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

352 LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
BTut though such consent on the part of the peopl.e, serving that shrewd politicians have been of opinion,
elicited hfoin all excess of partial confidence or of'that sovereigns who have only a questionable right
gratitude, may have rendered such encroachments to their authority, are compelled, were it but for
on tile freedom of the state more easy, it did not their own sakes, to govern in such a mariner as to
and:l could not render it in any case more legal. The make the country {iel its advantage in submitting to
ir lits of a fi-ee peoplle are theirs to enjoy, but not their government. We grant willingly, that in mllch
tlieils to alienate or surrender. The people are of his internal adminlistration Bonaparte showed that
i:n this respect like minors, to whom law assures lie desired to have no advantage separate from that
their property, but invests them with no title to giv e of France; that he conceived her interests to be
it asway or consumane it; the nationalprivileges are an connected with his own glory; that le expended his
estate eitailed from generation to generation, and wealth in ornamenting the empire, and not upon
lthey can neither be the subject of gift, exchange, nor objects mnore immediately personal to himself. We
slr,'ender, by those who enjoy the usufruct or tern- have no doubt that lie had more pleasure in seeing
o>rar y possession of them. No man is lord even of treas-ures of art added to the Muiseum, than in hanghis person, to the effect of surrendering his life or ing them on the walls of his own palace; and that
liiibs to the mercy of another; the contract of the lie spoke truly, when asserting that he grudged JoMerchant of Venice would now be held null fi-om the s6plline the expensive plants with which she decobeginning in any court of justic'e in Europe. But alr rated her residence at Mallnaison, because her taste
mtore should the report of 1804, upon Bonaparte's interfered with the prosperity of the public botanical
election, be esteemed totally void, since it involved garden of Paris. We allow, therefore, that Bonathe cession on the part of the French people of that I parte fullly identified himself with the country which
which ought to have been far more dear to themt, and hie had rendered his patrimony; and that while it
held more inalienable, than the pound of flesh xnear- should be called by his name, he was desirous of ilest the heart, or the very heart itself. vesting it with as miiuch external splendour, and as
As the people of France had no right to resign much internal prosperity, as his gigantic schemes
their own liberties, and that of their posterity, fbor were able to compass. No doubt it may be said, so
ever, so Bonaparte could not legally avail himself completely was the country identified with its
of their prodigal and imprudent cession. If a blind ruler, that as France had inothing but what belonged
man give a piece of gold by mistake instead of a 1 to its emperor, he was in fact improving his own
piece of silver, he who receives it acquires no legal estate when he advanced her public works, and
title to the sulrplus value. If an ignorant man enter could no more be said to lose sight of his own inunwittingly into an illegal compact, his signature, terest, than a private gentleman does, who neglects
though voluntary, is not binding upon him. It is his garden to ornament his park. But it is not fair
true, that Bonaparte had rendered the highest ser- to press the motives of human nature to their last
vices to France, by his Italian campaigns in the first retreat, in which something like a taint of self ininstance, and afterwards by that wonderfill train of terest may so often be discovered. It is enough to
success which followed his return from Egypt. Still, reply, that the selfishness which embraces the inthe services yielded by a subject to his native land, terests of' a whole kingdom is of a kind so liberal,
like the duty paid by a child to a parent, cannot so extended, and so refined, as to be closely allied
render him creditor of the country, beyond the to patriotism; and that the good intentions of Bo.
amount which she has legal means of discharging. naparte towards that France, over which he ruled
If France had received the highest benefits ftiol with despotic sway, can be no more doubted, than
Bonaparte, she had in return raised him as high as thie affections of an arbitrary father, whose object it
any subject could be advanced, and had, indeed, in is to make his son prosperous and happy, to which
her reckless prodigality of gratitude, given, or suf lie annexes as the only condition, that le shall be
fered hinm to assume, the very despotic authority, i implicitly obedient to every tittl.e of' his will. The
which this compact of whith we treat was to conso- Im isibitune is, however, that arbitrary power is in
lidate and sanction under its real name of einpire. itself a faculty, which, whether exercised over a
Here, therefore, we close the argument; concluding, kingdoni, or in the bosom of a faimily, is apt to be
the pretended vote of the French people to be totally used with caprice rather than judgnient, and beinull, both as regarding the subjects who yielded comes a slalre to those who possess it, as well as a
their privileges, and the empteror who accepted of burthen to those over whom it extends. A father,
their surrender-. The former could not give away for example, seeks the happiness of his son, while he
rights which it was not lawful to resign, the latter endeavours to assure his fortunes, by compelling
coulld not accept an authority which it was unlawful hliili to enter into a mercenary and reluctant marto exercise. riage; and Bonaparte conceived himself to be beneAn apology, or rather a palliation; of Bonaparte's fiting as well as aggrandising Franlce, when, preferusurpation, has been set up by himself and his more ring the splenldour of conquest to the blessings of
ardeint admlil ers, and we are desirous of giving to it peace, he led the flower of ther young Inen to perish
all the weight which it shall be found to deserve.. in foieign fields, and finally was the in meanls of her'hey huave said, and with great reason, that Bona-:.bilg delivered up, drained of her population, to the
parte, viewed ill his general conduct, was no selfish mnercy of the foreign invaders, whose resentment his
usurper, and that the mode in which he acquired uhmitmion had provoked.
his power was gilded over by the use which he Such are thile considerations which naturally rise
made of it. This is true; for we will not underrate ou~t of Napoleon's final and avowed assumption of
the nmerits which Napoleon thus acquired, by oh- tile absolute power, which he had in reality possess