhine
credulityof the newsmonger,- " He blown upl-Ahl, you such a firmn attitude of defence as should at once
1'ttle know your man-I will wager at this moment he overawe dlomestic dissatisfaction, and repel foreign
is as well as any of us. I know all his tricks many a day invasion. But the least spiracle, by which the
au:ce?. voice of France could find its way to the ears of her