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

318 LIFE OP NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
objects he desired for her —ships, colonies, and But he was now beginning to show that, from the
commerce. tinles of Pyrrhus to his own, ambition has taken
In his personal capacity, the first consul possessed more pleasure in the hazards and exertions of the
all the power which he desired, and a great deal chase than in its successful issue. All the power
more than, whether his own or thle country's welfare which Bonaparte alteady possessed seemed only
was regarded, he ought to have wished for. His valuable in his eyes, as it afforded him the means
victories over the foes of France. had, by their mere of getting as much more; and, like a sanguine and
fame, enabled him to make himself master of her eager garester, he went on doubling his stakes at
freedom. It remained to show-not whether Na- every throw, till the tide of fortune, which had so
poleon was a patriot, for to that honourable name he long run in his ftavolr, at length turned against him,
had forfeited all title when he first usurped unli- and his ruin was total. -lis ruling and predomlinatirng
-miteid power-but whether he was to use the power vice was aimbitionl-we would have called it his only
which lie had wrongfully acquired, like Trajan or one, did not amblition, when of a character intensely
like Domitian. His stranlgely-mingled character selfish, include so manry others.
showed traits of both these historical portraits, It seems the most natural course, in continuing
strongly opposed as they are to each other. Or our history, first to trace those events which disaprather, he might seem to be like Socrates in the al- pointed the general expectations of Europe, and, after
legory, alternately influenced by a good and a male- a jealous and feverish armistice of little more than a!volent demonl; the fobrmer marking his course with year, again renewed the horrors of wvar. WVe shall
actions of splendour and dignity; while the latter, then resume the internal history of France and her
mastering human frailty by means of its prevailing rtler.
foible, the love of self, debased the history of a hero, Altho-ugh the two contracting powers had been
by actions and sentiments worthy only of a vulgar able to agree upon the special articles of the peace
tyrant. of Amiens, they possessed extremely different ideas
concerning the nature of' a state of';acification in
general, and the relations which it establishes
between two independent states. The English amiDiflerent views entertained by the English ministers and nister, a man of the highest personal worth and
the chief consul of t/ie eticts of the trecay d' Aniens;- probity, entertained no doubt that peace was to
Napoleon, mnisled tby the s.outs of a Lond(on ntob, mis- have its usual effect, of restoring all the ordinary
iunderstafnds tlhefee,irgs of the people qf Great Britain. anticable intercourse betwixt France and England;
-His colntinued enc'roa cohenls on the indelpendence of and that, in matters concerning their mutual allies,
Europe-Flis condlctto Srwitzerland-ItterfJres in their and tile state of the European republic in general,
po.'ilics, and sets hinmself tp, ttuninited, as mediator in the latter country, on sheathing the sword, had retheir concerns —Iis extraordinaary maenifesto address- tained the right of firiendly counsel and renmonstrance.
ed to tohem.-Ney ecaters Swit-zerlaned at th'e heed of MAfr Addington could not hope to restore the balance
40,000) nmen —The patriot, Reding, disbands hias orces,
ad40,00 enprio-Ted.-Sriot, z ng, isbcom eds hitos forcesh of Europe, for which so munch blood had been spilled
and i imprisoned. —Sititzerland is compelled to furnish.
France wilh a sbasidiary armny of 16,000 troops.-Thle in tile 18th century. The scales and beams of that
chief cornstul adopts the itle oJf Grantd Mediator of the balance were broken into fragments, and lay under
Helvetic Repeb.'ic. the feet of Bonaparte. But Britain did'not lie,
prostrate. She stiil grasped in her hand the trident
THIs eyes of Europe were now fixel on Bona- of the oceanI, and lhad by no event, in the late
parte, as master of the destinies of the civilized contest, been reduced to surrender the right of
world, which his will could either maintainll n a state remonstrating against violence and injustice, and of
of general peace, or replunge into all the miseries protecting tle feeble, as far as circumstances wvould
tf renewed and more inveterate war. Many hopes still permit.
were entertained, from his eminent personal quali- But Bonaparte's idea of the effects of the treaty
ties, that the course in which le wotld direct them of Atniens wvas very different. It was, according
Iriglht prove as honourable to himself as happy for to his estimation, a treaty, containing everything
the nations over whomrt he now possessed such un- that Britain was entitled to expect on the part of
houndned influence. The shades of his character herself and her allies, and the accepting of which
were either lost amid the lustre of his victories, or excluded hel fromr all ftarther right of interference in
excused fronm thle necessity of his situation. The the affhirsofE-urope. It was like a botndigchlarter,
massacre of Jaffa was little known, was acted afar which restricts the right of the l erson to whonr it is
off, and might present itself to memory as an act of granted to the precise limits therein described, and
military severity, which circumstances might pal- precludes the possibility of his making either clainl
liate, if not excuse,. or acquisition beyond them. All Europe, then, was
Napoleon, supposing him fully satiated with mar- to be at the disposal of France, and states created,
tial glory, in which he had never been sulrpassed, dissolved, changed, and re-changed at her pleasure,
was expected to apply himself to the arts of peace, unless England could lay her finger on the line in
ty which he might derive fame of a more calm, yet the treaty of Amiens, which prohibited the proposed
not less honourable character. Peace was all around measure. "England," said the Moniieur, in an
him, and, to preserve it, he had only to will that it official tone, " shall have the treaty of Amiens, the
shoull continue; and the season seemed eminently whole treaty of Amiens, and nothing but the treaty
propitious for taking the advice of Cineas to the of Amiens!" In this manner the treaty was, so far
Kingr ofEpirus, and reposing himrself after his labours. as England was concerned, understood to decide,